do people still event the old fashioned way?

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tigerwithspots

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went out BE the other day and was the only one wearing an overgirth?! a breast girth, no martingale! body protector,no shoulderpads! a NORMAL saddlecloth, no fluff!! etc etc.....

i was in the intermediate novice so around a decent sized track! but felt a little naked compared to the people with airjackets, 5point breastplates, horse wrapped in cottonwool!

do people event simply anymore??
 
I don't think it is just eventing, everywhere even hacking now seems to require mountains of equipment - specialised boots for horse, latest style boots for the rider, nosebands, martingales, breast plates, bits, fluffy things, sparkly things, etc etc.
I remember just hacking in a saddle and bridle (kimblewick for my pony - what happened to them?) with no added bits. Think we are all a bit over the top now!:D
 
I've only done one XC but did use an overgirth and will continue to do so in future - also had a neckstrap fashioned out of a stirrup leather and attached with a flash :D.

Other than XC or hacking I never wear a BP and I only bandage my horse for XC although I'm considering just not bothering as we only do small unaffiliated stuff. For everything else it's just a saddle and bridle (and sometimes just a bridle :D)
 
I was a little startled to see a Point 2 at a dressage comp---that must be one helluva hot dressage horsey!

My poor naked pony, travels naked, and only time he wears a breastplate or something on his legs, it's hi-viz for hacking (want him to be visible if he ditches me).
 
Very few and far between I'm afraid and most BE riders have quite a large budget for buying new equipment, so if something is in fashion they tend to all have it.

PS on the subject of Kimblewicks i think they are a very underused bit! Very useful tool for strong horses but less harsh than a pelham and way more effective than a gag.
 
Hmmm, part of me says "why use summat that doesn't have a function" and the other part says "each to their own, as long as it's not doing any harm"! :o <removes splinters from backside! :p >

For XC I am probably somewhere in the middle- I don't have a 5 point breastplate, but do use an elasticated one with martingale (I use the breastplate, but not the martingale to SJ). I don't use an overgirth, I'm not "old school" enough to have had it drilled into my at PC and see so few folk wearing them and so few folk having problems without them that on balance, am taking the chance! (watch my girth go at my next event...! :rolleyes: )

I have open fronted boots for SJ and decent XC boots all round (with colour co-ordinated boot tape... hmm, wonder which of my above categories that fits into?! ;) ) but don't ever bother for dressage warm up or schooling on a surface at home.

I have a BP (minus shoulder pads) which is only used for XC and have no inclination/funds for an air jacket! :o

So still a few items to add before I can claim to be "all the gear, no idea"?! :p :D
 
monkeybum13 said:
I'll be using an overgirth for xc on Lacey
(but we're not quite BE yet so it doesn't count!)
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yeah what has happened to overgirths? I still use mine but you just dont see them around anymore - why have people abandoned them? is it the idea that if you have a 5 point breastplate you just don't need them, or....? I could have sworn it was compulsory when I was pony club eventing (about a dozen years ago) and I have just kept on using them since then, its only recently I have clocked on to the fact that I seem to be the only one!

also have BP no shoulder pads, no Point 2, just a 3pt breastplate and no sparkles (!) but on the flip side, the OG still goes on, we boot up and studs go in obviously and my mother has a complete obsession with event grease .... when she's around that goes on by the tonne every time i'm anywhere near a xc fence. (frankly if I didnt make damn sure I keep out of the way, i think she'd happily daub it all over me too!)
 
natalia said:
...most BE riders have quite a large budget for buying new equipment, so if something is in fashion they tend to all have it.
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Really?! You honestly believe that most BE riders are swimming in spare cash to buy unnecessary bits of expensive kit just because they look good? Must be all the prize money those BE lot are winning...! :rolleyes: ;)

<FigJam wanders off to check bank account and wonder where all her cash has disappeared to... why is this "bdwp" person stealing all my pennies that I should be spending on airjackets and fluff?!> :p
 
yep boots and studs....ohh no stud girth though!! im only 15 but have been using an eventgirth for everrr, its been drilled into me!! we have about 20 hung up in the tackroom!
thankgod my mum has never got into the event grease thing! she thinks it just goes everywhere and more ends up on you than the horse!
 
Dunno if im just narky today...but anyway...

Not all BE people have copious amounts of cash to spend on "fashion"

I have a Kan body protector due to the fact my safety and health is pretty important to me and people around me.

Horse gets ridden in a martingale for both showjumping and XC because its required.

He gets showjumped/XC in boots and over reach boots because he does have a tendancy to knock himself. And i dont want to be coming back from jumping with some injury that could of been prevented.

Think you will find for a lot of people its not about "fashion" but about what is required...
 
