In hand showing questions

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wills_91

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Not sure if this should be posted her but hey ho. I have a lovely id x tb 8 year old mare, not able to ride at the moment but want to get her out and about this year and possibly do a few in hand classes. Never done any showing at all. I am assuming she would need to be plaited up? What would I need to wear? She is chesnut with white legs if that makes a difference.

Need to get practising with the trotting up!
 
Why not start at very local shows to give yourselves both confidence? In that way you could choose 'handsome horse' type classes in which you can decide turnout for yourself. Obviously if you enter in-hand hunter classes in any show you will need to plait. Your own turnout should be traditional, to show respect for the judge who is giving up their time, in every class.
 
We will be starting very small as she hasn't been out since a yearling & I feel it will all be rather exciting for her. Would I be marked down for wearing my hat? I don't fancy doing it without as she can be a tad enthusiastic in new situations.
 
Many people wear hats. Judges can not mark you down for wearing a safety hat. Most people wear hats of some sort anyway.
 
wills_91 said:
We will be starting very small as she hasn't been out since a yearling & I feel it will all be rather exciting for her. Would I be marked down for wearing my hat? I don't fancy doing it without as she can be a tad enthusiastic in new situations.
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No, not at all. It is correct to wear some sort of hat anyway but these days we are encouraged to be safety conscious. A few years ago someone local to me died at a show when her youngster reared and caught her head with its unshod hoof. So certainly round here we are all very aware of what can happen.

ETA, the judge is ONLY judging the horse according to the criteria in the schedule/breed standard but the turnout etc can add to the general picture and so make a difference in the placings between 2 very similar horses.
My advice is to find a very small show, maybe, RC or similar, where there will only be horse classes, so no Bouncy Castles etc to upset your horse, enter a couple of fun classes, not too far apart in time, take your mare into the first one and see how she behaves. Congratulate yourself if all goes well and she does as she has been asked.
If you think at the end of the first class she has had enough, take her home. If you think she is ok, or would benefit from another chance to practise what she has just learned, take her in the other class. Do not at any stage risk either her, your or any-one else's safety.
Good luck!
 
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I would go to a small local show too. You can wear normal riding gear: boots, jodhs, shirt and tie, jacket, hat and gloves. Mostly people have a snaffle or pelham bit and cavesson noseband on the bridle. I would plait because plaited horses look smart, shampoo the tail and white legs, hoof oil, chalk block rubbed on a white face if she has one. Clean your tack obviously. That is a good basic starting place for small local shows. Showing is great fun good luck with your first outing :)
 
There are slight variations in what you wear depending upon your horse's breed/type. I'd guess with yours being IDxTB then she's a hunter or riding horse type. A good place to start for you would be tweed jacket, shirt and tie, trousers rather than jods to tone in with the horse and tweed, and footwear you can run in. A velvet riding hat would certainly be fine - you will need a hat of sorts.
Your mare would be a plaited type, so get practising!! :) . You use a riding bridle on an adult mare - plain leather for hunter, plain or velvet browband for riding horse with a cavesson noseband. Can be double bridle or pelham or snaffle - whatever enhances her looks best - remember the judge is looking at the horse as a good example of the type.
If you can rope in some friends and family and the odd horse or two to put in some mock show practice all the better. Think about what you need to do - walk around with the other horses, stand until it's your turn to run up, stand in line, come out for individual judging, clapping during a lap of honour etc. Not all your helpers actually need to have a horse - my neighbour does a nice line in role-playing 'judge with a big scary hat' when we do some practice.
 
catkin said:
There are slight variations in what you wear depending upon your horse's breed/type. I'd guess with yours being IDxTB then she's a hunter or riding horse type. A good place to start for you would be tweed jacket, shirt and tie, trousers rather than jods to tone in with the horse and tweed, and footwear you can run in. A velvet riding hat would certainly be fine - you will need a hat of sorts.
Your mare would be a plaited type, so get practising!! :) . You use a riding bridle on an adult mare - plain leather for hunter, plain or velvet browband for riding horse with a cavesson noseband. Can be double bridle or pelham or snaffle - whatever enhances her looks best - remember the judge is looking at the horse as a good example of the type.
If you can rope in some friends and family and the odd horse or two to put in some mock show practice all the better. Think about what you need to do - walk around with the other horses, stand until it's your turn to run up, stand in line, come out for individual judging, clapping during a lap of honour etc. Not all your helpers actually need to have a horse - my neighbour does a nice line in role-playing 'judge with a big scary hat' when we do some practice.
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Thanks for this :). She is chesnut with white legs so should I be going for dark trousers?

Also black or brown bridle?

Tail pulled or plaited??

Now to round up some volunteers to practise!
 
Always brown tack for showing if you have the choice

Tail pulled at that age, youngstock are ok with plaits but at anything higher than very local level its usual to pull the tail

I'd go for dark trousers yes
 
The pulled/plaited debate is just about fashion, neither is 'correct'. IMO pulling has become fashionable because very few people can plait a tail well. If you can plait well, it makes your horse stand out from the crowd.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
The pulled/plaited debate is just about fashion, neither is 'correct'. IMO pulling has become fashionable because very few people can plait a tail well. If you can plait well, it makes your horse stand out from the crowd.
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I was once told that only broodmares should have plaited tails. Is that not the case?
 
Pearlsasinger said:
The pulled/plaited debate is just about fashion, neither is 'correct'. IMO pulling has become fashionable because very few people can plait a tail well. If you can plait well, it makes your horse stand out from the crowd.
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Makes you stand out in a bad way! anyone with a plaited tail other than youngstock and the odd broodmare will look like they havn't got a clue.
Pulled tail (or tail raked to look pulled). A well pulled tail can be shaped to enhance the horses bottom and improve the appearance of the hind end conformation
 
conniegirl said:
Makes you stand out in a bad way! anyone with a plaited tail other than youngstock and the odd broodmare will look like they havn't got a clue.
Pulled tail (or tail raked to look pulled). A well pulled tail can be shaped to enhance the horses bottom and improve the appearance of the hind end conformation
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I think this may depend on your locationandage, it is very much fashion, having seen the stock produced for showing by (admittedly elderly) local BSPS judge, with beautifully plaited tails, I would disagree with you.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
The pulled/plaited debate is just about fashion, neither is 'correct'. IMO pulling has become fashionable because very few people can plait a tail well. If you can plait well, it makes your horse stand out from the crowd.
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Very much so. Once upon a time, show Hacks had their tails plaited and Hunters had theirs pulled. It really frustrates me how judges have allowed traditional presentation to change so much.

I trained in a yard that competed at HOYS and RIHS with a lot of success and she drilled into us that elegance is so important. Now you see gaudy blingy browbands on all and sundry and kids dressed up with every colour under the sun.

Here in NZ I recently spotted a child in the First Ridden class wearing a red and white striped shirt, with a red and white spotted tie, check ribbons in her hair and red cuffs on her sleeves and pockets. She looked like she had been dressed from an op shop. It was awful.

Tweed is lovely, with moleskin trousers, brown jodhpurs boots, make sure they have a decent grippy sole in case you have to run on wet grass. A brown leather covered cane, cream knitted back, leather Palm (brown) gloves. Hair in net beneath your velvet riding hat. If your horse likes mints, make sure you have some, great for getting attention and looking intelligently attentive

In hand showing is fun, I've done loads in UK and here in NZ.
 
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