How many is too many? No don’t answer that.

Published on by Amanda C

Hi, my name is Amanda and I’m a bridle addict. I like the thrill of looking through all the different new bridles. I like looking at the different styles and features, and the more unique it is, the more intrigued I am. I love opening a box and having a waft of that intoxicating new leather smell hit my nose. I love oiling or conditioning it for the first time, working the leather in my hands to soften it. I love putting it together, getting all the parts adjusted “just so”. There are few things in the world as satisfying to me as this. And all of those things combined are probably how I now find myself with 9 bridles.

if this photo alone doesn’t turn you into a bridle junkie then we just can’t be friends

I like having a bridle for any occasion, and I definitely don’t like having horses share the same bridle. Henry’s got a dressage bridle, a bitless bridle, a cross country bridle, a flash jumping bridle that is currently not in the rotation, a hackamore bridle (different from the bitless!), and a hunt bridle. Presto has his cob bridle that he’s pretty much totally outgrown, his new padded horse size bridle, and now… a green bridle?

look at heem

See, I’ve been looking at those colored QHP Shiva bridles for a long time. The navy one is what originally caught my attention of course (#navy4life), but in my mind’s eye I just didn’t think I would love it on Henry. Plus he, even by my own admission, already really does have a bridle for everything. I just wasn’t sure that I would actually use it (yes I realize my logic is not always consistent considering I still haven’t used the hunt bridle for anything aside from a photo shoot. I plead extenuating circumstances on that one.). So I resisted the Shiva for a really long time.

And then I started doing mostly green for Presto, which turned my attention from the navy bridle to the green one. But green… on a bridle… was it too much? I kept seeing customer photos of it, and I really liked the look, but did I like it for me? Plus I didn’t need (my most dangerous word) another bridle, especially for a not-even-3yo. And then one day Decopony posted another pic of it on her instagram story and this time I made the mistake of responding saying that it was so pretty, and then she was like as it turns out I’m in the mood to clean out some stock for the new year, let’s make a deal.

Image result for i am in danger gif

And that’s how the last remaining Full size green/brown Shiva bridle in her stock made it into Presto’s possession.

have you ever seen a more excited animal?

I remained a little bit unsure about the green bridle from the moment of purchase all the way up until the moment I put it on Presto. I thought that the green would look good on his coloring, but considering his face markings and his crazy forelock and the fancy stitching and the buckles on the noseband, would it be too much? Tacky? I mean I dunno if I’ve mentioned this y’all but it’s green. This was very far outside of my usual wheelhouse. My deeply ingrained h/j roots were screaming in terror from whatever deep dark recesses of my brain they’ve been shoved down into.

But I tacked him up, put on his new green/navy reversible breastplate with the green side out (I love that thing and it cost me all of $10 with some gift card creativity), put his green bridle on, and… loved it. Like waaaaaay more than I thought I would. There’s something about it that just works on him. It’s quirky and fun and looks really good with his dark coloring. And it’s subtle enough that once you get 20′ feet away you can’t tell it’s green. It’s not like “OH MY GOD HELLO I’M A GREEN FUCKING BRIDLE”, it’s more like “hey girl, sup, I heard you like green?”.

why yes, yes I do

So, ya know, TLDR – that’s why the non-broke horse now has 3 bridles. But hey, that’s still half as many as Henry. I think I’m doing okay.

Also I’m using this as the catalyst event to finally allow myself to get the dark green gloves that I’ve been drooling over for months. Please no one ask me how many pairs of gloves I have, then I’ll have to write another post just like this one (it’s 7, I have 7 pairs, last time I checked I only have 1 pair of hands but I LOVE GLOVES).

30 thoughts on “How many is too many? No don’t answer that.”

  1. He looks so good in green. I like that the colour is more subtle than it appears on the website.
    Regardless of the pretty colour combos, that is a besutiful bridle, I love the stitching on the noseband.

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  3. He looks so good in green! They definitely did a good job with making the green subtle. I didn’t notice a difference at first when I looked at your Insta photo of it, but when I read the description I had to look twice! I mean, I feel he’d look fantastic in anything, but now I suppose you have to get him a matching pad, right? Well, first I think you need a navy sparkle pad to match those fantastic navy sparkle boots. It’s a shame Premier Equine doesn’t have those pads in hunter green…. I mean, you have the green gloves now so it’s only logical there’s a pad to follow lol.

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    1. It’s a little too bright for what I’m wanting. I wish it was darker or more emerald. Granted I think an entire green saddle pad would be… a lot of green. For me anyway.

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  7. When I read the title I though you were going to say you found a new horse. I too have a bridle addiction but draft bridles are boring compared to the ones you get.

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  8. I 100% support more bridles – especially green ones! I love that bridle on Presto and would totally buy one if I had, you know, a riding horse to use it on! Dark green sparkly boots and a green saddle pad are in order – companies need more hunter green in their lineups for 2020!

    Trying to resist ordering the green gloves now. Great. lol

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    1. I haven’t been able to find any dark green sparkly boots, otherwise I would have bought them! I can’t even found any that are dark enough green for my preference and also not patent. Equestrian Stockholm has the right shade but not the right shiny.

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  9. Green is the best color ever. I had one of those 3 piece stubben bridles in high school and it was brown with green padding. Loved that bridle!!! Still have it but it’s not in use. Needs some stitching fixed… but ah! Presto looks sooo good in green!!!

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  10. I think I currently have something like 25 bridles. And one horse I can ride. So that should help you feel better.
    Presto does look especially handsome in this new one. And you really can’t count his cob sized one since it doesn’t really fit. So he only has two. And he’s fast approaching his 3rd b-day, so you’ll actually need bridles soon. Definitely was a need. You needed the green bridle.

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  11. I have 4 bridles for my one horse, so I don’t think you’re too off base (dressage, hacking out/longeing, jumping, and a crappy bridle that I throw into the rotation when I am trying a new bit because I HATE swapping bits). And I’m easily up to 12+ gloves, but to be fair that’s ~5 winter pairs, 2 show pairs (xc and dressage), and then a couple pairs of everyday gloves. I’ve gotten kind of matchy about them, plus they’re never where I leave them so I’m always digging them back out of the pocket of coats or from the depths of my car seats.

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  12. I saw the navy one on someone’s horse but the normal leather was too chestnut colored and I couldn’t get behind it. But that green/dark brown leather on his face is kind of gorgeous. I might need one now…

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  14. So I have 9 bridles(in my tack room, more at home🤦‍♀️😂) and 7(I thought 8 but I’m only counting 7) saddles, more saddles pads then I can count. 5 thinline halfpad (2 full sheepskin and 3 with just sheepskin rolls) and a ton of blankets, coolers, boots. Not to mention a zillion bits….how many horses do I have you ask, 2, one who I dont ride because she is unpredictable and just not fun and the other who had a keratoma removed in July so he hasn’t been ridden since November 2018…feel better?

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      1. Glad I could help…shouldn’t surprise you that I’m the same person who posted in the HGS group about having almost 500 amazon orders last year 😂😂😂

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  15. I LOVE the green! And I feel you on that bridle and glove obsession. I have one horse and somehow have enough tack and supplies for at least 3 horses. (And I lost count of how many gloves I have…)

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