June 4, 2019

Kim Gentry Bit and Bridle Fitting Clinic: Part 2

Once we had the bit settled, she took a look at the bridle.  She had Tota Comfort, Schockemoehle and Passier bridles to play with.  I explained that I've had him in traditional bridles, a Micklem, a figure 8 and the PS of Sweden he was wearing, and I've felt like all of them were tight behind his ears.  I also had concerns about the amount of pressure the PS of Sweden was exerting on his poll, and I told her about his regular brief but violent headshaking episodes (that seems to be partially related to my hands).

Long story short, she ended up putting him in a Schockemoehle mix and match that looked something like this, but without the flash:


When I asked why she chose that for him, she said this bridle is basically her secret weapon for uncomfortable horses and the one she's had the most success with.  She showed me how well it fit behind his ears, and sure enough, this is the best fit yet in my opinion.  His ears have actual space, not just the idea of space that the PS has.  The crown (which I would describe as "pseudo-articulating") is designed to have as little pressure as possible on the first vertebrae.

Finally, and most interesting to me: when we were deciding what sizes to order for which parts, she was on the fence between cob and horse sized noseband.  Purely in terms of nose circumference, he needs cob, but she ended up ordering the horse size and here's why: the placement of the cob cheek straps would have sat right on top of his extra prominent (she says) cheekbones and irritated them.

Guess what noseband is appropriately sized in terms of diameter and sits right on top of those cheekbones?

...oh.

She said she had to make a compromise - the horse size is likely to stretch out to be too big in diameter at some point - but she said that stretching was a better outcome than the cheek pieces permanently sitting on top of his cheekbones, and that if it did stretch, I should put a pad under the noseband.  I appreciated her talking me through it and her honesty and told her I was on board with the horse size noseband.

Here is what we ended up with, immediately after that amazing 10 minute lesson I referenced yesterday, which we wore the entire new bridle/bit setup for.  (Keep in mind this is just a demo bridle and not every part is sized correctly - the noseband is though):

Some serious foam
I did end up buying both the bridle and the bit from her, but she didn't pressure me to do so.  I got the feeling she wouldn't have minded if I just thanked her for her time and left.  But honestly, I was floating so high off the ground after the way he felt during that ride, I went all "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!!"  Anything to make him comfortable and feel THAT good during a ride.

I knew I wasn't getting a deal, of course.  The bit was about the same price as I would've paid on my own, the bridle and reins each were about $10 more than I would have paid online, so hey, you know what, consider it a tip, you earned it. (Shipping was $9.95 total).

All in all, it was an outstanding experience.  Kim's expertise and deep toolkit saved me from so much hassle, time and money throwing bits and bridles at the wall and seeing what stuck.  I can see taking advantage of her services again sometime as our needs change (and maybe someday we have a double for her to evaluate!).  I would also LOVE to do a ridden clinic with her someday too.

Oh one more detail.  I succumbed to peer pressure (LEAHAIMEERENATEMEGANAUSTENTERESAKARENALLI) and bought it in brown...

A story for another day

15 comments:

  1. BROWN! Also, I've totally had those same issues fitting a noseband. Never thought about using a pad to take up the slack. That's smart!

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    1. Yeah, that was fascinating! And explained a fit problem I've always had with the PS that I couldn't figure out, which is why does it pull forward on him? Now I know.

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  2. Really interesting! I've always liked the look of the Schockemoehle bridles at the poll but none seem to have a traditional enough look for use in hunters that I've found. Bit choice is so interesting and I would love to have access to someone with that kind of knowledge. I did try to look around for a clinic listing but doesn't look like there is one all in one place. Without a trailer would be hard for me to get somewhere anyways though.
    Excited to hear about your saddle stuff too!

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    1. They do make one for hunters! https://www.doversaddlery.com/montral-select-antmc-hntr-brdl/p/X1-120153/ Maybe you could get a group together at your barn and have her up? She goes all over the place.

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  3. What a fascinating post. I need to do some work with Carmen's bridle- it really doesn't fit her well. With her Iberian head it's difficult. I love this idea of the fitting.

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    1. I think bridles are harder than people give them credit for in terms of fitting. You can go pretty far out of your way to make a bridle work, but there are some things I never would have considered, like at what point the cheek straps are sewn onto the noseband like with my PS. Totally fascinating and very eye-opening.

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  4. OH! New saddle too! All new tack for that lucky pony! (And you!) Really sounds like a useful day.

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    1. I didn't really mean for it to happen this way but it is! The saddle is supposed to be a long term project, hoping to buy sometime this year, but that may get sped up...

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    2. interested in all of the details, since my mare is similar!

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  5. Interesting read. My horse's ears seems to sit back further than some and he clearly has opinions about the crown of his bridle touching his ears. I had him in a miklem, but he had many opinions about that, so I ended up buying a Kavalkade with the anatomical crown, which made him happier but I still get opinions when I put it on.He seems to want me to know it still is touching and he doesn't like it. I would be curious to try this and see if he likes it better but would like someone to help me do the fitting as he's a cob or horse size depending on the bridle or part of the bridle...

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    1. Bridles are so hard. I liked the Micklem, but you don't get a lot of options for adjusting it because it basically sits where it wants to and that's the end of it. If you have a horse in between sizes the clinic is certainly helpful if you can find one!

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  6. I have been thinking about this post since I read it. I also have been thinking for a while that the bit I have is not suiting him any more but I don't know how to make a chance. Because every time I read about your horse I feel like I am reading about mine its tempting to just buy the bit you bought and assume it will be magical for my horse also, but that's a big leap to make! I will email her and see if she if she every does clinics near Massachusetts!

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    1. You're right, that is a big leap to make! They're all such individuals, even (as I've learned) within the same genetic pool. I hope you get to ride with her or someone with her level of bitting knowledge, it really does make a difference. It would've taken me 30 years of trial and error to arrive at the same conclusions she did in minutes, just because she's so experienced and knowledgable in this particular thing.

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  7. bRoWn YASSSSSSSSS

    my job here is finished.

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    1. But is it really, since if you give a mouse a brown saddle then she'll ask for a brown girth and brown boots and some kind of jacket that isn't chocolate brown and a helmet and...

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