What to wear?

R

rubyrox

Ruby Rox!
Feb 21, 2006
37
0
0
28
Hertfordshire
Hi there!

I own a 14.2 Dark Bay (Practically Brown) Welsh D mare, Ruby, who is four. I'm planning on showing her this summer, but I'm 10, and have no idea what to wear, what to enter, or any shownames lol. She is a registered welshie, but I don't want to do affiliated showing for a while, I've only had her since Saturday! What colours would suit her? What classes, other than Mountain and Moorland, could she enter? My last pony was really old, so we only did novelty classes, like Pony the Judge would most like to take home.

I'm planning on doing tack and turnout, as I love grooming and tack cleaning, are there any tips for making her look perfect? Obviously she won't be plaited, so how can I keep her mane and tail under control?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Lucy
 
Hi Lucy,

I bet you are exited having a new pony! I hope you do well with her.

You say that she is registered, but doesn't have a show name - her registered name is her show name, you can't show her under a different name if you want to show her as a Welsh pony.

You should be turned out in a tweed jacket, with shirt and tie (blue, green or red patterened tie) with a blue velvet hat. You should wear cream or canary jodpurs, brown jodpur boots, brown gloves with a brown showing cane or short whip. All your pony's tack should be plain (no fancy browbands etc) and for showing she should be in a snaffle, pelham with 2 reins or split reins or a double bridle with no martingale. You should have a discrete numnah and girth to match your tack and you shouldn't have any boots on her for showing.

What is her mane and tail like at the moment? Because her management depends a bit on this.
 
Sorry :eek: This will be a long post.

At some point I'd like to see a picture of you on her if you can get one. :)

You;
Velvet hat with leather harness
Creamy/gold shirt
Tie - red/burgundy/gold based is always nice, with a discreet pattern
Tweed jacket (if anybody says black I'll shoot them! :p)
Brown leather gloves
Pale canary jods
Toss up between black long leather boots and brown jodhpur boots.

Pony;
A single plait (left long) behind the ear. This is to show off the jaw, and is correct for welshies.
Workman like bridle - preferably brown, flat nose and browband.
Snaffle, unless you're confident with two reins on a pelham.
Brown show cane
Ideally brown working hunter/show saddle, with a leather girth

RE the boots. Basically M&M large breeds should be shown in long boots, although this isn't seen that commonly at local level. Now, a 14.2 D is likely to look better with you wearing long boots, but due to your age, you ought to be wearing jod boots, so that's why I'd like to see a picture. Without seeing one however, I would be inclined to say if you can get some, wear long leather boots for M&M LARGE ridden classes. It will look a lot more professional. I would stick with brown jod boots for classes like riding club pony, equitation and M&M ridden classes where you're in with the small breeds, or it's for riders under 16/18. If you do have some, long boots would probably look better in T&T, as it's the overall picture. However, I can understand if your parents say no, as they aren't cheap, and I'll bet you're still growing. ;)
 
I didn't want to lose all of that ;)

Mane and tail wise.
For the mane, you want to pull it level. Not short to plait with, but take out all of the straggly ends. You might want to take it a little shorter to show off her neck, but a picture will help with saying yes or no to that. If it's really thick, you can thin it a little.

Tail - obviously you can't pull it and it shouldn't really be cut straight. What you can do though, is cut it so the bottom is left pointy and looks natural. So the bit in the middle will be longer than the bits around the sides if you get me. Length wise, I like mine about 3-4" below the hocks, but there are plenty shorter. Again it depends on what the pony suits.

You should trim her ear fluff - but not the stuff inside the ear. Just squeeze the edges together and go up the outside. You can trim the jaw hair as well, but I would leave the whiskers on. Shortern them a little if they're really long, but don't take them off.

I like to use hoof gloss on mine as it helps catch the judges eye with his movement. If you want to do that, either use a clear hoof gloss or plain hoof oil. Black is too harsh and obvious.

Like Glider says - her registered name is her show name.

Classes wise - riding club pony, equitation, tack and turnout, basically any height classes, condition inhand, that sort of thing. You can still do all the novelty classes too. Please don't take her in cob classes though, she might be a welsh cob but she isn't a cob cob. ;)
 
Last edited:
Yes, I am very excited! My last pony was a bit of a plodder - lovely, but didn't really move very much. He's now out at grass (he's 29!). I've got lots planned to do with Ruby!

