Green ribbon in the tail??

[Janet]

Just to complicate things- at Connemara shows they use green for "for sale".

[lcw579]

Funniest tail ribbon thing ever was seeing a kicking pony at a show with a thin red ribbon in it's tail.
By afternoon the pony had a wide red ribbon in it's tail.
Next day the pony had one of those HUGE velvet red Christmas bows in it's tail...bow was wider than the pony, LOL!

[Zu Zu]

OUCH !

It's sad to me that so many people don't know about the ribbon colors and their uses/significance. One of those things that seems on its way to being lost. I'm not that old (30) ad I learned this stuff when I was little. Are instructors not teaching things like this anymore?

In reply ~ asb own me ~ A person will not see tail ribbons on the ASB's showing on the "A" circuit - or at Louisville on the green shavings*where are you showing? I was appreciative of the information - said as much! I do not take kindly to your belittling of those of us who indicated we do not know what the Rainbow of tail ribbons stand for - I look "forward" in the show ring ~ towards the Blue not at someone's horse's ass!

[JSwan]

It's sad to me that so many people don't know about the ribbon colors and their uses/significance. One of those things that seems on its way to being lost. I'm not that old (30) ad I learned this stuff when I was little. Are instructors not teaching things like this anymore?

I think some of it has to do with the different disciplines - breeds. Last time this subject came up I think someone said - well - the rules say no ribbons. So that didn't work for that person (I think she was looking for a way to advertise her horse at a show and I had suggested a white ribbon - but that stuff wasn't permitted)

Anyway - I learned all this stuff as a kid too, and a lot more, but I think a lot of that knowledge is being lost. Too bad. Good horsemanship is never obsolete.


MB - I have seen huge ribbons too. Is there a color code for little kids in leadline classes? Because some of them have GIGANTIC ribbons in their cute braids.

Maybe it's something like this:

Light Blue - moody brat

White - shy brat

Pink - snotty brat

Yellow - cheery brat

And so on....

[chai]

Lol, JSwan, thanks for the laugh! I've seen a few of those.....

I agree with the others who suggest the red ribbon, if only because it is more widely known as a 'give this one some room' warning.

Good luck and have fun at the show!

[quietann]

I got slammed a few months ago on the dressage board for asking about putting a red ribbon in my horse's tail -- for WARMUP only -- because yes, she will kick if another horse runs up her butt. Got told I shouldn't show the horse because clearly I did not have her under 100% control (it was a schooling show BTW), that no one would pay attention to the ribbon, that most people would not know what it means so they'd run up her butt anyway, that (sadly) I would be asking for someone to run up her butt and make maresy upset, so she would not do as well in her test, etc. But also I had a few people saying they'd *love* to see people use ribbons in dressage warm-ups, because it can get crowded and a lot of the horses only get worked in crowded conditions at a show warm-up.

I skipped it, and things were OK and have continued to be OK at recognized shows, though I do have to keep eyes in the back of my head and warn people off occasionally. I'd also really, really like a "stallion" ribbon, because maresy is, um, fascinated by stallions even when she's not in heat, and they're fascinated by her (and the bigger the stallion, the greater the fascination; maresy is tiny compared to the big WBs...)

When/where I grew up riding (1970s, eventing-ish lesson barn, Southern California), we learned the "ribbon code" early on. The instructor was an avid foxhunter, and the ribbons come from the hunt field, I think. I always thought it was a useful thing.

[baysngreys]

I've used the red ribbon in a show.
No, my horse didn't kick, but he was an OTTB and could explode off the ground with all fours if someone ran up his butt.
If I could keep my space clear, he'd pin really well - but the airs above the ground, not so appreciated in the Hunter ring!

[Seven-up]

I can remember at one show someone riding a horse for sale. It was a little less subtle than a white ribbon. They had taken 2 "FOR SALE" signs, like you get at the hardware store and would put on a car, and attached one to the horse's butt, over its tail, and they cut the other one in half horizontally, and attached it to the mane so that it read, "FOR SALE" from withers to ears.

It showed all day like that. It was a funky little horse, but it got bonus points with me for being able to put up with signs flapping around like that.

[MistyBlue]

JSwan, you forgot gold ribbon = Spoiled Brat.
Little tiny girls with braid bows are cute as the dickens. Braid bows so large that the number is hidden and the child is in danger of becoming airborn in a brisk wind...not so cute. Braid bows on an older child, not so cute.

Quietann...dont let the dressage forum get you down. Nobody ever does anything correct over there anyways, there's simply no way to be right on that forum.
FWIW I can't imagine somebody not noticing your mare anyways.

So sicne I haven't shown in a few eons...can anyone tell me if the ribbon colors other than red are still being used at H/J shows anymore? I haven't noticed them at the few medium to small shows I've gone to watch recently. How about the white ribbons, are those allowed as advertising at shows? How about rated shows?

We used to use ribbons a lot when I was a teen...at the bigger shows I'd guess roughly 1/3 of the horses there had some color ribbon finishing off the tuck or pinwheel on it's tail or braided into the top of the tail. (or mudknot, old enough to remember mudknotting/clubbing the hunter horses once in a while)
Now I'm curious if other disciplines around here use ribbons. I'm going to watch team pnning tonight and will be checking out horse butts alll night long.

[Trevelyan96]

I also think its a shame that trainers and instructors aren't taking the time to teach their students the ribbon system. Its a quiet, courteous, way to keep the show ring from becoming a wreck.