Henry/Trigger (as only one will ever go eventing at once) cheap old sabre bridle bought for £12 off ebay. Cheap PE xc/overreach boots bought in the sale. Nice pair of tendon boots that were a birthday present, so more than I would normally spend. Cheap breastplate/martingale, and one saddle for the whole lot.
 
I have a point two as its protecting me if i was to have a nasty fall which i have :o

i have a 5 point because a) we get discount at our tack shop b) she didn't fit into the other types of breastplates with martingale attatchments

I have boots because my horse are a bit prone to injury and think you cant over boot now

i dont have copious amounts to spend, but when i do i make sure i know what im spening it on and how it will help
 
natalia said:
Very few and far between I'm afraid and most BE riders have quite a large budget for buying new equipment, so if something is in fashion they tend to all have it.
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Gosh, sorry, I had to respond to this! Not in my case anyway ;)

In terms of equipment, I use what I feel I need. Don't forget that in recent years there have been so many developments around safety, new protective/lightweight materials it means that the type of equipment you see may be different. Also given all the research we now have access to with regards to horses fitness and soundness surely it is a good thing for the horses to have proper leg protection for example, and those legs looked after as part of the recovery and cooling process?

Fashion will always have a big influence over what horses and riders are wearing, and a lot of it is perfectly harmless.
 
tigerwithspots said:
yep boots and studs....ohh no stud girth though!! im only 15 but have been using an eventgirth for everrr, its been drilled into me!! we have about 20 hung up in the tackroom!
thankgod my mum has never got into the event grease thing! she thinks it just goes everywhere and more ends up on you than the horse!
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It DOES go everywhere! and quelle surprise, its bl**dy slippy, so woebetied you if you get any on your gloves! My mother 'accidentally' bought a tub of bright blue grease once. Oh the shame! ;-)
 
tricksibell/ISZ- glad it's not just me feeling narked by that comment! In the same way that I get annoyed/frustrated when folk say "oh, you have a horse? You must be rich" and my answer is "no, I have a horse and therefore I'm skint"! :p The same applies for BE in my (and most folks'?!) case! ;)

I don't have wads of spare cash to spend on nights out, clothes etc because I choose to spend it doing something I enjoy. I certainly don't have excess cash to throw away on pieces of kit just because they're in fashion!
 
FigJam said:
tricksibell/ISZ- glad it's not just me feeling narked by that comment! In the same way that I get annoyed/frustrated when folk say "oh, you have a horse? You must be rich" and my answer is "no, I have a horse and therefore I'm skint"! :p The same applies for BE in my (and most folks'?!) case! ;)!
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I know, and some days when I am in a bad mood ;) I get fed up of defending my right to have a horse. No I am not rich - wish I was. However, sometimes I ponder what I would do differently if I did have loads of cash.... obviously luxury brand new lorry and all my own facilities etc etc. but in terms of who I have lessons with and the way I manage my horse in stable management terms - I don't think I would change anything!
 
Totally agree FJ. I scrimp and save to be able to event my boy! My social life outwith horses is pretty non-existent, I rarely buy clothes for myself, and I cant remember the last time I went on holiday - but Im happy! :)

Anyway, to the original point. I use a hunting breastplate with a martingale attachment for SJ and XC because I need it. I could just use a martingale but I like the piece of mind that if something happens the neck strap will not end up around horsies ears! I use boots for XC but not for SJ or dressage. I dont use an overgirth mainly because I keep forgetting to take it with me (sadly I am old school enough to have one from my PC days!) and I dont use grease as we are only at PN and I think its overkill at that level! I do have matching colours (which were bought for much cheapness on ebay, or made myself!) and I do use a dead sheep under my jumping saddle but only because mr fussy pants is very sensitive skinned and it seems to make him comfortable.

As an aside my horse lives out 24/7 all year round, is fed only fibre, loves his job and cost less to buy than the new price of his saddle (but thats second hand too!) :D
 
I suppose I tend towards the minimalist approach to kit. Piccy shows my standard XC kit for me and horse but looking at this I now realise that I have ditched the gloves to get a better feel down the reins so now use even less kit.

I don't think I could use less kit without getting rid of the saddle and bridle. Perhaps we have the clutter free look?

xckit.jpg
 
natalia said:
Very few and far between I'm afraid and most BE riders have quite a large budget for buying new equipment, so if something is in fashion they tend to all have it.

PS on the subject of Kimblewicks i think they are a very underused bit! Very useful tool for strong horses but less harsh than a pelham and way more effective than a gag.
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JAW DROPS!

I'm afraid that in my case the so-called wads of cash I apparently have are spent on entry fees and not on trendy equipment. My horse events in a second-hand saddle, with elastic breastplate and a set of 2nd-hand prolites. That's as fancy as it gets.

I do confess to having (shock, horror) shoulder pads on my BP, but the main reason for this is it's somewhere to put my medical card (one less thing to forget!).

