Royal Sports Bridle Review

I've gotten a couple requests for this review, so here we go. Y'all remember when I got a Royal Sports bridle for $44 last month. I had seen them around on eBay and Amazon for ~$100 and been very curious, but I wasn't willing to gamble $100 on leather from India. That's a no. 

But at $44, I couldn't resist the urge. The entertainment factor was high enough that even if I hated the bridle, I'd still be ok. The bridles came 8 days after I ordered, which is pretty ok for free shipping from India. I had no interaction with the company besides the automated notifications that go along with the purchase and I made no custom requests whatsoever.

Arrived!!

The bridle shipped via DHL express, which requires a signature on delivery or I would have gotten the package a day sooner. The packaging was more than adequate--bridle was shipped in a large, plasticized (I don't know the word) envelope and wrapped up in bubble wrap inside. Each individual piece was wrapped and the bridle was disassembled. I noticed no injuries on the leather sustained in transit.

Assembled

I was pleasantly surprised while assembling the bridle--the leather wasn't French, to be sure, but it wasn't offensive. It didn't have that dye-painted-on look, feel, or smell. As I told my friends, I would have been ok with this product at 2.5-3x the price I paid for it. It's not high end and it's never going to be, but it's perfectly fine for what it is. The reins are nylon-lined rubber, so they're soft and flexible and feel nice in my hand.

There are minor imperfections, but none of them are visible without careful inspection and none are visible when the bridle is actually on the horse or in use. The stitching seemed safe and the leather was sturdy without being unseemly. For a lower end or starter bridle, this piece is more than acceptable. 

in action

My only real complaint about this bridle is the sizing. I really should have read that fancy sizing chart they sent out. Courage is the cobbiest of all the cob size horses ever to cob the earth. He's about halfway up in every cob bridle I've ever put him in, except this one. It just barely goes on. The throatlatch is on the last hole and while it seems to be fine, I'd really like to have a little more room in there. The cavesson buckles around his (narrow) nose, but it's on the last or second to last hole and the cheeks are about the same.

If you order, definitely read the sizing chart and consider sizing up. If I were to order again, I'd get horse size. (The reins are similar--they'll be fine to jump in, but a smidgen short for dressage work.)

It's not god's gift to strap goods mayhaps, but if you want a sharp look on a tight budget, definitely look in to Royal Sports. 

PS as for the vaunted "magical non-itchiness" the product descriptions raved about, I can verify that they are neither more nor less itchy than comparable products of other brands. Maybe you have to pay extra for pixie dust?