Why cant people turnout smart?

dingle12

dingle12

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Been to a dressage comp today and there were a number of horses that looked as if they have just been dragged through a bush backwards. How hard is it to give them a bath even just legs and tails. Does anyone else not bother making them smart?

Ok rant over
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Ill second that... i take ages to plait/bath etc, and is annoying when i make an effort, but dont get any more credit than people who dont care!... and was horrified to see someone not even plaited at tweseldown!
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I agree, well if im going BSJA, usually he does not have a bath, but good brush, clean mane/tail and white sock made white with clean tack and no plaits.

If I'm going to an event, full on wash and then plaits, pulled tail, chalked sock, hoof oil, very clean tack.
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Its just something I take pride in as I want my horse and I to look smart, afterall first impressions do count with judges whether they are meant to look at turn out or not!!
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because they are bone idle.
fwiw i went to Tesco's last night and there were 3 girls there who i swear were wearing pyjama bottoms. they looked like total slobs. how long does it take to put on a pair of jeans ffs!
must admit, i hate plaiting, but i do it every single time. ditto washing, but i would not go to an event unless horse is immaculate. you owe it to the horse, the judge, the organisers, and yourself. what's the point in competing, otherwise?
in all the years i've been eventing i have only seen 1 horse unplaited. lazy **** of a rider imho.
 
I quite agree. Someone i know went to our local venue during the winter to do unaff SJ and she rode in jeans with waterproof chaps and a blouson mustard coloured jacket!
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She was trotting round like she was too important to have to dress up.
I do think in this case the organiser should have said something to her. Personally i wouldnt have let her compete dressed like that
 
**ducks** - I'm off to unaff dressage tomorrow and have no intention of plaiting I'm afraid. He has had his tail washed and will have his mane laid neatly mind.
Aff dressage/eventing I always plait
 
its shocking... ok so I BSJA and am a member of the scissored mane club and rarely plait BUT mu horse IS immaculate and white bits are white etc etc... frankly it doesnt take much for half decent turn out IMO..

perhaps its just me but it reall BUGS me when ppl dont bother wshing hooves justifing it with the factthat they wont be notices :@ grrrrr
 
Couldn't agree more - it makes me cross. I always plait for dressage and eventing - and always wash for any show. He's always groomed fully if he is leaving the yard. I can accept people not plaiting for unaffiliated but I think its rude to judges the way some people turn their horses out, or rather don't turn them out. I'm also getting increasingly irritated by people with really long hair not in hairnets - I thought it was a safety thing but I recently went out and a girl didn't even have her hair tied back. I think events need to crack down on turnout! I hate tack cleaning but its always done before I go out!
 
Ben and Jerry's, i think it's fine for unaff not to plait.
it is dirty horses, with filthy legs, matted tails, scruffy manes, and mega-scruffy riders, who drive me crackers. i saw a grey at Aston-le-Walls BE last year that was covered with stable stains. 5 mins with a bucket of water, a sponge and cloth, and i could have made it look presentable. if horse looks clean and tidy, even if unplaited, that's fine, esp at unaff!
 
We were jumping on weds evening and people were wearing anything and everything, multicoloured johds,hoodies ,jeans. My daughter was one of three wearing a jacket. One girl, bless her, had plaited her pony and I was glad when the announcer mentioned her turnout because she was one of the few who had bothered with any level of turnout.
I don't mind a more casual approach but this was just all a bit lazy for me.
 
FFGL - wasnt norton heath was it - some of the unaff turnout i see there isnt even fit for a hack let alone puting the animal on the wagon and taking it to a show!
 
We have already had this conversation.
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I have only ever not plaited once when I was really late and my test was at 8am. She did look tidy though and had a curly mane from the day before. I will hold my hands up and take my beating
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I dont even like my horses looking a mess at home. Gin is due for a tail wash and mane pull on monday.
 
