In these shoes - I don't think so!!!!

[Mearas]

As a tireless advocate of the light, gentle, harmonious,and sensitive approach of classical dressage, all my protestations seem irrelevent when I opened this weeks H&H to see the picture of Edward Gal in gold riding boots. A picture that promotes the case for traditional classical dressage more than I ever could .

 

[Enfys]

I am getting old obviously, I saw these the other day and it reminded me of a fancy dress costume I once made for my daughter...yep, we'd sprayed some rubber boots with gold paint!

I like the traditional stuff, black boots, hunt coats, a decent tweed blah, blah, blah, but really, I guess wearing gold boots, or any other thing that is out of the 'normal' won't affect the rider or horse, just the spectator, I'd be transfixed by the boots myself though!

 

[Tnavas]

I always thought that at that level there was a very strict dress code - sigh! times are changing! I think I might add some tinsel to mine - I have some pretty gold stuff.

 

[Mearas]

Enfys I imagine your daughters fnacy dress costume was amazing. What a lovely Mum to go to all that trouble.

A controversial opinion, but I wonder if competition dressage at the top level is currently just fancy dress, so poor that the only way to make it spectacular is to add 'bling' (the clothing not the horse)?

I have posted this link before but I think it is relevant and illustrates beautifully exactly what I mean. I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfiTTyi2He8

 

[Lolo]

Might he have been doing some from of show class, or demo... Bling is creeping into dressage and what's the problem with wanting to look pretty?

Personally, I think they're gross. But I've been bought up on PC rules where you're in your smart stuff 24/7!

 

[liveryblues]

All though not to everyones taste ( I wouldnt wear it, not gold from head to toe anyhow!) I think its about time dressage moved out of the dark ages!
With so many lovely colours out there (not so much the garish ones) I think its a good way of attracting the younger generation.
Some of the Animo range has the most lovely pastel colours, incuding tail coats.
If its good enough for show jumping at top level then why not dressage?