Lead Rein Showing...First timers just a little advice

[Marmi452]

Hi There,
Well myself and dd are tip toeing into the world of LR showing, we are not looking at getting to hoys far from it, I just want to let dd have a go at her request. We are just going to do local level and have a bit of fun and make some memories. We have chestnut welsh b who is fab on LR and I just wanted to check I would wear dark colours to complement her colour? Would a tweed jacket/blue jacket,blue skirt or trousers be ok, do I wear a plain white shirt/blouse and can I wear a tweed or blue hat or do I have to wear a blue riding hat? A girl on our yard has confused me with what she says I can wear so though I would ask here.
For my little girl she has matching jackets to me so we can co ordinate, canary jodhpurs with straps, ox blood boots, white shirt, tie , bows and blue riding hat flesh colour straps am I missing anything on both of us, I know I need a showing cane so I am on the search for one but the show I am looking to go to is about 7 weeks away so must trying to get prepared.. lastly welsh b shown as m&m is a natural mane not plaited?
Thank in advance x

 

[Clare85]

I took my daughter into her first LR class over the summer, having never done it before. She can't actually ride at all, having only been brave enough to get on a pony a handful of times beforehand! It was quite comical as she bounced around in trot, laughing like a drain and losing her stirrups - it did show off what a saint of a pony we have though!

DD took me a bit by surprise by asking to do a class so we had to cobble a bit of a mishmashed, last minute outfit together. She wore a black jacket, cream joddies, black boots and a navy hat - completely incorrect but no-one said anything and I'm not willing to spend a fortune on the correct stuff unless she really gets the bug and keeps up the enthusiasm. The other kids were in tweed.

I just wore my normal inhand outfit of beige trousers, white shirt, tie, waistcoat, flat cap. However, the other mums were dressed in long skirts or smart trousers, with smart jackets and 'wedding hats' as I like to call them.

A Welsh B would be shown unplaited.

All the best with it all, hope you both have loads of fun - make sure you post some piccies

 

[WelshD]

For the leader -definitely not a riding hat, as Clare says its normally a posh hat or it can be a tweedy squishy hat but never a riding hat

Don't forget gloves for both of you (brown is usual)

skirts are normal for leaders but some wear coulottes, trousers can be worn but aren't usual

Blouses are normally high neck teamed with a silk scarf or just a frilly blouse, a collared shirt and tie are not generally worn by a leader

 

[mcnaughty]

We have just come out of LR and onto FR and workers classes - thank god! Too much tweed for a lady of my stature and rest assured if it wasn't for the fact that the LR outfit was worth a fair amount of money I would have burnt the bloody thing! LOL not very comfortable running around in that lot in the summer!

Go the Equinational photography and do some homework - well worth the google to get some top tips from the professionals!

We had matching jackets and matching brown gloves with a cane that you hold in your left hand along with the leadrein by the way. Right hand is supposed to be for grabbing child before it falls off!

Child wears red regent joddy boots, canary jods with either elastics or clip ons, jacket, shirt, tie and blue hat with the skin coloured harness.

I wore .. shoes I could run in, thick tights (saved on any ladders at the wrong moment) long blue free swinging skirt, matching jacket and no shirt as the jacket did up to my neck. Shirts vary though but most people seem to go for the high necked variety or as someone else said a nice matching scarf would be good. I had a sort of squishy blue hat with a little feather poking out.

Tack must be simple - plain brown cavesson snaffle bridle - little shoelace reins if DD is tiny. Plain leather - absolutely no colours, brown only. No rubber reins - plain or plaited. You are allowed little knots to teach the child to hold in the right place.

If you child cannot hold their hands steady, get a long shoelace and neatly and tightly plait it across the D rings on the saddle and teach the child to hook their thumbs under this. Stops and untidy look and stops the pony from getting jabbed in the mouth and therefore sticking its nose in the air.

Brown descrete numnah - no white or colours! If you cannot get one then do without.

Practice your show and practice your salute together. Simple figure of 8. When you stop and salute at the end make sure you are side on to the judge as it makes a much nicer picture.

Oh and go on ebay and search round elastic 1 or 2 mm and find one that matches your jacket or the line going through it - in fact everyone who shows should do this. No more free black tape to tie your number on! Simple piece of elastic with a loop at each end passed over the middle button on your jacket - simples!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Pretty much what Mcnaughty said but don't stress if tiu don't have brown tack. Black is perfectly fine so long as it is neat, tidy and fits well.

The lead rein must always be attached to the noseband, never the bit.

With a Welsh B I would pull the mane a bit so it is neat, not shoulder length flowing locks!

 

[mcnaughty]

There was one other thing .... how big is your pony? Welsh Bs can be rather large for a leadrein class and you might find that he is rather too tall - 122cm is the usual limit for LR. SOME local shows do allow bigger though.

 

[gmw]

Ooo the memories of my little granddaughter riding our 11.2hh section B. He is 21 this year so is she!!! We used to hunt charity shops Amazing what you can find and cobble together. (we were on a very small budget)