Gypsy Cob - show advice please!!!

SarahShell7

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Hi everyone
My daughter is competing in a local show (local with a good standard of expectation) on a black & white gypsy cob (ridden).

Tack wise, all sorted. But rider wise I could do with some advice please...

Currently she wears beige jodphurs, white shirt, navy jacket, navy hat, black boots.

However!!!! For riding the gypsy cob, should I be kitting her out differently? Questions....!

1) Would she look 'better suited' in a tweed and canary jods? I dont mind buying a new jacket so that's not a problem.

2) Should she wear a yellow stock collared shirt and a stock? Or will her white show shirt with diamante detail be ok?

3) Also should she have a black hat if horse and tack are black?

4) black or brown boots?

5) Any recommendations for the best tools and products to use on a gypsy cob during prep would be greatly appreciated!!!

Can anyone help on any of the questions please? Thank you for reading.
 

cornbrodolly

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For your first and local show , just enjoy it! Dont stress too much about rider s clothes- unless its way out of usual, the judge wont even notice. Only if you move up to agricultural/county would you need a tweed jacket. And always a shirt and tie, not a stock.
Colour of hat does not matter. Black boots are the traditional colour for all showing classes that I know of [ but have no experience of child /pony classes]
The cleanliness of the horse is important! Our routine will our coloureds [ and would still do with a hairy] , was a bath 2 days before show, then repeat the night before. First wash with Fairy liquid - ideally the blue version- or similar , and much rinsing. Second wash with a purple coloured shampoo. Lots of chalk in the feathers [ can be applied on wet feathers the night before and left ], but must be brushed out completely- leaving great rings of powder in the showring is not good!. Has the horse a white tail? There s various recipes on youtube, and the one with tomato sauce has been tried , and worked for me! Its easy to go overboard with expensive product , but the quality and schooling of the horse is much more important. Nerves usually mean horses are ridden too tight on the reins , always let the horse go forward .Showing is addictive and expensive!
 

conniegirl

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Tweed jacket for coloured cobs always
Shirt and tie for showing but tbh diamanté collars are not realy the done thing, a simple school shirt is better.
Navy hat is perfect regardless of colour of horse.

The whole short boots for under 16s and long for overs doesn’t really apply to the coloured classes (or m&m’s for that matter) It will depend on the size of the pony, the size of the rider in comparison and what looks best. I know many adults who wear short boots when riding 12.2hh coloureds and many young ladies who ride 14.2s and wear long boots even though they are not yet 16.
 

blitznbobs

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Not the case, many children are wearing canary jodhs in the coloured classes at top end.

From a recent showing site... for coloured cobs


Rider attire:

  1. Tweed jackets are considered the “correct” and most commonly used showing jacket for this class. You should pick your tweed and check to suit your horse.
  2. Cream / Beige (NOT Canary yellow!) well fitting breeches. Canary yellow is for Children on Show ponies!
  3. Plain, straight topped Brown or Black leather boots with a garter strap are “considered correct”. HOWEVER, many ride at county level in the more traditional Dressage top boot. Again, match your boots to your tack so you don’t look mis-matched.
  4. Show shirt, this does not particularly matter in terms of what colour to chose, providing it has a correct collar to wear a tie.
 

conniegirl

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From a recent showing site... for coloured cobs


Rider attire:

  1. Tweed jackets are considered the “correct” and most commonly used showing jacket for this class. You should pick your tweed and check to suit your horse.
  2. Cream / Beige (NOT Canary yellow!) well fitting breeches. Canary yellow is for Children on Show ponies!
  3. Plain, straight topped Brown or Black leather boots with a garter strap are “considered correct”. HOWEVER, many ride at county level in the more traditional Dressage top boot. Again, match your boots to your tack so you don’t look mis-matched.
  4. Show shirt, this does not particularly matter in terms of what colour to chose, providing it has a correct collar to wear a tie.
No idea which site that is but you NEVER match your boots to your tack. 99% of the time black long boots is correct, very very rarely you will see one of the pros try to change it up but it never lasts long
If you look at the lineups at county show 99% of them will be in canary jods and long black boots

I showed coloureds at county level for many years and a good number of my showing friends have qualified for HOYS this year so I’m speaking from personal experience.

ETA I’ve found the site, there are some very interesting inaccuracies on it
 
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blitznbobs

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No idea which site that is but you NEVER match your boots to your tack. 99% of the time black long boots is correct, very very rarely you will see one of the pros try to change it up but it never lasts long
If you look at the lineups at county show 99% of them will be in canary jods and long black boots

I showed coloureds at that level for many years and a good number of my showing friends have qualified for HOYS this year so I’m speaking from personal experience.

