NEW! Place your order online and ship directly to the Dover Saddlery retail store of your choice! You will be contacted by a store associate in approximately 7-10 business days when all of your items are ready for pick up. Standard shipping is FREE! You will be responsible for any Oversize/Overweight fees which will be visible during the checkout process. Ship to Store orders are not eligible for expedited shipping.
To place your ship to store order, simply add items to cart and begin the online checkout process. Select a Dover Saddlery retail location for your 'Shipping Information'. You will be asked to provide your name and phone number so we can contact you when the items are ready for pick-up.
Curbside pick-up is available. Please coordinate with the store associate when you are notified that your item is available for pick-up.
Questions? Call us at 800-406-8204.
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Chat with us now to reserve this item at your local store! We will check to make absolutely sure the product is available and reserve it for you to pick up as soon as today. If the item is not available at your store, we will ship it there for FREE and you will be contacted when it is available (approximately 7-10 business days).
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Provide your desired store location, item, size, color and quantity.
We will check your local store's inventory to make absolutely sure that the product is available.
Flash Bridles The flash bridle is a snaffle bridle that takes its name from the type of noseband it features: a French caveson/crank noseband that has a flash strap (usually removable). Preferred by dressage riders and those in jumping disciplines, the flash noseband keeps a horse's jaws aligned and prevents the horse from opening its mouth to avoid bit and rein aids. It transfers some of the pressure of the bit from the bars to the nasal bone.
The flash strap further reduces the ability for the horse to open its mouth or cross its jaws and prevents the horse from yielding to the bit through the lower jaw instead of through proper bending at the poll. A properly adjusted flash strap should not compress the horse's nostrils. The buckle should not rest against the horse's lips, where it could pinch or rub.
The crownpiece of a flash bridle can be either single or traditional. A single crown has the noseband hanger incorporated into its design, and it buckles on each side of the horse's face. A single crownpiece is usually contoured around the horse's ears and discreetly padded for comfort. A traditional crown allows for left-to-right adjustment of the noseband, as it is a continual piece, while on the horse's head. The noseband buckles only on one side.
Flash bridles come in brown and black leather. Styling on brown leather flash bridles, typically seen with jumping saddles, can be plain raised or fancy-stitched and may have a browband with simple decoration, such as a clincher. Styling on black leather flash bridles, typically seen in dressage, is usually plain raised. Browbands can be embellished by a variety of decorative elements, from clinchers to beads or crystals. The types of reins most commonly used with a flash bridle are web reins (especially in dressage) or rubber reins (especially for jumping).
Properly caring for your bridle and reins supports maximum performance, longevity your horse's comfort.
After every ride, you'll want to wipe any grime, sweat, saliva and ring dust from your bridle and reins and use either traditional glycerin soap and water or a specially formulated leather cleanser.
Pay particular attention to cleaning areas of your bridle that are typically under pressure during riding and exposed to saliva, such as the ends of cheek pieces and reins where they come in contact with bit rings.
For a traditional and economical method, glycerin soap, a small bucket and a sponge or cloth works great. Barely moisten the sponge with cool water. Unfasten hook stud closures and buckles to remove debris caught by the hardware and to smooth creases in your leather.
After washing, and when the leather feels smooth and clean, rub a nearly dry sponge or rag against the glycerin soap bar. Apply a thin layer of glycerin soap (no suds during this step) to your leather to seal its pores and keep it soft, but not sticky.
Newer methods of cleaning your bridle involve convenient and easy-to-use tack cleaning and conditioning products. Almost every tack manufacturer has a recommendation or product preference for cleaning and conditioning its products, and some manufacturers produce their own. Always follow manufacturer's guidelines when considering commercial leather cleaners and conditioners.
One-step leather cleaners also condition your leather as you wipe away grime. Two-step cleaners usually advise following cleansing with a conditioner that will soften and protect the leather.
How to Attach a Nameplate to a Halter, Bridle, Martingale or Breastplate
Required Tools: will need a leather hole punch, hammer and pencil.
Steps: 1. Unwrap your nameplate and identify the rivets as having two posts and two caps. 2. Center the plate where you would like it ; mark its holes with pencil. 3. Use the hole punch centered on the pencil marks. A good quality hole punch with appropriate pressure applied should be able to penetrate even thick leather halters. 4. Push the rivet posts through the back of the tack so the posts are pointed toward you. 5. Put the nameplate on rivet posts. 6. Place rivet caps onto the posts, and tap the caps with a hammer.
