Another Showing Question- Showing Appaloosas

[Blaise]

Hi guys, I'm hoping to start showing my Appaloosa x TB this season but i've never really been into showing before so i'm a bit clueless. Have been reading through all the other showing threads which have been really helpful but just wondered if anyone shows/ has ever shown appaloosas? I'm not looking to do anything big, just a few local in-hand classes to get her used to show atmosphere until she's backed and i can get her out eventing I want to take her into tack & turnout, best coloured & spotted, possibly senior handler and a Best 'any other breed over 4 yrs' (except Welsh as they have seperate classes for Welsh) although i think as she will only just be 4 in april and is quite slight for her age she might just look silly against bigger, older horses. The main thing i wondered was how Appaloosas should be turned out? She has a typical appy mane & tail (as in she hardly has any)! I think i could just about plait her mane and make it look half decent but her tail is so short it would look ridiculous plaited. I will get tail extentions eventually but i cant afford them at the minute (especially with trying to buy all the rest of my show gear. lol) Soooo any tips?? Pleeeeease.

So you can see what i mean about the mane & tail...

and so you can see what i mean about possibly looking out of place up against older horses... (sho does have a beautifully big, floaty trot though

 

[SmallHunter]

This is my appy mare who I do quite a bit of showing with

Mane definitely needs plaiting but you don't have to plait the tail, ideally you would pull the tail but that wouldn't be possible with your girly so I would wet it and put mousse or gel in it and bandage so that the hair all lays flat.
I would use a plain hunter bridle for her. For you tweed jacket, pale blue or cream shirt, tie, brown gloves and cane, smart beige trousers, smart shoes that you can run in and navy velvet hat.

 

[moses06]

I show my friends spotty horse, we plait him up and pull his tail and he does quite well, even though he is very babyish comapred with other horses. We do local level coloureds youngstock and sports horses,classes

 

[Sessle]

Ha - think yourself lucky, your neddies mane is a million times better than my appys!!
I always use a bit of hair gel before I start to plait my neddies mane, and I go against the whole sewing them in thing, as they look much neater in bands cuz her mane is so bad! Then hair spray them aswell so they stay in nicely! I pull my mares tail but shes more of a riding horse/LW hunter type!
She's lovely, I don't think she'll look out of place, and the judge will usually ask what age they are anyway so it can be taken into account
In regards to tack in depends what you want to show her as? How big is she? Just show her in a smart bridle, I'd go for brown tack, its more 'correct' and will compliment her colouring! I've found browbands (for riding horse/hack types) are difficult - it's really a case of trying it, as appaloosa's usually have unusual facial markings, but this website (http://www.crystalbrowbands.co.uk/ChoosingYourBrowband.html) has reccommendations on colours and has gorgeous browbands
Hope that helps a little! Good Luck

 

[freckles22uk]

Hi...

Ive shown Appaloosas quite a bit when I was in the UK, Local, County and at the breed shows...

you dont HAVE to plait, well depending on the class... an Appaloosa can be shown Natural, plaited, hogged or pulled...you should show whatever suits the horse best... with yours being a X appy though im not 100% sure... it would not have to be for a 'spotted' class though, if It was a 'Hunter' class then yes..

if shown mine natural and plaited, and to be honest it made no difference..we never came home without a First...

At an Appaloosa show, you should not be penalised fo it.... but at a non appy show, well it would depend on the judge as if they dont know the breed standards they might look down on a non plaited horse..

My daughter showed her Appy a Western class and got marked down for not carrying a cane!... something you cannot use in western clsses.. (she did still win the class though)

good luck

Jenny

 

[FMM]

We showed appaloosas for years. They are meant to have sparse tails, so any judge who knows the breed standard would be fine with the tail. Don't buy a false tail as tis would be incorrect. Although they can be shown plaited or unplaited, when we showed appaloosas I never saw a horse that was not plaited apart from foals. So I would definitely plait.