We always at least wash white socks and bottoms of tails and plait, we were at a BD comp a while back and I was amazed to see unplaited horses. I know i am old school (used to plait for pc rallies!) but I do think that a smart turnout is important. Judges and organisers give their time, the least we can do is make an equal effort.
 
ditto, Jane-lou.
fwiw I can now plait in 15 mins, and I know at least one person who can plait faster, so I don't think there's any excuse. I wish those trying to emulate the top boys and girls would at least try to emulate their turnout!
 
I have refused to compete a horse for someone because they had not pulled its mane (they had several months warning!) so there was no way I could plait it. It was 'only' unaff on home turf but that is not the point - it is rude and disrespectful not to bother plaiting and turning your horse out smartly IMO.

My only exception to this is pure SJ because no-one plaits ever, and my local venue which does unaff SJ where dress code is more casual so I don't wear a jacket.
 
We were competing bsja recently & there was a grey *covered* in poo stains.

I'm nowhere near as good at getting my grey clean as the hardcore showing people, but I at least have a go. I hate bathing & tail washing, but not as much as I'd hate competing with him looking skewbald...
 
i always plait for any form of dressage test as i just thinkit shows your respect to the judge for giving up their time. Actually i went to dressage yesterday and the turnout was very smart.
last year i went sjing and it was a bit embarrassing as they made an announcement about the fact that i was neatly turned out as the rest were in a wide array of colours and i was the absolutely only one in a jacket..a bit embarrassing but hey ho!
 
I plait up for BSJA when outdoor, unless a really early start. Have 13 plaits, silly tradition i know! The horse always has his rug, boots, bandages washed because my mum doesnt like him going to a show 'smelling of horse!' hahaha. Stupid i know. The other week at BSJA a girl got told off for looking a scruff. But it doesnt help with those silly jackets people are allowed to wear.

Also like to leave plaits in for XC, dont see a reason to take them out!
 
I don't need to plait as boy is hogged, but he is always turned out smartly even when we go for a hack. Tack is always cleaned for any comps and for lessons. I did have a comment a couple of weeks ago at a lesson by the person after me asking if I was going to a show.

It takes very little time to turn out smartly.
 
I am very 'old school' about turnout... and insist on very high standards...my daughter & the kids I teach will tell you!!
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But I get so disheartened when I see that the winner is sometimes turned out so badly. It just shouldn't be!!!
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Must admit that I dont plait for dressage in winter, but mane is always pulled short and over to one side - helped by neck cover. Always make sure pony as clean as poss (coloured) and clothes and tack clean.
 
I'm glad it isn't just me - I went to an unaffiliated ODE this week most were plaited but there were a couple of junior/young rider team riders there most were perfectly turned out with all their horses plaited - whilst one (who was only riding the one horse) turned up unplaited and didn't even bother with a show jacket for dressage! They just wore a blouson style jacket complete with sponsors logos - fair enough if it's raining but it was indoors!

I understand it seems like a lot of effort for an insignificant event as far as they are concerned but I feel that it gives the impression that you clearly can't be bothered to the judge.

Sorry for the rant!
 
I have done some unaffiliated dressage, I don't plait but did bath and brush loads. All his tack was perfectly cleaned. I cannot believe people had horses stained/matted manes at a show. I do make an effort, however I cannot plait! If I was going to a higher end show I would pay someone to plait him!
 
I have not washed more horse before for unafill dressage and I won.... only problem was it was jan and faaar to cold to give horse a bath - i would rather look scruffy than give her a bath.

I always try and look smart - but sometimes it isnt always possible..
 
Turnout is a bug bear of mine, if the judges and organisers put in the effort then so should the competitor.
Regardless of whether affliated/unaffliated Dressage or eventing my horse is bathed, plaited, tack cleaned etc in the summer i will even use quarter marks.
For SJ horse is bathed etc and mane and tail tidied.

I grew up with a pony club who had prizes for turnout at the rallies and am a perfectionist!!

It is lazy for those who dont make any effort
 
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