Note: If you do not feel comfortable installing your own nameplate, we are happy to help. Bring your plate and tack into your local Dover Saddlery store for assistance. Your local leather repair professional or cobbler may also be able to assist you.
For a properly fitted bridle, a caveson noseband should sit just below the horse's cheekbones - generally no more than the width of 2 fingers from the bottom of the cheekbone to the top of the noseband (this does not apply to drop or figure 8 nosebands). Figure 8 nosebands should sit above the bottom of the cheek bone only if they have a ring that allows movement connecting the noseband to the cheek piece. The browband should never be gaping or flopping. Click Here for more information and examples.
Properly adjusted cheek pieces will cause the bit to create two gentle wrinkles at the corner of the mouth on each side. Cheek piece buckles should generally be at the level of a horse's eye, and on a bridle that fits a horse's head very well, all buckles will generally be at the same level as each other. These cheek piece guidelines are just a suggestion, as finding a perfect fit on all horses is near impossible. Multiple holes are given on cheek pieces to allow for vast adjustment. Keep in mind that the proper position of the bit is a priority over buckle placement. Click Here for more information and examples.
Some horses can be difficult to fit in a stock size bridle. For this reason, additional bridle pieces can be bought in a variety of sizes and it is never a problem to mix and match sizes of individual pieces to get the proper fit.
For a bridle size chart, please refer to the "Size Guide" link that appears on the product page.
The Easiest and Best Guarantee in The Business
Shop with 100% confidence at Dover Saddlery. If something doesn’t fit you or your horse, return your original purchase within a year, and we’ll make it right with a refund, exchange or replacement.
Our experience as riders and horse owners ourselves is that in most situations a year’s time is fair enough to evaluate proper fit and function. PLUS: For manufacturer’s defects, we’ll extend the manufacturer’s warranty to a maximum of 24 months, regardless of their individual policies. (AND: Manufacturer warranties longer than 24 months will be honored and supported by us as well up to the length of those warranties).
Exceptions: Safety items such as helmets and protective vests may only be returned within 30 days, with their original tags intact. Saddles and riding boots may be returned within the one year period, but are subject to a prorated refund based on usage. Used saddles may be returned for 30 days only. For everyone’s protection, treats and vet meds which have been opened are not returnable, and returned blankets must clean and free of debris.
Special Conditions
To protect all customers and ensure that every return or exchange is handled fairly, we may require a receipt or decline a return in these situations:
• Item was not purchased directly from Dover Saddlery. (It was purchased at a used tack sale or from a retailer or online seller other than Dover Saddlery.)
• Item is missing a label or has been defaced.
• No receipt and no valid identification in our stores.
• Item is wet, dirty or contaminated, or until it has been cleaned. (For health and safety reasons, we cannot accept returns on used, defective or poorly fitting blankets if they are UNWASHED.)
• Item has been lost, stolen, damaged, or misused.
• On rare occasions, based on the nature of prior transactions.
• Supplements have been opened or used.
• Multiple returns of the same item.
• Personalized items may not be returned unless defective.
Security Guarantee
Dover Saddlery understands your concerns regarding online security. We share in your concerns and therefore work hard with experts in the field to maintain a highly secure ordering environment. Along with our comment to security, we offer you a Secure Order Guarantee - this gives you 100% protection for your credit card transactions on Doversaddlery.com.
Our Secure Order Guarantee means that you will never have to pay any money related to unauthorized charges to your credit card account, as long as those charges are a direct result from a transaction on Doversaddlery.com.
How it works: If you experience credit card fraud, the Fair Credit Act specifies that your credit card company can hold you liable for no more than $50.00 in fraudulent charges to your account. Our Secure Order Guarantee will reimburse you for any amount up to $50.00 billed to you by your credit card company for unauthorized charges to your account, if those charges result from an order you placed with Doversaddlery.com. For this protection you must promptly notify your credit card company of fraudulent charges and follow their procedures as outlined in your credit card agreement.
The quality, versatility and styling of this dark brown Suffolk™ Flash Bridle defy its budget-friendly price. Sure to become your everyday favorite, it features:
Traditional crown.
Padded browband.
Padded noseband.
1/2" buckle cheeks that make bit changes simple.
Includes matching web reins with buckle fronts and hand stops.
