spin off thread..lessons/clinics and turnout of horse& rider-

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Prince33Sp4rkle

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following on from charlie's thread......so, how much effort do you put in for lessons and clinics?

lessons-mine all get trimmed up(ears,beards,whiskers, heels, manes.tails etc) day before, fully bathed or hot clothed, tack cleaned and we are turned out in matching ensembles. i wouldnt dream of doing anything else.

clinics-add to above,plaited up, show noseband on(patent),white saddlecloth and bandages, me in my show boots(patent) and more subtle coloured outfit.hooves blacked with absorbine show black ,and muzzles baby oiled.
 
Well as you can guess,
mine is trimmed up - whiskers, ears, poll, tails, heels ect.
Socks washed and legs bandged over night to prevent dirt,
tack cleaned, clean white saddle cloth and bandages, fluffy o/r boots
my boots clean and smart jods, top and gillet.
Hooves oiled, brushed and gleaming.
 
I clean the horse, my boots, tidy up tack, but other than that no special arrangements - I always ride in breeches anyway and most of my saddle cloths are smart, be it colourful:)
 
I think it depends on how often you have lessons tho! I often have fortnightly lessons at our yard with my usual instructor and I certainy don't give him a bath/plait or anything for that! However I never ride a dirty horse even for a hack the mud all has to come off and the mane/tail brushed.
If I go to a clinic off site or a special lesson with someone different then might make a bit more effort, am a bit obsessive about buying stuff anyway so they aways have smart boots/numnahs, and I aways ride in jods/long boots except in the summer for hacking I might wear short boots. But might match their boots and numnah for exapmple.
General keep their beards/heels fairly trimmed anyway and tack cleaned regularly so don't clean it specially for lessons....
 
Ive never been anywhere to have a lesson that requires me to do that but if i travled anywhere for a lesson clinic i would too, trim everything, plait(for clinc), clean tack, bandages on horse, smartly dressed, clean boots ect. Probably wear my nice show breaches.
 
the same as for general riding tbh. brush her obviously, but don't plait, paint hooves depending on if i'm running late or not! matching saddlecloth and fly veil, i wear jods/breeches and polo shirt or hoody/coat depending on the weather and long boots, which i only use for riding so they don't really get dirty, but if they get dirty i'll clean them, not obsessively though!

i'll wash her legs if they need it, but she has no white so brushing normally does the trick :)
 
Lessons: if at home with my 'general' RI i dont tend to make any effort - horse will get a brush and i will wear my long boots (which are clean) as opposed to short boots & chaps, dont really make an effort to be 'smart'

If going out to 'specialist' RI or a clinic: i do tend to ensure horse is clean and tidy bathed in summer not neccessarily in winter (dont trim) and tack is sparkly, i tend to wear my show breeches and smart top/fleece and good boots.
 
i don't really do anything differently for lessons or clinics.

horse is reasonably tidy but i don't specifically trim up, certainly would never plait up!
i wear my short boots with long red ski socks and the one concession i will make is to make sure my top is clean!

i haven't got time to faff about with them; it is hard enough to make the time to ride them!
 
For lessons and clinics I make sure horse is neat and tidy and always use matching bandages and saddlecloth, but don't do the whole bath/trim as per show preparation. I do make sure my matchy-matchy is up to scratch though. Clean polished long boots, smart breeches, belt, smart top etc. My trainer HATES bling and patent, so I always make sure I've got plenty on me and the horse so as to wind him up LOL ;) My friend has turned up to her lesson with pink bandages and saddlecloth just to see his face when she rides into the school!
 
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crikey, i am obviously an utter slob. horses are groomed as usual, manes tidy etc, and i'm reasonably tidy (in ariats and chaps, usually, long boots if it's a posh clinic though) but i don't make any huge effort.
i usually have lessons at my place though and having just driven an hour and a half each way to collect my trainer, i don't have time to faff!
 
Don't really bother doing anything other than normal groom for ordinary lesson at my yard.
If i was travelling somewhere for a lesson or clinic though I would make sure mine are extra shiney and clean, clean boots, legs and ears trimmed (absolutely hate trimming whiskers! apart from the odd grey one on my older mare :P) and tail and mane looking tidy. Though I don't make myself quite so smart :S Maybe i should make more of an effort though.......
 
For normal lessons with my instructor I don't really do anything special. Have had lessons in jeans, horse with not especially clean tack (not dirty, just not exactly sparkling, only having had a quick clean after hunting/muddy hack the day before :o ) and have apologised loads..and she always says she doesn't mind at all, as long as me and horse are both comfortable. She's always said she'd rather I spent the time warming up and relaxing my horse rather than doing last minute tack cleaning (i'm a bit disorganised :o ). However I always make extra certain that tack is correctly fitted, all straps tucked in, numnah smooth etc as she (quite rightly!) hates ill fitted tack which could cause discomfort to horse.

For clinics..must say I have never plaited for a clinic :o Make sure I have a well groomed horse, clean numnah and clean tack, but that's about it. Oh and in winter I will scrape off the excess 4 inches of mud which otherwise coat my boots and chaps 24/7 :D
 
Lessons- Same as normal, so turn up with normal variety of poo and grass stains and manky tack :p :p But I do have 1/2 a week at the moment, and they are on site, and we are a laid back kind of yard :p

However if I were going offsite for a clinic with an instructor who I didn't know or whatever, I would smarten her up a bit, wash legs etc, but never done that as yet :p
 
Lesson - Clean tack, clean clothes, groomed horse.