Of course, I'm also in the camp that says you should be aware of what's going on around you and in enough control of your horse to keep it from running up on the one in front of you in the ring! Some people are just obliviouis.

[quietann]

Quietann...dont let the dressage forum get you down. Nobody ever does anything correct over there anyways, there's simply no way to be right on that forum.
FWIW I can't imagine somebody not noticing your mare anyways.

Snicker Actually, at UNH, I had to tell someone to back off because he (the rider) thought my mare was so beautiful that he was getting closer and closer trying to figure out what she is, and his horse seemed not to mind.

(Mare in question is a bright gold Palomino and the biggest danger from noticing her is having the sun reflected off her coat and into your eyes

[asb_own_me]

In reply ~ asb own me ~ A person will not see tail ribbons on the ASB's showing on the "A" circuit - or at Louisville on the green shavings*where are you showing? I was appreciative of the information - said as much! I do not take kindly to your belittling of those of us who indicated we do not know what the Rainbow of tail ribbons stand for - I look "forward" in the show ring ~ towards the Blue not at someone's horse's ass!

I don't really know why you got your panties in a wad - I didn't belittle anyone. I simply asked if this was something instructors were still teaching. I said I found it "sad" - as in sad that many traditions are falling by the wayside. I didn't say "ridiculous", "pathetic", or that anyone who didn't know was "stupid". The fact that you think that my comment was directed specifically at you is amusing....and smacks of insecurity.

I already know that you won't often see ribbons in the tails of ASBs "showing on the A circuit" because that IS where I show I have, in fact, seen a few red ribbons in the ASB rings over the years, but the ribbon system is far more commonly used for H/J and foxhunters.

If you'd like to discuss when/where I've shown, feel free to PM me for more information so as not to clog up this thread.

Eyes up

[AmandaandTuff]

At a small show I used a green ribbon and asked the announcer if they could explain the ribbon colors before the show started.

[ESG]

Well, I've been around horses for over 40 years, and never had anyone explain anything of the "ribbon code" other than a red ribbon for a kicker. Guess I'm just one of the unwashed masses who never learned ribbon etiquette.

That said, I wish I had known "the code"; the yellow/blue and green ribbons would have come in handy, on more than one occasion.

[asb_own_me]

I really don't know why anyone has taken offense to my comment. I didn't say anything to insult anyone who didn't know....merely an observation about what is/isn't taught!

Perhaps it has to do with the discipline different people learned with. As I mentioned, the "ribbon code" is more a H/J thing, in my experience. Or is it regional? I grew up riding in the Mid-Atlantic area.

[ESG]

Well, I didn't take offense, asb. It's just interesting that some folks act like this is common knowledge, and others are startled to find out that it even exists.

With being from the mid-Atlantic area, is it possible that this phenomenon has its roots in field hunting, rather than show hunters? That would explain the lack of knowledge, for those of us that don't have a large hunting population/tradition in our area.

Just a thought.

[MistyBlue]

Could be ESG....never thought of that.
It might be a regional thing too. I know the ribbons were seen everywhere at shows when I was younger, now I don't see many other than the occasional red one and even more rare green one. So maybe it's also an era thing?

[JSwan]

Just a thought.

Yes - that's my understanding. Foxhunting.

I grew up among foxhunters. When I was a kid pretty much everyone I knew hunted or at least had tried it, had an instructor who hunted - it was just ubiquitous.

So it does make sense that if you rode in a different discipline or style (western), it would not be something you were taught.

I was also taught to make a hay wisp - but I don't know if people make those anymore.

Maybe folks are a bit nostalgic but some of us get a bit sad that traditions and customs are becoming lost or not respected or given credence. Ribbon colors probably sounds a little silly these days.

But if you think about it, it's just a way to convey a tremendous amount of information to your fellow horsemen without ever speaking a word.

So if you riding a stallion - that yellow ribbon really isn't a warning that the horse is dangerous or ill mannered - it's not meant as an excuse for bad behavior.

But if you're riding a mare in season or who is bitchy - that yellow ribbon is giving you a boatload of info. So you may decide to school elsewhere or just stay upwind.

Somewhere I read tying a red ribbon in the mane means the horse bites. But I don't remember where I read that and I could be wrong.

Good Lord. A biter.

Maybe that should be a color code for bows on leadline kids, too.

Mistyblue added a gold bow definition so we must add that:

Gold - Rich Brat

and my new submission:

Red - Biting Brat.

[PONY751]

I really don't know why anyone has taken offense to my comment. I didn't say anything to insult anyone who didn't know....merely an observation about what is/isn't taught!

Perhaps it has to do with the discipline different people learned with. As I mentioned, the "ribbon code" is more a H/J thing, in my experience. Or is it regional? I grew up riding in the Mid-Atlantic area.

I understood you perfectly, and I agree there is a sad decline in tradition for those coming up in the show world. I think someone just felt a need to stir the pot. Don't let them win... this thread is very helpful.

[Plumcreek]

When/where I grew up riding (1970s, eventing-ish lesson barn, Southern California), we learned the "ribbon code" early on. The instructor was an avid foxhunter, and the ribbons come from the hunt field, I think. I always thought it was a useful thing.

I have done horses forever, 60s, and this is the first time I have ever heard of any other color than red. Sheeesh. If it has hunt field origins, that makes sense, and explains why some who grew up far from hunt country, like me, are clueless.