We are total beginners at showing! advice please

ROMANY 1959

ROMANY 1959

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I am planning to show Dublin my Piebald IDx this summer at local shows ect, nothing to ambitous just see where we get to... I have a 14 year old who rides well and is willing to give it a go so I need some tips and advice on what to wear and how to behave. I know Dublin needs to be bathed to within an inch of his life!!!! he has so much white on thoes legs,
A few questions, we are doing ridden coloured classes, I have let his mane grow cos he gets sunburnt in the summer, do I have to hog him or can I plait it?
Do I plait the tail?
What saddle cloth should I use?
Is normal GP saddle and cavesson bridle ok?
Rider wear, is a velvet cover on skull cap ok?

We are not talking county shows here, just local ones on a farmers field and ones by local ridding clubs ect..
Thanks in advance..
 
What class were you planning on showing him in?

He looks quite 'cobby' to me but the photo on your avatar is small so difficult to see acurately.

If you were entering him in a cob class then the correct dress for you is tweed jacket, beige jods, shirt and tie and black boots(or possibly brown) (Long for adult and short for child).

Turn out for a cob is (I'm afraid) hogged mane and pulled tail.

If you think he's more a heavy hunter (I don't know how tall he is) then dress the same but he should be plaited. Plaiting tail is fine but it is more correct to pull (No one will mind at a local level)

For coloured and spotted you could choose either turn out but the turn out should be correct for the type of horse (IYSWIM)

Your tack sounds fine... and a snaffle is ok but you may find that everyone else in the ring is in a bit with 2 reins (either a double or a rugby pelham). It's difficult to advise you fully without knowing what classes you wish to enter however, I hope this is of some help.


If you have any more questions don't hesitate...
BnBx
 
Thanks, we are doing ridden coloured, He is IDxGypsycob, 17h looks filthy but does scrub up nice.
He has clean legs, no scars 10 inch bone, has nice walk, trot and canter paces.
Just doing it for fun till my rider gets more confident and does a bit of working hunter, she is jumping him 1.2m now but not confident about hunter classes.
 
can I plait it?
Do I plait the tail?
What saddle cloth should I use?
Is normal GP saddle and cavesson bridle ok?
Rider wear, is a velvet cover on skull cap ok?


Yes you will need to plait, if the mane is thick as well as long you may need to thin it a tad to make neater plaits, you could always use a sunblock later [assuming we hopefully get some sun to block!]
Tail will need to be plaited or pulled
For local level a GP saddle will do and any cloth should be discreet, saddleshaped and preferably brown
Cavesson noseband is fine and maybe coloured browband if he is more riding horse than hunter
Blue velvet hat cover for your skull and rider should have tweed jacket, dont forget brown gloves, hairnet and leather cane, long boots or gaiters will look better on a 17hander for your young rider.
Dont worry too much the judges locally are approachable for tips [or should be] just have fun
Good luck and good luck in the future for the workers!
Dont forget we will need PICS! :)
 
Hello :)

To be honest for local shows turnout of you and the horse is not the be all and end all so i wouldn't let it stress you too much. However as both a competitor and a judge it is nice to see novice riders putting in the effort to abide by the rules!!

For you:

Best dress for cob classes is tweed jacket, beige jodphurs and white shirt with stock. Velvet over skull cap would be adequate at this level. For coloured classes and novice classes in general you could get away with a black jacket but i always think tweed looks nicest in the show ring ;)

Keep yourself looking neat with hair in a hairnet (if long enough) and dark coloured gloves on. A short whip shoudl be used, a cane would be ideal and spurs are a no-no in novice classes.

For Horse:

There is often a wide range of horses or pony types in coloured classes so it wouldn't matter too much if he were plaited or unplaited. To be honest unless you really, really wanted to i would not be too fussed about hogging. It can be hard to maintain and as you say he gets sunburnt then this is a good reason to retain the head hair! To be honest i always think hogging looks good on preperly chunky heavyweight cobs and he doesn't look this type in your pic. I think it would be more than acceptable for you to leave him with a natural mane- just give it a good wash and a little tidy if necessary!

General rule is if the mane is natural the tail shoudl be too. only plait the tail if you are confident that it can look good. Often cob manes are long and thick and to try to make small enough neat plaits can be more trouble than it is worth. At local level i would judge no differently between plaited or unplaited if the presentation of either was neat.

Normal GP saddle and bridle would be fine. Chunky bridles always look better on cobs and a plain cavesson is absolutely fine. You could use a coloured browband but i just dont think they look right on cobs. Saddle and bridle should match in colour and be nice and clean. If you use a saddlecloth this should be black or brown and smaller than your saddle so it fits discreetly underneath.

Bathing is a problem with whites and greys- often washed the night before and covered in poo by the morning! I would have to hand some Cowboy magic kind of stuff which is dry shampoo- nice and easy to remove any stables stains. if you were going to rug the night before a show to keep clean even indoors i would use a lightweight turnout/ waterproof rug as poo and wee can penetrate a fleece and often you will take the rug off in the morning and find the brown marks have gone straight through! A block of chalk is also a good last minute helper in whiteness just nefore you go in the ring :D

Other than that have fun... :cool:
 
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As your Jockey is just a teenager it looks better if she wears a shirt and tie. Stocks are only seen in dressage, hunting and SJ. Showing its always shirt and tie in the day time. Dont have to spend a fortune, school blouses are cheap and if you want yellow bung a few very cheap yellow dusters in the wash with the white shirts and they will come out a lovely pale yellow. Cheap ties can be picked up from charity shops.

As your horse is a big guy try and get Jockey,s hair into a bun it looks neater. Have plaiting thread or elastic for your number rather than the bright blue string you get at the secretary's tent
 
I agree with ******* regards turnout, to plait/hog or not.

Practice getting the horse to stand up well - legs in the correct position, preferable head up, ears pricked. And then a good walk and trot in hand.

And of course practice a nice little show, make sure you get the correct canter lead, plan your show to show off the best of your horse, so emphasise the good bits and minimise the worst. Practice until you know you can get the correct canter lead 100%.

After the class, don't be afraid to ask the judge for advice. Remember that there is always another day and another judge too.
 
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