Equinavia Bridles and Reins

What riders say about Equinavia and Horze bridles

Riders tell us what they notice first: how reins feel in the hand, how a bitless bridle sits and how the leather wears.

Six bitless-style bridles are in stock: two from Equinavia, the Saga Bitless and the Saga Hackamore, and four from Horze, the Denver, the Leather Bitless, the Lyon side-pull and the Montana 2-way.

The Saga Bitless and the Horze Leather Bitless are cross-under designs, where straps cross under the jaw and the reins attach to rings instead of bit cheeks. The Saga Hackamore uses stainless steel side pieces with leather under them and a leather headstall with an ergonomic crown, and it comes with rubber reins. The Horze Denver is soft leather, padded at noseband, neck and browband, with a double closure at the nose and web reins included. The Lyon is a side-pull with a shaped, padded headpiece and a removable browband.

The Saga Bitless is the best-selling Equinavia bridle on this page. The Horze Montana is the one to look at if you are not sure your horse wants to go without a bit: it has removable bit straps, so it works both ways. Horze says its Leather Bitless is not legal for showing in many disciplines, so check your rule book before you enter. Equinavia also sells the Saga Classic Hackamore Noseband, which attaches to the cheekpieces of a bridle you already own.

Shop: Equinavia Saga Bitless Bridle · Equinavia Saga Hackamore Bridle with Rubber Reins · Horze Denver Bitless Bridle · Horze Leather Bitless Bridle · Horze Lyon Anatomic Side-Pull Bitless Bridle · Horze Montana 2 Way Bit and Bitless Bridle

For the hunter ring, the Valkyrie Classic Wide Noseband Hunter Bridle is the best-selling Equinavia hunter bridle on this page. It has a traditional crown piece, half-inch cheeks, a raised, lined wide noseband with fancy stitching and matching laced reins. The Saga Fancy Stitched Hunter, the Saga Wide Noseband Hunter (1.25 inch noseband) and the Valkyrie Wide Noseband Hunter (1 1/4 inch lined noseband) cover the same look in different builds, and all include laced reins.

Jumper and eventing riders have figure 8 nosebands, which Equinavia describes as popular with eventers and open jumpers: the Saga Fancy Stitched Figure 8 and the Valkyrie Fancy Stitched Figure 8, which has a sheepskin center disc. The Valkyrie Fancy Stitched Jumper Bridle has a removable flash and padding and is suited to hunter or equitation rings. The Horze Stewart Anatomical Bridle is the single best-selling style on this page: an ergonomic noseband that follows the jaw, soft lined leather, a clincher browband and no reins included.

Smaller riders can look at the Valkyrie Fancy Stitched Pony Bridle, a scaled-down hunter bridle with pony-size laced reins. Stock is thin, so check the size run before you plan around it.

Shop: Equinavia Valkyrie Classic Wide Noseband Hunter Bridle with Reins · Equinavia Saga Fancy Stitched Hunter Bridle w/Reins · Equinavia Saga Wide Noseband Hunter Bridle with Reins · Equinavia Valkyrie Fancy Stitched Figure 8 Bridle w/Reins · Equinavia Valkyrie Fancy Stitched Jumper Bridle & Rubber Reins · Horze Stewart Anatomical Bridle · Horze Venice Soft Padded Bridle w/reins

Ten styles are reins or rein accessories, and they differ in grip and in how they attach. Equinavia reins end in hook studs; the Horze web reins end in buckles with stainless steel hardware and attached leather bit stops, so match the end to your bridle before you order.

For grip, Equinavia offers the Saga Flexi Rubber Reins (pimple-grip rubber that is more pliable than standard rubber), the Saga Web Rubber Reins with hand stops, the Valkyrie Easy Grip Rubber Reins with larger grip indentations and the Valkyrie Rubber Lined Laced Reins, a hunter-style laced rein with rubber on the underside. Horze has the Slender Web Reins, the Slender Intertwined Reins, which weave rubber through web for traction in wet conditions, and the Thin Rein with rubber inside. The two Slender styles are 5/8 inch wide and come in Full (57 inches) and Pony (53 inches).

For plain leather, the Horze Laelia Leather Reins with Stops are 4/8 inch wide, suit both snaffle and full bridles and make it easy to see whether the reins are held evenly. The Laelia Plain Leather Dressage Reins have no stops and are meant as the second, curb rein on a double bridle or a pelham. The Horze Rein-Aid Soft Inserts, sold in pairs, add elastic sections between the bit and the reins.

Shop: Equinavia Saga Flexi Rubber Reins · Equinavia Saga Web Rubber Reins · Equinavia Valkyrie Easy Grip Rubber Reins · Equinavia Valkyrie Rubber Lined Laced Reins · Horze Slender Web Reins · Horze Slender Intertwined Reins · Horze Thin Rein w/Rubber Inside · Horze Laelia Leather Reins w/Stops · Horze Laelia Plain Leather Dressage Reins · Horze Rein-Aid Soft Inserts

Sizes on this page run Small Pony, Pony, Cob, Horse and Large Horse, plus a single One Size style. Horse is the widest run, with the most styles in stock. Find Your Fit above the grid opens each size.

Use a bridle that fits your horse now as the guide: compare its cheekpiece, noseband and browband lengths with the size you pick, rather than going by breed or the size on an older bridle. Browband and rein lengths are given on the product pages where the maker lists them, such as the Brass Clincher Browband (Full 14 inches, Pony 12.5 inches) and the Slender reins (Full 57 inches, Pony 53 inches).