Critique Turnout?

[TheHunterKid90]

Hey, I'm an eventer and was wondering if the true "dressage people" :yes: could critique my turnout and rip it to shreds if need be?!?! hehehe

http://www.hoofprintimages.com/mp_client/pictures.asp?pagenum=21&action=viewphotos&size=fullsize&id=2171728&eventid=22940

The only thing I'll say is the mud on his legs was bc it rained 3 inches the 2 days leading up to the show. :no: And ignore my helmet...ugh, it makes me look wuite bubble headish.

http://www.digitalexpressionsphotography.com/gallery/5669165_6rxGp#350073394_eL2sJ-L-LB

And in this pic....I was in my very poorly fitting hunt cap. :no: SINCE then, I have bought a CO Hunt cap which I happen to love! (Also, that was a schooling event...hense the lack of braids! :yes: )

Okay, enough excuses...rip me apart! Thanksssss!!!!!

[366474]

You look good to me. :)

[Creaghgal]

You need to sell him to my friend right away. PM me for her details. :D

[rileyt]

Lovely turnout! I have no complaints.

But I do have two "tips" if you want to play the role of "dressage queen"...

boots: you've got those wrinkle-y hunter/eventer boots, and the polish is dull. (If I were going to get all GM on you, I'd say I even detected some dirt in the first picture ;) ). What do you clean your boots with? My suspicion is saddle soap (glycerine maybe?). To keep a true DQ "high gloss" on your boots, you should only use a damp sponge (water only) to take dirt/sweat off, and then POLISH. saddle soap, and even some boot creams will dull the surface. Or, if money is no object, go buy some lovely Petries!

tail: lovely and clean. And I wouldn't trim it right now, because its a bit on the thin side. You may be doing everything right with his tail, and it may just be naturally thin... but just make sure you never ever ever brush or comb it. With thin tails, the only way to go is to hand pick them.

Sincerely,

the turn-out nazi

P.S. - if you want to get rid of your hideous thin-tailed horse... I MIGHT just take him off your hands :D (he's lovely)

[TheHunterKid90]

Lovely turnout! I have no complaints.

But I do have two "tips" if you want to play the role of "dressage queen"...

boots: you've got those wrinkle-y hunter/eventer boots, and the polish is dull. (If I were going to get all GM on you, I'd say I even detected some dirt in the first picture ;) ). What do you clean your boots with? My suspicion is saddle soap (glycerine maybe?). To keep a true DQ "high gloss" on your boots, you should only use a damp sponge (water only) to take dirt/sweat off, and then POLISH. saddle soap, and even some boot creams will dull the surface. Or, if money is no object, go buy some lovely Petries!

tail: lovely and clean. And I wouldn't trim it right now, because its a bit on the thin side. You may be doing everything right with his tail, and it may just be naturally thin... but just make sure you never ever ever brush or comb it. With thin tails, the only way to go is to hand pick them.

Sincerely,

the turn-out nazi

P.S. - if you want to get rid of your hideous thin-tailed horse... I MIGHT just take him off your hands :D (he's lovely)

hehe, yes, my boots are very...hunterish. =P
I might end up splurging on a pair of dress boots but right now my pocketbook is looking sadly skinny. hehe
As for his tail, it's just...very thin....I am a tail queen and have done everything to thicken it possible...It has been brushed/combed 3 TIMES in the past 6 years I have owned him. So yeah, makes me very sad that I've donw everything right and it's still pathetic. haha.
And as for wanting to take him off my hands, PM me for details. :yes:

[goeslikestink]

say hello floor------- as you keep looking at it worse mistake as it can effect your position and hands as you not lookig where you going but rather at waht the horse is doing

look up between neddies ears chin up and frust the bust-- where you look your hands will follow then neddie will follow through------- common mistake and points will be deducted so look uppppp----------

[Gayla]

My palomino mare has hair like a human. Very fine and fragile. But very pretty

[Dressurfan]

lovely turnout. I like your jacket with the silver piping on the colar, that is the new thing with dressage jackets. I also love palominos! You might want to consider getting a flash noseband for your bridle since your horse has his mouth a little open. Its great not to need a flash, but you wont get any bonus points for not having one when your horse's mouth is open. You could also try giving him some sugar so he will chew the bit a little more and get a foamy mouth. :)

[TheHunterKid90]

lovely turnout. I like your jacket with the silver piping on the colar, that is the new thing with dressage jackets. I also love palominos! You might want to consider getting a flash noseband for your bridle since your horse has his mouth a little open. Its great not to need a flash, but you wont get any bonus points for not having one when your horse's mouth is open. You could also try giving him some sugar so he will chew the bit a little more and get a foamy mouth. :)

Thankyou! I love my jacket. It's a Goode Rider. I bought it at Rolex this year. :yes:
As for his flash, well, I'm kind of danged if I do and danged if I don't. If I use my flash I feel that he locks onto the bit and bares down on the flash. (Never good and makes for a horrible feeling when I'm riding) And if I don't use a flash, he doesn't lock onto the bit but sometimes will open his mouth (resistance). Soooo, I'm not sure which is better? *shrugs*
And I loled when I read your comment about the sugar...I'll definately have to try that. :lol::lol::lol::lol:

[Gestalt]

I think you and your horse are turned out very clean and very pretty (palominos are so, so pretty!) And though your boots could use more "shine" I like the scrunchie hunter look, seems more what a "rider" would have. :lol:

The only thing that seemed out of place was the breast collar.