FJ...when you find all your pennies, can you tell me where I should start looking!
 
Come on guys, not everybody's filthy rich in eventing but there's certainly a lot of people with money out there competing ;)

I don't see the problem with shoulder pads on a body protector :confused:
 
zefragile said:
Come on guys, not everybody's filthy rich in eventing but there's certainly a lot of people with money out there competing ;)
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Yup, can accept that there are some lucky devils out there who can afford whatever they like on a whim, but the statement early on in this thread that a few of us are taking exception to said "most" BE eventers, which is definitely not the case!

NJ- still looking...! :( ;)
 
Shoulder pads have been proven to help prevent collar bone breaks, so TBH having them seems reasonable to me!

There is a separate BETA Standard for shoulder protectors. Research into 50 falls onto the shoulder during eventing competitions revealed that among the 30 riders not wearing shoulder protection, there were six broken collarbones and two dislocated shoulders, but no fractures among the 20 fallers who were wearing shoulder protectors to BETA Level 3.

From: http://www.beta-uk.org/pages/safety/body-protectors.php
 
Yeah, people seem to wear so much stuff nowadays. I wear a simple elastic breast girth, dont wear a martingale etc. Also compete in a simple dressage-legal Myler snaffle and cavesson noseband - someone came up to me after watching me XC to say how lovely it was to see someone riding in minimum tack ;) I was very flattered.

I'll be doing a CIC* at the weekend but it'll be no top hat and tails for me, I'll just be wearing a simple show jacket and velvet hat. If I cant get my dressage saddle to fit, I'll be doing my test in an event saddle too!
 
I could never ride without a breast plate. Its there for safety no matter how well the saddle fits. I used to have an overgirth but dumped it as have better fitting saddles now and better quality girths. I have never has shoulder pads and I loathe 5 point breastplates. I do always have boots on as have seen some horrific injuries from tendons being split. Both times the horses were PTS. I would rather spend £40 on a set of boots than thousands in vets bills for something that could have been prevented. So basically everything has a job. I like the simple and classy look such as WFP and Daisy Dick have xc.
 
LOL bless you tigerwithspots but I'm 26 and wouldn't dare say I've been using something 'forever' in this context never mind when you are 15 and so therefore at most have been eventing what max 6 years if you started the PC HTs young!? No disrespect but neither you or I for that matter were around in the 'good old days' of eventing!

As for Natalia's comment that is even more laughable. I event in an ancient black bridle (with a few keepers replaced by plaiting bands as long broken) complete with cheapy lozenge loose ring snaffle and cavesson noseband, old black hunting breastplate (with one brown strap as original one broke and I had spare!) with martingale attachement a brown leather girth and an ancient second hand cosmetically appalling (but structurally fine) jumping saddle. I have picked up a second hand dressage saddle as well this year (for under £200) as I have a bad back so struggle to ride long and sit up mainly due to the position of the stirrup bars on my jump saddle. I so have half a (fake) dead sheep under my jump saddle but the saddle doesn't fit otherwise and saddler was happy with me using it.

I have a 2nd hand body protector (without shoulder pads!) and my XC colours currently consist of ancient rugby top I've had since I was about 15! Oh and my two jackets (although one missing in action somewhere unknown) I have also had since I was on ponies 10+ years ago and even then one was given to my mum and the other was £10 second hand.

I have scrimped and saved on other things (hmmm tack, a life, clothes to name a few ;) :p ) to pay my entry and affiliation fees this year. I haven't had a lesson in well far far far too long :o

So yes I def don't have money to frivolously spend on all the fad type fashionable things an eventer must have but I also know I am far from alone being in that situation. Scarily I now earn a semi decent wage, I know some who event with far less coming into their pocket each month and who also do without all the fads and fashions.

I have nothign though against people buying fad/fashionable and in a lot of cases down right sensible pieces of kit that if I could afford I would buy myself. As although they may just seem fashionable most of them have been developed/invented for a reason and where eventing is concerned it often comes down to safety of horse and/or rider.
 
Im also one of those people that doesnt have loads of money to go and spen on things that I dont need. Twizzy has one close contact jumping saddle which i use everyday, yes it cost me £1500 but I use it on Twizzy and my mums horse so it gets used lots.
She has one briddle which came of my old pony and one bridle from a sponsor. I do have her in a 5 point becuase she is very narrow and without it my saddle slips back. She has tendon protection event boots but she wears them everyday to. And she has over reach boots for jumping because she is a bit spooky and jumps on herself a lot :/.
I wish i did have money to spend on anything and everything but.........I dont and every last penny i have goes on Twizzy or events, I cant remember the last time I went out and paid for myself, which is the reason I have a lovely OH that doesnt mind paying for me :P
 
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