Why the sad face in the photo above?
 
It’s one of my biggest pet hates, especially when it comes to bridles, and most often with manufactured ones. They haven’t been made incorrectly, just assembled incorrectly.
 
Take the Swedish (crank) noseband, for example. The back strap is often put together the wrong way round, which means the buckle is not in the centre and so is exerting asymmetric pressure under the jaw.  You also have to either reach across to the far side of the horse to find the buckle or walk to the other side of the horse to fasten it, while awkwardly holding the strap through the nearside dee or ring.
 
What a faff! It’s time-consuming, unnecessarily fiddly, and can even be dangerous depending on the horse.
 
The good news? It’s an easy fix. Click on this link to see my video on how to assemble the noseband correctly like in the photo below (and share to anyone who you think might need it!).
 
And speaking of Swedish nosebands, I’ll be covering them in more detail in future including why I’m calling them by their historical name rather than the more familiar “crank.”

​Not only are IR Bridles hand crafted, they are designed to last. No part of the bridle is left out when thinking of the comfort of the horse and rider.

Every part of an IR Bridle is thought out to improve comfort for the horse and to last a lifetime, for example IR Bridles are hand stitching instead of machine stitching and using the very best English bridle leather.

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Processes of making a bridle by hand

1. Each IR Bridle starts with the very best in English bridle leather which has a straight edge cut into it, then the strips for the bridle cut off.
2. The straps are cut into the bridle components individual to each order. These are then edged to remove the sharp corner off the leather on both sides. These edges are stained and polished by hand to seal the edges to prevent the leather from soaking up water and sweat.
3. The next step is to hot crease a line around the whole strap which makes the leather look finer and finished. This line should remain in the leather for the life of the item.
4. Hole punching for buckle tongues follows on from creasing which then allows for stitchmarking.
5. Once stitchmarked, the raised straps can now be skived ready to be soaked, shaped and left to dry into their final look.
6. At this point it is a good idea to make the running keepers to allow them to dry into their square shape. Keepers are made out of the same leather as the bridle just split down in thickness with the back stained and polished.
7. Preparation can now begin for stitching by cutting out all the standing keepers and fitting the buckles/fittings into the leather then stitching them in.
8. Once stitched, loops are soaked in warm water, blocked square, re-creased and left to dry.
9. Padding is made up and glued to the noseband, headpiece and browband if required. The bridle now looks like a bridle and not a collection of leather.
10. When all stitching is finished the bridle is re-stained, re-polished and re-creased where necessary and fitted together to ensure all keepers are the correct size. The bridle is now complete ready for use. 

Each of the above steps can take years to master to be able to produce a bridle which looks like a new finished piece.