A nicely presented horse and rider.

[NJRider]

Overall very lovely. I did want to ask- in the photos, your throatlatch looks too tight. I looked at several photos, and in all of them, looks constrictive, It should be loose enough to move a little bit.

[TheHunterKid90]

Now looking at it, it does look a little tight...I am usually a freak about my throatlatches too!
Hmmm, only thing I can think is that I'm pretty sure my mom tacked him up at these two events! hehe, better tell her next time not to exphixeate (spelling?) my pony!
And...being a QH, he also has a throatlatch that well....trys to take over the world on occasion! :lol: :lol:

[slc2]

Turnout doesn't matter all that much in dressage. Judges don't look at what a rider is wearing - the color, style, even 'hunterish boots', it really does not matter.

you may have someone ringside making comments, but the judge won't, and it won't influence your score.

The rules about what to wear are very very general and vague and are designed so that someone with hunt-seat clothing can give it a try without spending alot of money. The judges ignore the style, color, fit, and everything about your clothes. It is just not a fashion show.

The judge is looking at how you perform, not what clothes you're wearing.

In driving, throat latches are adjusted quite a bit tighter than in English riding. It doesn't harm driving horses. Whether it's hanging down or a little snug, won't bother the horse and won't figure in judging. Yes, I realize that if it were constricting the throat it would be a problem. But a little snug on the cheek is not going to hurt a horse.

it's meant to prevent the bridle from being pulled off, and I seriously doubt that the current fashion, of keeping them extremely loose, would allow them to keep the bridle from being pulled off.

[Sannois]

You need to sell him to my friend right away. PM me for her details. :D

Hes gorgeous! And you look great!:yes:

[high hat]

Turnout doesn't matter all that much in dressage. Judges don't look at what a rider is wearing - the color, style, even 'hunterish boots', it really does not matter.

you may have someone ringside making comments, but the judge won't, and it won't influence your score.

The rules about what to wear are very very general and vague and are designed so that someone with hunt-seat clothing can give it a try without spending alot of money. The judges ignore the style, color, fit, and everything about your clothes. It is just not a fashion show.

The judge is looking at how you perform, not what clothes you're wearing.



As someone who frequently scribes I can tell you the judges do see what is worn. They might not always comment but they see it.

No, the ring isn't a fashion show but clean, neat clothes, polished boots etc do set up the first impression along with a neat well turned out horse.

Judges aren't immune to first impressions.

[chai]

I've done a lot of scribing and from what I've seen, a fresh, clean, polished turnout does make a favorable first impression. After that, it's how the horse performs and how you ride the test. I think you have a lovely turnout and your horse is gorgeous.

[Forte]

Your turnout is clean, workmanlike and well within the rules for dressage. I'm not sure if breast collars are legal for strict dressage, you'd have to look that one up. Either way, it does look out of place. Here's a few tips to make you look more "dressagey". Boots, it you can afford it stiff dressage boots would be great. Get some white gloves and a loose ring bit. Personally, I don't care for the silver piping, but that may just be me. And definitely you need a better saddle pad. Just a plain square white one that fits your saddle. The one you have now looks like an all purpose pad and doesn't fit your saddle. Great job, you and your horse are very cute!

[rugbygirl]

Get some white gloves and a loose ring bit.

The loose ring bit, good.

The white gloves :eek:. You need to be pretty confident to put those puppies on. The accentuate whatever your hands do!

Of course, the idea in Dressage is to be perfect...but if your hands are less than perfect, white gloves make it worse (not at all a comment on your riding, just an observation the girls at the barn and I have made...we all wear black :winkgrin:)

Your turnout is lovely, and the horse looks great. For the tail, I find that banged tails look fuller and putting the fishtail in adds to the effect. My mare has a bobbed tail...I am accustomed to trying to make it look like a real one. Lots of hair, but it all comes out her 4" of tail...the ends are VERY thin.

[Valentina_32926]

Picture #1 - is that a standing martingale? Not allowed in dressage. :no:
The rest is just fine :yes: for lower levels (up to about 3rd, then minor tweaks as noted by others.)

[Dirty Little Secret]

horse:
legs are dirty- have him CLEAN when we goes in the ring.
Thicken and bang his tail.

Tack:
lose the breast plate- very distracting to a pretty image.
no white trim on the bridle (so 10 years ago),
lose martingale stops on your reins (you're not an eventer...),
Get a pad that doesn't have the black trim- distracting.