Clinic. - boots and gaiters, black breeches, tidy t shirt, clean tack, legs and tail washed. (They are white and hairy) The only matchy matchy thing I do, is match my legs to Stars - white and hairy LOL
 
Booboos said:
Oh dear, I am a filthy, filthy person...I don't do anything other than my normal groom before any ride.
Click to expand...

Same here. I might clean my tack and boots if I have time the day before. I'm going to try and improve my riding, not to a best turned out class.
 
My horse is always trimmed and brushed twice daily so he always looks smart when I ride. However for normal lessons at my yard I do not put in any special effort other than to bandage up instead of brushing boots. I wear my
normal (untidy!) riding clothes and I don't make a special effort to clean my tack.

Clinics I will clean my tack and will match saddlecloth with bandages or boots. I don't plait but as always horse is trimmed up and gleaming. I will make a bit more effort with my appearance and wear my best joddies with a nice T shirt or something and some subtle make up. I wear the same boots as I always ride in, my ariat gaiters. I save my long boots for shows.

Horse normally looks better turned out than myself. I have this weird phobia of getting too dressed up for horsie stuff. It turns me into a right girl and I can't relax for fear of dirtying myself! I have strictly horse clothes and non horse clothes and if I buy smart new horse clothes I baby them for weeks, cringing every time my horse nearly slobbers on me and being paranoid about every bit of fluff on my new jodpurs. Much rather wear something a little shabbier and be able to relax! I'm always dead impressed by immaculate horse people who seem to remain so clean!

I have had the odd 'doesn't he look smart!' from instructors ect so can't be doing too badly :)
 
Booboos said:
Oh dear, I am a filthy, filthy person...I don't do anything other than my normal groom before any ride.
Click to expand...

Same here Booboos.

Maybe it's something in the air in Shropshire that makes us lazy?! ;-)

My horse's mane and tail are generally kept neatly pulled / trimmed anyway so they shouldn't really need anything special doing before a lesson. I've clipped his legs (for some reason my ISH has grown an enormous amount of feather this winter and was hanging on to it...) now for the summer so they will be trimmed with scissors probably weekly. Again, just part of the routine and not something that I would do especially for a lesson or clinic. Thankfully I have a bay horse who doesn't show up stable / field stains so he only needs a quick brush.
 
lessons-
clean horsey- bath if time, definately wash legs as she tends to be gross and discoloured!
go in matchy matchy polo wraps and saddle cloth and my top/jacket
tack clean- ish
long boots and smart breeches

clinics- same.
will plait up and stuff my own hair into a net if its a posh trainer lol.

definately not got time for anything more- i work 48hours a week and have 3 horses on DIY plus doing a post grad diploma and an other half to sort out!
 
For lessons I always make sure my attire matches... green/brown check jods, yellow t-shirt, green fleece etc. Clean long boots or boots/chaps. If I can, I will always make sure horse is groomed and looking smart, with or leather straps in keepers etc.

IF I went to a clinic, I would definitely turn out in my smartest jods (probably my show ones) long boots, polished, smart top. I would bath the horse nigh beofre, and would probably plait up as well (love plaiting up!) and make sure tack was cleaned, and white numnah was washed and ready to go!! Oh I would also go for white brushing boots (only cause I think they really enhance the horses legs and movement!)
 
i'm a complete scruffbag :eek:
i don't really make any effort for lessons- certainly not with my regular trainers! i once turned up for a SJ lesson to a "bloody hell...do you not own a brush".... even for me that was quite embarrassing- but i'd got caught in work til much later than i had planned and then the bloody thing wouldn't let me catch him :o

for a clinic with a strange trainer i might concede to have a clean numnah, boots and breeches but thats about it. i don't even clean my tack properly for a comp ( :eek:) so certainly not going to for a lesson!! :D
 
For a ordinary lesson I will brush my horse, and that is about it. He is grey, so sometimes has some stains, but mud is always brushed off, and manes and tails are tidy (I keep my horse's well trimmed). I always wear breeches which are reasonably presentable, a polo shirt, and long boots so don't really wear anything special. Tack may get a wipe over if obviously grubby, but if it looks ok from a distance I generally leave it!!!!!

For a clinic I would make sure the stale stains are washed off, and my grey boy is actually grey and not skewbaled!!!!!! I'll make sure tack looks reasonably clean close up, but may not necessarily strip it to clean it. I'll make sure I have clean breeches on, but they can be any colour, and a clean shirt/jacket which I try (and sometimes fail) to match! I'll make sure my boots, and my horse's boots are clean, and use a clean saddle cloth. I certainly wouldn't plait unless I was being a guinea pig at a demo!!!!!
 
For a normal lesson at my yard I would groom as normal- i always give a good groom, mane and tail spray, polish her off with some coat sheen-when i ride anyway. Would make sure jods, boots etc were clean and clean smart polo top like a joules or toggi type thing but that is about it. My tack is usually quite clean but i could probably make it look cleaner, i just dont have enough hours in the day! I always make sure my daughter is clean and smart when her PC instructor comes out to teach her too, not easy with a grubby little 7 year old!

For a clinic i might bath her, and would probably wash saddle cloth, boots etc especially but wouldnt even enter my head to plait up - no one has ever been plaited when i have been to clinics before even ones at really smart yards with top trainers! Good job too as i would never get there i am soooo slow at plaiting.
 
Always keep my neds trimmed up and they get a full groom everyday so thye are generally never too dirty, so just get their normal groom, tack gets cleaned once a week anyway as Im out at shows a lot so for a lesosn I would just make sure im presentable(which is usually the hard part haha)
 
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