Tack colour in the UK?

[Meowy Catkin]

Does anyone understand this post from chronicle of the horse? My experience has always been that brown tack (havana) is always OK and is actually required depending on what you are doing. So for showing above local level, havana is essential but you can also dressage, jump etc... in brown tack and that's fine. No tutting even in dressage.

For all the people with a horror of black tack in the hunter or jumper rings-- in the UK, the horror is of brown tack. Well, horror is probably too strong a word to describe the UK reaction, it is more of a "tut" ( it is all understated) but brown tack just *is* *not* *done* and if you have it, you are going to get side eye. If nothing more. Americans with their brown tack are seen as sort of barbaric.

https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/...verybody-looks-alike-spinoff-from-horse-myths

It's extra confusing because the thread appears to be about US Hunter classes (I haven't read the whole thing yet) which don't even exist over here.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I understand that they are incorrect I expect they heard it from a friend who's 8th cousin 12 times removed once went to a Uk horse show.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Yes I probably incorrectly assumed that the poster was from the UK, your interpretation makes a lot more sense!

 

[Polos]

I agree with motherofchickens! They’ve probably never competed in the U.K. in their life.

From Facebook groups I’m in with American riders it seems hunters is the closest thing they have to showing so I can understand why they use brown as it’s more traditional. But i’m not sure if this is the same for the other disciplines to be honest which is why maybe they have that opinion of the U.K.?

 

[ihatework]

They are a prat who doesn’t know their ass from their elbow

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

They are a prat who doesn’t know their ass from their elbow

Absolutely this 😂

 

[TPO]

They might be meaning the tan (newmarket?) tack that is sometimes worn in American hunter/HUS rather than "our" brown/havana?

 

[splashgirl45]

personally i prefer havana tack but really struggled to find a saddle that fitted both me and the horse so had to settle for black....

 

[Meowy Catkin]

They might be meaning the tan (newmarket?) tack that is sometimes worn in American hunter/HUS rather than "our" brown/havana?

Pics on this link. https://www.chronofhorse.com/articl...eLy6yA18ebhN9CEgRdlLDY_y_56Oth3tRV7xKJfHTS8mo

There do appear to be a couple of saddles that look like Tans that have darkened over time. I've seen that here too. The bridles all look to be havana.

I have to admit I do find the US 'hunter land' to be a strange and intriguing thing with the 'hunter hair' and specific jumping style among other things. It's not something that I'd ever want to do though.

 

[J&S]

I was horrified when black saddles began to appear on the market but have also ended up now with one each for the ponies!

 

[Orangehorse]

So wrong. Havana is always right in the UK. Dressage people sometimes like to use black, but that is up to them.

About the USA, they use Havana and black. The thing I had to get used to is black gloves for showing. Never use black gloves for showing in the UK, as black gloves mean mourning.

 

[TPO]

I subscribe to a couple.of American magazines and the majority are all in havana tack but I've seen some newmarket tan hunter saddles in the adverts. I've never seen black tack in these magazines anyway so it think the poster on COTH is possibly talking nonsense!

I thought Havana was always correct for showing and black tack was dressage strictly speaking

 

[BeckyFlowers]

Interesting that in all the pics, the showjumpers are wearing standing martingales. Maybe they're as obsessed with them as our competitors are with running martingales. Can't say I've ever seen a showjumper wearing a standing martingale before, although I don't follow it at all.

Re the first link, I agree that whoever wrote it has probably seen the UK on a map at one point in their life and that's about it!

 

[blitznbobs]

Brown is correct for showing - it’s about everything looking right
And the sports - dressage sj eventing it’s about performance of the team (horse and rider) so it doesn’t matter what colour the tack is it’s what the team achieve that matters

 

[Kaylum]

Black is more popular these days. Everyone wants it. We have lots of brown tack that we just cant sell. I think because the variations in brown tack is quite vast so harder to match.

 

[tashcat]

Funny thread OP

To turn it around and make some (probably wrong!) assumptions of USA equestrians.. is it me or are they jumping bizarrely? I've always thought the rider's position in the hunter classes is so odd.. they're constantly leaning forward and sticking their bums out! Is that the etiquette?

 

[SpotsandBays]

Funny thread OP

To turn it around and make some (probably wrong!) assumptions of USA equestrians.. is it me or are they jumping bizarrely? I've always thought the rider's position in the hunter classes is so odd.. they're constantly leaning forward and sticking their bums out! Is that the etiquette?