Didn't realise about the show name:eek: . It's Oakhill Ruby Slippers then :D. I'll try and find a picture, but it will probably be of me on my last pony, as Ruby's scared of the flash on our camera - we've got a lovely one of a black blur :D.

Her mane and tail are VERY thick and VERY long. I've trimmed her tail a little bit (it's still well beneath her hocks, but it was practically trailing on the floor). Her mane is down to her throat, would I be able to pull it a little bit (Not short, but just to thin it out a little)?

Lucy
 
As far as colours go.

For the tweed, you could have brown or green. Personally I think green looks better on bays, it stands out from the pony more. With brown there is a tendancy to blend in, so I'm going to say go for a green tweed. :) If you want, you can have a velvet collar on it, you're young enough to get away with it, although quite a few people don't like them on adults. With a green tweed (velvet collar or not) a navy hat is the best way to go, so if you do have a velvet collar, I'd go for a navy one. If you got a brown tweed, depending on the shade you might find a brown hat goes better. Ask in the shop if you can try a navy hat against it so you can see.

If you do get a green tweed, a gold shirt would be nice, with a red or burgundy tie. I have that (with the burgundy) and I have a gold tie too, but found that doesn't really go. With a brown tweed, I think a cream shirt with a red tie or a gold tie would be best.

If you want to, you can put a ribbon through that plait in Ruby's mane. I'd do it using a ribbon thats the same colour as one of the colours in your tie. It's a good trick for tack and turnout, as when most of the others have posh browbands, we're a little limited in bringing colour to things, so it makes it a bit easier to stand out. :D

Edit, and as her name is Ruby - a red tie and a red ribbon through her plait would be perfect :D
 
colouredcrazy

Me on my last pony Holly
 
rubyrox said:
Yes, I am very excited! My last pony was a bit of a plodder - lovely, but didn't really move very much. He's now out at grass (he's 29!). I've got lots planned to do with Ruby!

Didn't realise about the show name:eek: . It's Oakhill Ruby Slippers then :D. I'll try and find a picture, but it will probably be of me on my last pony, as Ruby's scared of the flash on our camera - we've got a lovely one of a black blur :D.

Her mane and tail are VERY thick and VERY long. I've trimmed her tail a little bit (it's still well beneath her hocks, but it was practically trailing on the floor). Her mane is down to her throat, would I be able to pull it a little bit (Not short, but just to thin it out a little)?

Lucy
Click to expand...

I bet you'll have a great time with her, welshies seem to be good at anything and everything! Ideally I need a picture of you on her when you can get one, just to see whether you really need the long boots or not. :)

I would thin her mane then, and shorten it a little perhaps to really show her neck and jaw off. I think the average length of a pulled cob mane is between 6-10". Will measure what I'm taking Daffy's to for you, as I can't remember. You can take her tail to the level of her hocks when she's moving - that's fine as welsh cobs used to have docked tails!

Got to run and bring my muddy welshie in, but will give you loads more tips when I get back! Spent two years working on getting us perfect :rolleyes: ;)
 
What companies make good hacking jackets? My parents aren't really bothered about expense, Daddy makes a lot and inherited a lot as well, which allows my sister and I to have the ponies! Would short boots and gaiters work instead of long boots? I have a set of those - but they're dark brown, not black. Would this be detrimental?

Lucy
 
Holly is lovely, and you look very tall! How big is she?

I'll assume you aren't Lyn Russell, so no, brown long boots/gaiters shouldn't be worn. I think that's traditional hunting dress with a tweed, but for some reason that's no longer the done thing in showing. Lyn Russell can just do whatever she wants. :)

I see that you already have a navy hat, so no need to change that, and I'd get a green based tweed as you know that'll go well with it. Pretty Ponies have a good selection of jackets, but if you want to go the whole hog, Alexander James are probably one of the very best. They have a 10% sale on in stock jackets at the minute on their website if you do a google search. Alexander James do very nice jackets, but they are very traditional, whereas some of the cloths Pretty Ponies have are more modern - such as a blue overcheck on one. Caldene also do nice jackets, as do Showing Selection. If you steer clear of herringbone cloths and get a medium or heavy weight 100% wool jacket in green you wont go wrong. :)

