Which show class?

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Evil_Cookie

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Ok so its a bit premature, but I'm starting to think about showing C, We'll being going to her first practice show, just to walk around, in a few weeks. But I would like to have a go in a local showing class for her first 'proper' show. Now I'm thinking cob(local so no height limit, well not on the class details at least, would you get a biased judge? Don't want to be booted out
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) or hunter, or possibly just riding club horse (but skip the jump), would love to try a WH with her but that won't be on the cards until we can actually jump
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and with a lot of practice
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. I know I won't being going to really compete, just have a bit of fun but I would like to show her off to her best and be turned out properly
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Anyway, here she is, any suggestions welcome.
She's 16hh, and 6 years old, she's been recently backed and is going nicely, we had our first canter today, she was great
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. The pic doesn't show her off to her best, she's now lost her winter fuzz and her conformation is ok.
The day of her first ride:
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And when she first arrived, with baby in tow, her feet were awful when she came so I appolagise, this pic was from before we could get near her feet or baby for that matter, but he's another story, and he's already been to his first show
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Any turn out tips welcome, big debate in our house is what to do with all that mane?
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Thanks for your help
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I really don't think she's a cob from those photos - she's much more of a hunter type looking at how she's put together. She should be pulled, plaited and trimmed for those classes.

Best turned out classes are a really good way of getting in the ring with a young horse without having to do anything too demanding - you usually just walk. As you said, there's hunter and riding club horse classes, and some shows will have classes for novice horses.

Look out for things like equitation or style and performance too. I think you're right to look towards working hunter classes, she's just the right type.
 
Ok, well I have a hunter bridle and a more suitable saddle than the one in the pics, but they are black, how much of an issue is that? And the mane, could a running plait work? I don't want to cut it of, where as my Mom takes a pair of scissors to it when I'm not looking
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How would she look with a pulled mane... she looks like an adalusian when she stands with her head up and mane flowing, I love that
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The local show I'm hoping to go to has no best turned out, they scare me anyway
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I'm not the worlds greatest plaiter, I used to show welsh so it wasn't needed
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ah thats the easiest horse to show... maybe I could pass her off as a M+M
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She is a native breed after all.
Thanks for your suggestions
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No running plaits are for arabs and other continental types like lusitano, you may think she looks like an andalusian but without papers shes not!!! Will have to be pulled and plaited. I agree she is a hunter not a cob type. She's to big as a cob, and even though the majority of judges at local shows are clueless, I still think she would not fit in.

So ridden hunter would be good, or riding horse!

Sorry if I sound harsh, I dont mean to be!!!!

Good luck!!
 
I think she's look really smart with a pulled mane and pulled or plaited tail. If you want to do well showing you'll need to do it, but if her flowing locks are more important to you than doing well then you can keep them and just accept your placings. As said before, a running plait isn't the norm in hunter classes, and she's too big to be an m&m (there are a few big welsh Ds, but she doesn't look like one) and presumably isn't registered as one, so it would be unfair on those with m&m ponies to compete in those classes.
 
No she's CB so native but not M&M... who wrote those rules? they missed out clydsdales, hackneys, shires and CB's... pfft maybe they shouldn't call them natives then? Anyway, no I don't think your being harsh, I'm just loathed to pull her mane, I know it has to be done, but I can't help feeling a little miffed. Its getting thin at the bottom anyway as her field mate keeps grooming her and I can't brush it very often so it looks a little like a birds nest at times
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Anyway thanks for your help, any idea on the black tack, I suppose it will do... And what about quarter marks? And trimming, presuming her mane and tail are plaited, I need to trim her ears, jaw line, fetlocks... anywhere else?
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No she's CB so native but not M&M... who wrote those rules? they missed out clydsdales, hackneys, shires and CB's... pfft maybe they shouldn't call them natives then?:

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but its native ponies, shires CB's Hackneys and clydsdales are horses!
Black tack wil be quite acceptable for local levels, yes to quater marks, yes to ears and jaw line, yep to trimming fetlocks and round the coronet band (just neaten it up)
pulled tail is better then a plaited one but you will probably get away with a plaited one at local level.
 
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No she's CB so native but not M&M... who wrote those rules? they missed out clydsdales, hackneys, shires and CB's... pfft maybe they shouldn't call them natives then?

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The think is they're called "mountain and moorland" classes - ponies from the mountains and moorlands, which cleavlands, shires etc aren't. I have a cleaveland, but they're much more suited to hunter classes, they are native to the UK, but not mountain and moorlands.

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any idea on the black tack, I suppose it will do... And what about quarter marks? And trimming, presuming her mane and tail are plaited, I need to trim her ears, jaw line, fetlocks... anywhere else?
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The black tack with be fine. A straight cut (or fairly straight) saddle is preferable, as is a bridle with plain browband and noseband (flat rather than rolled if you have them). Its the style rather than the colour of the tack that's most important - it's designed to show them off to their best advantage.

Trimming wise you've got it right. Trimming whiskers and a bridle path are optional, and take a bit off the bottom of the mane if it goes very low. The tail should be cut two inches below the level of the hock when it's being carried, but it doesn't look to bad at the moment.

When I reread my last post and it did sound a bit harsh. I don't mind what people do with their horses as long as they're happy and healthy, but I think you should be aware that not turning out correctly could affect your placings in showing, and I wouldn't want you to get dispondant about it.
 
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