I noticed this too! Always so forward and it makes their landing after jumps look odd to me!

 

[sbloom]

In dressage saddles sure, black is king, but dark havana is ALL I stock in most models. However the US h/j market is all about the tan, it's a type of showing class really, where appearance and turnout counts for a lot, standing martingales are pretty ubiquitous and tan saddles are the thing.

 

[poiuytrewq]

personally i prefer havana tack but really struggled to find a saddle that fitted both me and the horse so had to settle for black....

This was my problem. It was a black saddle that fitted the horse, me, was for sale and in budget!

 

[conniegirl]

Black is more popular these days. Everyone wants it. We have lots of brown tack that we just cant sell. I think because the variations in brown tack is quite vast so harder to match.

I wouldnt say that, perticularly when it comes to showing. I've known black show saddles take years to sell at very low prices but identical brown ones sell at triple the price of the black ones and in days.

I sold a second hand beautiful brown double bridle on ebay, it made a huge amount of money, far more than the new black ones were going for

 

[Pinkvboots]

I wouldnt say that, perticularly when it comes to showing. I've known black show saddles take years to sell at very low prices but identical brown ones sell at triple the price of the black ones and in days.

I sold a second hand beautiful brown double bridle on ebay, it made a huge amount of money, far more than the new black ones were going for

Agree with this I much prefer brown tack never buy black, I do show my horses so it does make sense to me to always use brown and I think it looks so much nicer.

 

[hattie2525]

To be fair I could win $5000 for lolloping over jumps that look about 2'3 I would buy pink tack if I had to!!! The USA horse world is utterly nuts!

 

[Merrymoles]

It's possibly my increasing age, but when I was a lass, Havana tack was for riding horses, black was for driving. I don't think I ever saw a black saddle when I was growing up, except possibly on military horses?

 

[Mule]

QUOTE="tashcat, post: 13999356, member: 117123"]Funny thread OP

To turn it around and make some (probably wrong!) assumptions of USA equestrians.. is it me or are they jumping bizarrely? I've always thought the rider's position in the hunter classes is so odd.. they're constantly leaning forward and sticking their bums out! Is that the etiquette?[/QUOTE]
I've thought this too. I don't know how they stay on if the horse refuses.

 

[Surbie]

I have both with mine! I do prefer havana, but when the saddler came out this was the one that suited us both best. I absolutely love it. And the difference in colour is largely hidden by me when I'm in it.

 

[JFTDWS]

Standing martingales are standard kit for hunters in the US. As is the whole "hunt seat equitation" style, which is a little different, for sure.

You do get funny looks doing dressage in brown tack, but only from the serious matchy, shiny, blingy dressage folk. I think someone's misheard, or misunderstood something on CoTH!

Fwiw, my dressage saddle is black - with subtle red piping. Super non-traditional. My jump saddles are brown with a line of tan piping which is invisible when mounted. Very traditional looking.

 

[JGC]

Pics on this link. https://www.chronofhorse.com/articl...eLy6yA18ebhN9CEgRdlLDY_y_56Oth3tRV7xKJfHTS8mo
.

I'm more shocked by the fact that people appear to be jumping in tailcoats

 

[JFTDWS]

Pics on this link. https://www.chronofhorse.com/articl...eLy6yA18ebhN9CEgRdlLDY_y_56Oth3tRV7xKJfHTS8mo
...
I have to admit I do find the US 'hunter land' to be a strange and intriguing thing with the 'hunter hair' and specific jumping style among other things. It's not something that I'd ever want to do though.

You can see why Denny Emerson posts despairingly on his facebook page multiple times each week, complaining about riders lying up their horse's neck with their crotch over the pommel, hovering over the horse's withers!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

JGC - I know... it's another world. I find the hairstyle particularly amusing. There was a thread on that forum about how to achieve it when you have short hair. The answer seemed to involve a hairnet and some old tights(!)

 

[catkin]

You do get funny looks doing dressage in brown tack, but only from the serious matchy, shiny, blingy dressage folk.

and there was me thinking it was the naughty hairy small pony and ancient tweed jacket that did it.......... Not that I care, as long as the judge marks appropriately PS - it is perfectly within the rules to wear brown tack and tweed coats for dressage.

Traditionally riding tack was always brown - one theory was that it is easier to hide poor quality leather under black dye so with brown leather WYSIWYG.