I'd leave the long boots for now, I'm going to check with some welshie peeps and see what they think, but I think you might end up just needing short boots. It is optional to wear either on a welsh and large M&M's are usually shown in long boots, but obviously it's more usual for under 16's to wear short boots, hence the dilemma. :)

I measured my boys mane, and I've started taking it up to 20cm long. If you shorten it a few inches at a time you'll soon see what looks best on Ruby. As long as it's longer than about 4" or plaiting length it'll be fine. ;)
 
After hearing the opinions of some others, decided to suggest long leather boots. I'd give Regent a miss, and try some narrow legged dressage boots. The narrow Regents were too wide for me, and I'll hazard a guess that you have slimmer legs. ;)

I like the Dublin ones, and they come in a narrow fitting, although there are plenty out there to try! It would be worth trying a few pairs at local saddleries to see what fits you best, as they're all different. :)
 
Holly was 12.2:D She just looks big in that photo for some reason - We'd just won a lead rein jumping class and she was very pleased with herself (Holly is actually my sisters old pony. In between Ted and Ruby I've been riding her for a few months, but she's going on Friday :( )!

OK, I'll get parents to take me to a saddlery and get the boots. I was on the pretty ponies website, and I noticed that there was a nice green jacket with a red liney check thing running through it - I'll find the addy of it. Would that be OK?

Lucy
 
That'd be fine. :)

I still think you'd be best with a pair of brown short boots for classes where it's an advantage to look young, such as junior equitation, but looking at the length of your legs and going on the height of Ruby I think you both will look better in long boots for most classes. ;)
 
OK then. I already have a pair of brown jodhpur boots, so it's just the long boots that I need to get.

Apart from grooming Ruby properly and good feeding, what can I do to make her look extra special in the show ring?

Lucy
 
In general, she needs to really really move and look in good condition, as well as being fit.

If you've ever seen a high standard welsh class, the trot is really powerful, and they have to fully straighten their forelegs, even before they start extending. The extended trot is really extended, and not so much at local level, but at larger shows, you often get asked for that. You also need to be able to do a short gallop, but if you're at all worried about her being too strong, just work on doing a bit of extension in canter. She should be working in an outline, this is fairly important at any level, although don't try and force it, just let it come. At local level you don't see that many native ponies going in an outline, but it does help.

Are you going to be doing any inhand?
 
rubyrox said:
Hi there!

I own a 14.2 Dark Bay (Practically Brown) Welsh D mare, Ruby, who is four. I'm planning on showing her this summer, but I'm 10, and have no idea what to wear, what to enter, or any shownames lol. She is a registered welshie, but I don't want to do affiliated showing for a while, I've only had her since Saturday! What colours would suit her? What classes, other than Mountain and Moorland, could she enter? My last pony was really old, so we only did novelty classes, like Pony the Judge would most like to take home.

I'm planning on doing tack and turnout, as I love grooming and tack cleaning, are there any tips for making her look perfect? Obviously she won't be plaited, so how can I keep her mane and tail under control?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Lucy
Click to expand...

If She Is Welsh Id Go With A Tweed Jacket as Mountain & Moreland Judges Prefer That.
 
Well, as I doubt that I'll be going to any shows which even have a possibility of an evening class for a while yet, I'll stick with my tweed :D.

I am planning on doing In-Hand classes to start with - she's only 4. She already works in a lovely outline for a baby - her head isn't vertical, but it's dropping more every time that I ride. She gallops beautifully, but slowly - there is a defined change from canter to gallop, but it's not a fast one because otherwise she unbalances herself. She understands the meaning of self preservation!

And she definately has the welsh trot. When you turn her out, all the others go careering around at a gallop - she just does her power trot and beats them all (and looks very sweet at the same time!). She doesn't do it so much under saddle, but she's not perfectly balanced yet so I can't blame her. It will be a while before I affiliate her to any showing societies anyway.

That's a point. She's registered with the WPCS, but will I need to register with anything else to compete at county and above level shows? It's my dream to get her to HOYS!

Lucy
 
Jade, your pony is gorgeous! Where abouts do you compete?

I had a lesson on Ruby today, and my instructor is going to help me create an individual show. What do I need to include?

Lucy
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back