Serendipity, and a solicitation

Showing Lance at the State Fair required a bit of "musical bridles" (we always use the same bit). I love the silver-leather-accented bridle we school in, gifted to me by blogpal Theresa, but it has been broken and repaired and isn't show-appropriate anymore. So I used a russet leather bridle I got years ago (shown in the previous post's photos) for our trail and English Pleasure classes, and switched over to Russell's old bridle (shown in the header photo above) for our "dressage" classes. That bridle was a bit too big for Lance when I brought him home but he's grown into it – and has outgrown the brow band. It has some other issues, too, making me dream of a new show bridle. Can't really justify that, though, since we've had to table showing . . . although I am thinking about entering an ODS League show in October.

Heading to the barn to school Lance yesterday, I remembered a black bridle I stumbled across in a bridle bag I never use. I have no memory of when or how it was acquired, so didn't know its size or style; would it work for Lance?

Why yes, it does! The details: black leather, regular cavesson, square-raised accents on brow band and noseband, padded crown and jawstrap, hook ends, silver buckles (the reins belong to Russell's bridle; the reins that belong to this bridle have hook ends). The brow band, again, is a bit short; he needs one an inch longer. That got me searching eBay; no luck finding a coordinating square-raised one. Hmmm; if I can't match the nose band, how about going in an entirely different direction – like bling?

This is where you come in. I found four different fancy brow bands that I thought would work with Lance's coloring, the soft gold color of his Aurigan eggbutt snaffle, and the silver buckles. I'm not sure about the U-shaped ones; as you can see, Lance's white markings aren't centered or symmetrical. What do you think? Which of the following would you vote for?