dressage - what to wear? help please :)

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cobface

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Been scouting around the net and have found a series of unafilated dressage classes in my area starting from Walk & Trot Introductory which will be ideal for my young mare (and mine in a very long time) first time - gulp! they start the end of may so that gives us enough time to practice, prepare and have some lessons and go over the test a few times.
Now having not showed for about 10 years am having to buy a whole new wardrobe for the occassion........
So, i already have a navy blue velvet riding hat and kinda want to go down the navy blue route (or is black better?) please can someone recommened a nice showing jacket and also what about boots? (i need to invest in some decent ones - presuming long leather black) what colour jods? (does it matter if there beige or cream or white?) then is it just a white shirt and stock??
My mare next - she has brown tack, is a martingale okay for dressage or does it need to be off?? also am thinking white girth and saddle cloth - or is a numnah better? obviously she will be plaited up - do i plait her tail too or leave it loose?

Thanks guys
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It isn't a showing class, so as long as your turnout follows the rules it doesn't matter.

So, first tack: no martingale. Snaffle bridle only. It doesn't matter if you use a saddle cloth or numnah, so long as they are white or a "conservative colour". Plaiting doesn't matter either but is considered good manners. Tail is fine loose.

Navy or black doesn't matter, it is better for your hat and jacket to match. You can wear boots or leather gaiters. Gloves are required. Jods should be cream, beige or white (doesn't matter), and stock and shirt should be white or cream.

Don't get too hung up on how you look - so long as you are neat and tidy and your tack obeys the rules, the judge will be much more interested in the way your horse is going and how you ride!
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If you already have a navy hat then go for a navy jacket. Navy, black or tweed are all acceptable at that level. Your breeches can be beige, cream or white it really is up to you. Personally with navy I prefer beige or canary (mine have been washed many times now so are not bright yellow). If you are wearing navy or black jacket then a white shirt and stock are correct, you could have a cream stock. White stocks with tweed are incorrect and you should wear a shirt and tie or a coloured stock.

Boots, if you wear tweed then you can wear brown boots or boots with gaiters (not half chaps). Black boots or boots/gaiters are acceptable with navy, black or tweed.

The tack - brown tack is fine but no martingales allowed. I would go for a girth the same colour as her saddle as white girths tend to give the impression of cutting a horse in two. White saddle cloth or numnah, which ever you prefer will be abolutely fine. You may find that at local unaffilated level not everyone plaits, again if you want to plait her tail it is personal preference.

Lastly and most importantly, smile, remember to breathe and enjoy it. Good luck and have fun.
 
ok, im going to given you the fashion diva's view point....

first off-martingale MUST come off. brown tack is fine, leather girth and white saddlecloth would fit in best (99.999999% of people use a saddlecloth, you see very few numnahs).if you want to be a bit *blingy* get a sheepskin half pad and girth sleeve!!!!!

tail-leave it loose, hardly anyone plaits tails for dressage.make sure mane is plaited though (you dont have to, but again 99.999999% of people do).the big fat german style plaits are *in* at the moment and white tape is def OUT!!!!!

i always think navy looks better than black on women so navy hat and jacket would be lovely, white shirt and white stock, nice sparkley stock pin, white gloves and white breeches(you could do cream or beige but again 99.99999% of people wear white and it will tie in nicely with shirt and saddlecloth).hair up in a neat bun and netted.

whats your budget for jacket and boots? pikeur are lovely but really any nice dark navy jacket is fine-caldene, dublin, equetech etc, and i personally prefer a dark lining (blue,grey,black) and not red or mustard. if you are petite the cavallo ganimedes cut away jacket would look lovely.

boots-if you want to blow the budget get Konigs, if you dont then cavallo are a bit less pricey or cheaper still would be short boots and gaiters which are perfectly acceptable.but yes long boots or gaiters in BLACK!!!!!

if you've got a decent budget to blow a hole in have look at classic dressage, dressage deluxe and inch's dressage websites for ideas, they have all the top stuff and follow the trends very closely.

finish your outfit off with a nice leather belt, and a nice bling browband for the horse(could match the two?!) and dont forget some white bandages for warming up and if you want, some eskadron sheepskin lined over reach boots!!!!!

a little bit of baby oil round horses nose and eyes, hoof oil and some quarter marks (if theres enough coat) would finish the picture of beautifully.

