Pictures Showing turnout help, and any conformation comments

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Our local show has just announced possible summer dates ? I'm not really a showing person, I can dress myself and present a native just about (low level) and turnout for dressage, but am going to take my rising 3yo ISH mare in the in hand youngstock for experience/see some sights and I'm unsure what she would class as/we need to present like. It is a small local show so we don't need to be perfect but I would like to be as correct as possible. Any tips on what we are and how we need to present please?

And if anyone fancies commenting on confo (rubbish pics really) then feel free.

I have a nice summer pic from last year, and winter woolly pics more recently. She has been living out so please excuse us for being scruffy ?

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

To be honest you can never go wrong with standard Hunter turnout. For the horse a plain havannah in-hand bridle, plaited mane, pulled tail (plait if you really really don't want to pull) 1/4 markers. For yourself it's a tweed jacket, shirt, tie, light coloured trousers, sensible boots for running in, a hat, gloves and a show cane.

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

Thank you! Very helpful, I will get shopping ?

 

[conniegirl]

With a youngster i highly recommend a velvet riding hat not a beagler or flatcap.

It can all get a bit much for some youngsters and acrobatics can ensue.
my last lad who was the calmest, steadiest horse you’ve ever met ended up being a bronking nightmare to hang onto at his first show. He held it together for prep and the actual class (which he won) but on the lap of honor he would have put any rodeo bronk to shame as the excitement just got to him

I would also reccomend a fairly long and sturdy leather lead, as its much easier to hang onto and allows you to keep hold of the horse whilst getting out of the way of any flying hooves.

 

[katastrophykat]

I bought a cheap but practical velvet hat for that reason for my big youngster’s first couple of seasons!

Yes- as said, pull, trim, plait and turn out as a Hunter with a flat (and flattering!) noseband- about 1 1/4 inch width goes well on a finer faced hunter, 1 1/2 at a push.

All Havana, brown gloves, tweed jacket, light chinos, shirt and tie, and a show cane. Workmanlike and no nonsense.

work hard at home on getting the in hand stand with you alongside and in front, have people walk around your horse while standing. Get the horse striding on, walking with purpose naturally and same with the trot, and sort out the transitions so they’re sharp. Good showmanship in hand goes a long way- my pet hate is seeing people slouching along with the horse switched off and dragging itself around, or the opposite with no control in a buzzy atmosphere!
Good luck ??

 

[katastrophykat]

Just to add- this is mine as a four and five year old- the top two are at 5, riding bridle with a show Pelham and slip head as by then he was ridden and the bottom one is at rising 4- I struggled to find an in hand hunter bridle at the time so he moved into his early! As you can see, the judges weren’t fussed ?

 

[daisie678]

I'm not a fashionable person like others but maybe you should try old school or vintage suits and you can wear anything that makes you comfortable.

 

[Lois Lame]

I like the sound of that. Mind you, I am hopeless with fashion, clothes and the like, but the above does sound smart.

What a handsome chap you have, katastrophykat.

 

[canteron]

Really comfortable shoes - choose comfort over correctness(?) as sometimes you do have to do a lot of running!!!

 

[conniegirl]

I'm not a fashionable person like others but maybe you should try old school or vintage suits and you can wear anything that makes you comfortable.

Unfortunately “anything that makes you comfortable” is not correct for the show ring.

Vintage suits are not the same as a well cut tweed show jacket. A show jacket is cut in such a way as to allow a far greater range of movement in the arms than any suit jacket. This is important when potentially you have to hang on to 400kg+ of over excited youngstock who is intent on demonstrating thier suitability for the spanish riding school!

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

canteron - I will be going with black walking boots as my left leg isn't particularly reliable anyway, I do not want to be flat on my face in front of a stag leaping youngster

Really helpful input everyone, thank you, I have much more of an idea now. And katastrophykat, gorgeous horse and good to visualise what I should be aiming for. I very much doubt we will look that smart like

 

[conniegirl]

Here is a photo of my last youngster at his first show

 

[PonyIAmNotFood]

I'm noticing different patterns of tweeds here, mine is blue so hoping this means I don't need to go out and buy another *fingers crossed*

*ETA lovely horse conniegirl! Very smart. I hope mine stays on the ground like that

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I'm noticing different patterns of tweeds here, mine is blue so hoping this means I don't need to go out and buy another *fingers crossed*

*ETA lovely horse conniegirl! Very smart. I hope mine stays on the ground like that

Any tweed is correct so long as it isn't too loud. Obviously certain colour tweeds suit certain colour horses but unless you plan on going out to compete at the highest level I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[stormox]

Remember it is the horse they are judging not you or your fashion sense! Smart but practical is the way to go.....

 

[Rowreach]

Any tweed is correct so long as it isn't too loud. Obviously certain colour tweeds suit certain colour horses but unless you plan on going out to compete at the highest level I wouldn't worry about it.

And just to add, and as can be seen from the excellent photos, it's best to wear light coloured trousers when your horse has dark legs, and vice versa, so the judge can focus in the horse's movement and not the handler's