ETA I’ve found the site, there are some very interesting inaccuracies on it and written by someone not showing at a high level


It’s not the only place that says you don’t show cobs in canary. I have also shown cobs up to hoys level and I’ve never seen a traditional cob with a rider in canary Jodhs... ponies yes but cobs no.
 

conniegirl

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It’s not the only place that says you don’t show cobs in canary. I have also shown cobs up to hoys level and I’ve never seen a traditional cob with a rider in canary Jodhs... ponies yes but cobs no.

Here is a link to the HOYS classes at last years CHAPS championships. The traditional start at the bottom of page 3. The majority of female riders in canary, including the winner of the first class, the 2nd in the second class
http://www.equinationalimagestore.c...aps-champs/300818-thursday/ring-5/index_3.htm

ETA last years hoys coloured trad winner, rider looks to be in canary
https://www.1stclassimages.com/p296808212
 
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conniegirl

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not sure why everyone is focussing on canary as the op's daughter has beige and she asked IF she should get canary...obviously the answer is no...
No it’s not an obvious no as the majority will be in canary so it is up to op if she wants to go that way.
 

SamanthaToby

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Hi all I am doing my first show on monday. I have tweed jacket yellow/cream show shirt a red tie an beige jods with black boots an a blue show hat. He has brown tack an is a tradional cob. I was also thinking of doing a in hand class an wondered if I need to change anything to show inhand?

My hubby also (on sunday night) decided he wanted to get involved give he shoots he has a flat cap, a checked shirt a matching tie an green pants an Green over coat. Will he be ok in this?

I should say this is just a local show an our 1st.

Ps best if luck to your daughter x
 

Leo Walker

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Here is a link to the HOYS classes at last years CHAPS championships. The traditional start at the bottom of page 3. The majority of female riders in canary, including the winner of the first class, the 2nd in the second class
http://www.equinationalimagestore.c...aps-champs/300818-thursday/ring-5/index_3.htm

ETA last years hoys coloured trad winner, rider looks to be in canary
https://www.1stclassimages.com/p296808212

Are you looking at something different to me?! The HOYS winner is in beige as are the majority in the HOYS CHAPS championships
 

Cinnamontoast

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I wore a yellow dyed in the washing machine with a duster shirt, borrowed a mate's woven tie and wore a brown tweed, but I see the HOY's winner is in a plain jacket.
 

honetpot

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I think if you can only afford one pair of jods, and children outgrow them quickly , beige is the way to go. Canary are the devil to keep clean.
I would try Pony club for second hand jods and boots.
Short boots always brown and depending on the colour of your jacket, a cream shirt, sometimes Tesco do them and discrete spoty tie, I used to have a stock from charity shops.
Things like hair, need to be tidy, one plait a the back with hair ribbon to match the colour of the tie,or if the hair is too short to tie back don’t have it sticking out, a hair net.
If you want to finnish it off a pair of brown gloves.
We did a bit of showing but also did dressage and other things, so I bought clothes and tack that I could use for all. Really if you jump a clear round no one cares what you are wearing.
I aways bought brown tack as well, for showing you need a plain flat noseband.
Even at bigger shows most of the kit was second hand, my, only buying canary jods for those, the jacket being good quality second hand.

The most important thing is for your daughter to have fun.
If your daughter is doing a ridden class I suggest practicing a home a basic ridden show.
Our riding club organises novice shows and none of the judges we would use would be too hung up about the kit you have. As long as the pony is clean, a huge task with a hairy and the rider tidy, they will be happy.
If you have more solid colour than white, if you really get the white clean it makes the rest look better. I am a great fan of Showsheen on solid colours and I only bath the really dirty bits.
So that’s my cheats guide to showing for mums, I used to have two ponies and two children to get ready.
You can spend more money if you think you are going to do it seriously . The PC second hand shop is a god send, over the years I very rarely bought new boots as I was always looking for the next size up, same with jods.
One last tip, get everything ready the night before and have a check list. Take a spare head collar and rope, change for the burger van, and water for the pony and drinks snacks or pack up for you and then children.
If it’s a proper local show you will have fun. We do fun classes and gymkanna, and no one goes home without a rosette, or four. We are very lucky with our sponsors who are all local businesses so they are all lovely.
 
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teddypops

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