if you let me know what budget is and how blingy you want to go i can reccomend more specifics and give you links
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you dont have to spend a fortune - its unaffiliated i presume - will tell you what we wear -

tweed jacket, blue hat, corn coloured jods, brown boots and gaiters (well half chaps as zip broke on gaiters so they'll have to do for now) check stock with plain tie pin, roekl gloves (corn to match jods) horse has black tack - saddlecloth - usually white but sometimes i forget to change it so last night competed in black with silver trim. does have a sparkly browband!!!
yes if you have the money go mad and get some lovely stuff but you dont have to - dressage is supposed to be about the horse and rider performing the movements correctly - not how much you spent on your turnout. as long as you look neat and tidy and its within the rules its fine - dont stress too much over it - you will need to concentrate on how you and horse going not whether your plaits are the right size!!
btw - i dont plait mine is hogged!!!! lol
 
I don't know whether I'm supposed to laugh...
but somehow, you've made me want to go out and spend a load of money (that I don't have!) on dressage stuff!
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You should go into advertising...
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Plus... my horse doesn't even like dressage! ah, they should start awarding marks for looking pretty instead...
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To be honest, sounds to me like you wont have to worry too much. As long as you've got a snaffle in, no martingale and no grackle noseband, it's all good.
Wouldn't worry too much about matching everything up, as long as your tack is comfortable for you & the horse, leave it be so long as it's not against the rules!
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ie. girth - any colour, your choice of numnah/saddlecloth as long as it's not brightly coloured.
Like someone else said - lots of things are 'fashionable' in dressage it seems, but don't worry. Load of people use white saddlecloths, I know I don't! And I'm the oddball with a grey jacket!

If you've got a navy hat and want a navy jacket, go for it. Black boots are easier to get hold of than brown anyway but if you want brown, go for it!

And have fun! (both with the shopping, and the tests!)
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lol! i love dressing up ponies and people!

i know you dont *HAVE* to have it........but its nice to buy pretty things isnt it!

im in no way saying you will be looked down upon if you dont have all the gear, im just saying...if you DO want all the gear, let me do some shopping by proxy for you!!!!!!
 
Hi,

Like everyone else said, you can't have a martingale and for novice and prelim you sould have a snaffle bridle. White nunmahs or saddlepads are correct for dressage.

She should be plaited and you can do watever you like with the tail, pulled, plaited or loose.
White nunmahs or saddlepads are correct for dressage.

I think a tweed jacket or navy looks great, If youve got a navy hat I would not choose black as it will look odd. Gloves, stock (white or cream), white, beige, cream jods look nice and make sure your hair is tidy.

Don't worry too much about what you look like nobody expects perfection first time out! Have fun xxx
 
hey princess sparkle you can shop for me anyday - i need some nice black boots and gaiters - i cant 'do' long boots cos of previous ankle injury so want some really lovely jods boots and gaiters that look like long boots - nice shape at top of gaiter zip up back but that are soft and really close contact!!!! - not that i'm picky!! any suggestions??!!!
 
Princess sparkle you make me laugh!!!
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(in a good way, mind).


I have to say though, if she turned up at her local unaffiliated walk trot in a Cavallo ganimdes, Konigs, fluffy over reach boots, bling and patent - she will scare the living daylights out of all the other competitors and probably the judge too!!!!!
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pfffft....all the gear no idea is THE way forward (joking people, laughing and joking, i am the poster child for all the gear no idea!!!!)

Kezimax-Tredstep all the way(the pro gaiter leggings), they are the only ones iv found that nip in at the ankle and behind the knee and hug your leg, they also have lovely shaped tops and back zips.i wear them for jumping as my dressage boots are too stiff.Mine are probably 6years old and still going strong.
 
Doesn't everyone know that your horse has to look and feel beautiful before it can think of performing?! So of COURSE you need the gear before even the slightest idea!
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Plus... equine retail therapy is always a good cure for an awful mood after your horse decides it doesn't DO competitions this month...
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*wants to go shopping now*
 
Oh dear prince33Sp4rkle you sound far far too much like me. But having seen your sig etc you have the power to put behind the clothing as it were!!


To the OP - aslong as you are neat and tidy, have a snaffle bridle and no martingale you will be fine. Like the others have said if you have a navy hat get a navy jacket. The pikeur jackets are bril and they do a washable that is really good value for money. I usually for dressage always have white breeches, stock, shirt saddlecloth. Sometimes I do go for cream. But I do make sure it all matches.

I always think long boots look smarter, but it depends what you are more comfortable in. Alsong as they match its ok. Go for black.

Most venues I know run things under BD rules so plae gloves are a must this year.

Good luck xx
 
Thanks everyone!
Decided to go for a bling diamonte browband, white saddle cloth, brown girth, (shes ridden in a snaffle anyway) no martingale, plaited up, tail loose.
For me - navy jacket, black boots and white jods, white shirt and stock and a nice sparkly pin for the stock - what colour gloves would be best? can i have black?
Thanks
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Hmmm, I may be doing an insy-winsy walk-trot dressage in a couple of weeks (first time in over 15 years!) and suddenly I want BLING! All your fault Prince33Sp4rkle!
 
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