You:
lose the hunter boots and get stiff dressage boots. Polish with boot polish till they shine!!!
all else looks very clean. Usually very conserative I like the coat... And don't even think the helmet is all bad.

[TheHunterKid90]

Picture #1 - is that a standing martingale? Not allowed in dressage. :no:
The rest is just fine :yes: for lower levels (up to about 3rd, then minor tweaks as noted by others.)

No, it's a breastcollar, they are very popular with eventers and we all use them

[TheHunterKid90]

horse:
legs are dirty- have him CLEAN when we goes in the ring.
Thicken and bang his tail.

Tack:
lose the breast plate- very distracting to a pretty image.
no white trim on the bridle (so 10 years ago),
lose martingale stops on your reins (you're not an eventer...),
Get a pad that doesn't have the black trim- distracting.

You:
lose the hunter boots and get stiff dressage boots. Polish with boot polish till they shine!!!
all else looks very clean. Usually very conserative I like the coat... And don't even think the helmet is all bad.

1) His legs were clean when we went in the ring...and then we trotted down center line...it rained an intense amount on the days leading up to the event and it was complete mud.

2) It's actually not white...it's silver piping.

3) Actually I AM an eventer. :lol::lol:

4) I couldn't agree more with the saddle pad, I'm not a fan of it myself!!

[eventinghopeful]

LOL, I am not very dressage-y (see the name?), but I was curious about your post so I read it and I do know what dressage turn-out should be. I think you look great! You do need a larger saddle pad for the saddle. Besides, like slc2 said, what you are wearing should not affect the judging. So long as what you are wearing is appropriate, clean, and safe. I'm in college and I know if I had to buy brand new boots, saddle, and bridle just to show dressage, I'd quit.

[mp]

Doesn't matter if your boots are hunter-ish so much, but yours need a good cleaning and polishing. I use Bick-4 Leather cleaner, buff a little, then Kiwi polish, spray on a little water and buff the hell out of them with a flannel cloth. Sounds like a PITA, but if I do it about once a month, then I just wipe them off, buff a little and they glow.

Everything else looks nice, IMO.

[SmartAlex]

For the tail, I find that banged tails look fuller and putting the fishtail in adds to the effect.

What's a fishtail?

[Sannois]

horse:
legs are dirty- have him CLEAN when we goes in the ring.
Thicken and bang his tail.

Tack:
lose the breast plate- very distracting to a pretty image.
no white trim on the bridle (so 10 years ago),
lose martingale stops on your reins (you're not an eventer...),
Get a pad that doesn't have the black trim- distracting.

You:
lose the hunter boots and get stiff dressage boots. Polish with boot polish till they shine!!!
all else looks very clean. Usually very conserative I like the coat... And don't even think the helmet is all bad.

DLS I think she said she IS an eventer!
And the white on Bridles, Oh well I'm 10 years ago, I have one my student has one.
They are clean and fit.
after all The dressage ring has not gone the way of the fashioniasta Hunter ring... Or has it? :confused::eek:;)

[rugbygirl]

Sometimes people call the braid that Hunters put in the tail a "fishtail".

[Puddin Pie]

Bump, I want to know what a "fish tale" is too. I agree that banging it a little will make it look more full. My little secret for shiny shiny boots: good old Saddle Lac. Might not be good for the boot, but will put on one heck of a spine. Or if you can get your SO to do it, a good old fashioned Kiwi paste spit shine. You look great otherwise.

[rugbygirl]

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-exclusives/horse-tail-braiding.aspx

Fish Tail. And directions!

[TheHunterKid90]

we call it plaiting the tail in the hunters and I will definately plait his tail for the next event! As a hunter...I can plait in my sleep and roll pin wheels in my sleep! hehehe :lol:

[slc2]

God help us, we are in the hands of fashionistas.

what a judge says to a scribe and what s/he puts into the score are two different things. there are plenty of things judges are free to comment on that don't go into the score.

[TheHunterKid90]

I'm sure what I'm wearing doesn't make the judge go "Ooooo, she's wearing such and such a brand of coat so I'm gonna give her better scores!!!"
But....I think that being neatly turned out, being clean, and LOOKING THE PART makes a great first impression and shows respect. I'm not trying to win the test on how pretty my horse looks or the brand of jacket that I'm wearing but (and I'm gonna sound terrible here for a minute) every bit counts and if looking the part helps squeeze that extra half a point out of the judge then I'm there. :lol: Looking the part and being well turned out can't hurt...so why not?

[rugbygirl]

Heh. I am reminded of HunterPrincess, on the fhotd board. I asked if my crystal browband "bling" would be appropriate in the Hunter ring. She responded with an emphatic "My HORSE is bling". :lol: Those words have stuck with me while considering tack and attire. She is my guide *HP represent!*

I don't think Dressage is in danger of going the fashionista route...but a tidy, well-fitted turnout with clean and polished tack definitely adds to the effect of nice riding!