Eli seems very, very comfortable in his PS bridle. But over half of our rides are in his Pessoa, and I thought it might be nice to pad the crown of that bridle for him so that it felt more like the PS fit.
There are a variety of solutions to this, including sheepskin crown pads or even sheepskin halter fleeces, but I decided I have enough sheepskin in my life to take care of right now and wanted something lower to no maintenance. I also wanted something lower profile than a halter fleece sticking up from behind Eli’s ears.
I browsed Riding Warehouse and picked up the Equifit T-Foam Crown Pad, along with some Equifit Hoof Packing Tape.
I have Equifit hind boots, and the padding turns rock solid in the cold, so this particular crown pad might get swapped out for sheepskin in the winter anyway, but for now Eli sports his “hunter” bridle with the Equifit crown pad.
$40.00 is a lot to drop on a little piece of foam, but this crown pad has some nice features that make it worth it to me, over and above Eli’s comfort. Plus it is less expensive than buying a second PS bridle. For one thing, it’s easy to clean. Just, you know, clean it. Like, with glycerin and water, or even just wipe it with a damp cloth. The crown pad also has three hook & loop closures that make getting it on and off easy. Most importantly to appease my aesthetic finickiness, the Equifit crown pad is barely noticeable when it’s worn. If Eli were braided, it might become more noticeable, but as it is, it is very low-profile. I even wonder if a dark brown version for Havana tack might be available? I have only seen it in black, though.
One thing to note, I don’t think this crown pad would work with anatomical crownpieces. Presumably if you have an anatomical crownpiece you wouldn’t need a crown pad anyway.
If you are looking for a purpose-built, low-profile, and soft crown pad for your horse’s bridle, I would recommend the Equifit Crown Pad with the two reservations of cost and cold weather use.
Hm. That’s an interesting compromise. I’ve been thinking I wanted a little more padding for the crown piece on our daily bridle, but sheepskin is high maintenance and potentially too warm, and I don’t have the funds for a fancy, anatomical bridle right now. I might look into this!
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If you happen to try it, I will say that I dropped my noseband and bit each down a hole to accommodate the crown pad and have the bridle still fit correctly.
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Oh, that’s a great point.
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Interesting. I wonder if Cosmo might like a padded crown? Do you notice if he sweats any more or less with it on?
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He seems to sweat about the same. But it is hot AF here.
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Back on Track makes a crown pad. It’s $27 at Riding Warehouse. Might be something to try for the winter since those products are suppose to reflect heat back onto the horse?
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Ooooo I will definitely be checking that out! I love all my BoT stuff. Great tip, thank you!
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