Aesthetically challenged in the tack

[GrayCatFarm]

Reviewing videos of recent show and I have got to make some changes. I need help for a more polished look.

Problem #1: I have a terrible time keeping my trapezius muscles relaxed and I end up in shows with my shoulders next to my ears. Years ago a physical therapist put kinesiology tape on my shoulders during rehab. Does anyone else have this problem and are you able to successfully tape your shoulders down?

Problem #2: I have shoulder length hair. It really doesn’t nicely fill out a snood when gathered into a pony tail at the nape of my neck, and when I add that on top of the scrunched shoulders and the helmet harness I look like a block head. Plus, no matter how many bobby pins, I always have wispies sticking out. My hair is a mix of ash brown and gray and I haven’t found a hair net that looks good - plus the wispies escape. Any solutions?

Problem #3. I have lost 20 lbs, but there is still a roll between my waist and bottom of my bra - I am short waisted - even when I am sitting up. What shapewear can you recommend that I could tolerate in the summer months.

Thank you- and yes, I know it is about the horse, but I sure would like to do her justice.

[atr]

I have no neck and vulture tendencies… I’ve never tried taping shoulders down. An interesting concept but I can’t see managing that at shows. I’ve just been careful to avoid frilly neckwear that accentuates the problem and makes me look like a porkchop.

The hair thing I have no really helpful experience with as I got fed up with it sticking out in all directions under a helmet and chopped it off into a pixie. However, I would say that it doesn’t really matter what color the hair net is once it is under a helmet. Oh, and I know several people who have bought one of those faux bun thingies that go onto wimpy ponytails like a scrunchie does and then put a net on top so they look like they have a bun.

The waistline thing, I think thats an issue for many of us in the “mature rider” category. The very thought of riding a dressage test in the summer in shape wear makes me want to break out in a rashy sweat. I think a generous and well-cut jacket in a modern fabric is way more comfortable and flattering. Not stretchy mesh. They make grown ups look like a string bag full of potatoes.

Another option is the one I’m slogging along with at the moment. Stretching and pilates. I’m darned if I can lose any weight at the moment, but what I am carrying is at least not saggy and I’m pretty sure I’ve gained an inch in height from all the stretching!

I do 30 minutes almost every morning of a “standing pilates for seniors” workout. (“The Girl with the Pilates Mat” on youtube.) I drag my protesting body out of bed and do it before my eyes fully open. Its not that hard, but a day off feels like a holiday. There’s a lot of side stretching and waist work as well as some good shoulder and spine work. I’m about 8 weeks in and I swear it has helped me ride better as well as refining my shape. My trainer has noticed a difference.

[GrayCatFarm]

I have been noodling around with starting pilates now that there is one local to me. I appreciate the feedback.

[Cowgirl]

I really like the no knot hair nets that hunter/jumper riders use. No bun. It comes in different colors. You can always get a black helmet and a black net: Hair Net Rwr No Knot | Big Dee’s Tack & Vet Supplies (bigdweb.com)

Shoulders back or a bra with posture control will help your shoulders.

I like a Maidenform camisole for shapewear, however you do have to peel it off after a test (and the urge to peel it is very great!). You can buy them at Target. A friend of mine wears a neck to ankle shapewear unibody suit and I don’t know how she is still alive. Even when I dropped my menopause middle, I still had the need to double jogbra my top. I would do a breast reduction to a size AA to avoid that if it didn’t pull me out of riding for so long. Why not just wear a safety vest on top? It hides the bounce (I mean, if you are going to be hot anyway) and makes you safer. (Mic drop)

[eponacelt]

I don’t have a suggestion for the first problem, but I had the second problem and just ended up growing my hair long again. I wouldn’t look good in a pixie, otherwise I would have done that. Once I could put my hair in a pony, it was fine.

As for problem 3, I’m still struggling with shapewear. Honeylove has some nice tall briefs that work. Still hot. Will try a different brand of camisole this year. Best advice from a fellow shortwaisted woman - make sure your show coat ALSO has a short waist. A lot of them are made for longer women and it just exacerbates the bunching effect, especially with the mesh coats. I ended up with a beautiful new Pikeur this year that fits to perfection. My other coat is a custom Lotus Romeo, because…short waist.

[hop.ebrown]

I also have the shoulder issue. I use a posture corrector, I’m sure taping would also work. But don’t just use it when you’re showing - try to do it at home so it starts to become muscle memory. I hold a lot of stress in my shoulders/traps so yoga/mindful breathing has helped a ton to consciously release the stress that I hold
I have hair issues as well, and I really like the no knot hair nets. I don’t think it matters what kind of hairnet it is but rather how you put it on. I first braid my hair (yes there are wispies), then put my hairnet on and pull it down over my ears so its covering my eyes - ensuring all wispies are underneath. Then i tuck it up behind my ears, fold the braid in half and elasticize it so its sorta a bun, with the elastic over the hair net and bobby pin it in place

Hope this helps!

[Bonnie2]

For the hair, a generous helping of mousse or hair cream and a good tight net. Match the net to your helmet. For the roll - I cannot tolerate shapeware myself. You need an “old fashion” jacket. A tailored fit but not tight like the current fad. Fabric with a bit of body (dare I say wool?) so it doesn’t mold around each and every crevice. Be sure to try it on sitting, not just standing. Also consider if the waist of your britches is contributing to the problem. I need mine to be a little too loose in the waist for optimal walking around so that when I sit I don’t get the sack tied in the middle effect. When you feel you look your best it gives you more confidence. There are plenty of other things to worry about at a horse show!

[rothmpp]

I can’t help you with the hair - mine has always been long and thick so doing a bun at the nape of my neck below my helmet is not a problem. The only thing I can suggest is that I had better luck with the snap barrettes than bobby pins to control the whispies, and the good, old Aquanet maximum hold hairspray that turns your hair into helmet head under your helmet.

Re: the shapewear. It’s something that you should test out in the worst of the heat when you would be showing, but at home. I felt much the same way you do about my appearance in the saddle, but I found I could not breathe well enough in anything that addressed my under bra roll to not want to pass out the minute I left the ring.

The short neck (or in my case the size of my upper trapezuis muscle) issue - ditto what another poster said about making sure you use a small collar/stock tie. The rule change to allow integrated collars in place of stock ties were a game changer for me. No longer fussing to make it as unobtrusive as possible so I had some hint of a neck, no deciding at the last second if I wanted to undress when coats were waived 10 minutes before my ride time because getting out of a stock tie was going to throw off my warmup - drop the coat and open my collar. My show shirts had that slightly ruffled trim that imitated a stock collar when closed.

[GrayCatFarm]

I appreciate all the feedback. My coat is designed for short waisted riders so I have that covered. And, I can set a goal for another 5-10 lbs of weight loss and Pilates. Looks like I will be looking at shape wear. I had forgotten about the integrated collars! That will eliminate some bulk and provide a more streamlined look. Plus, it makes total sense given that (1) it is one less item to forget and (2) coats can be waived at any time. Headed to Walgreens for barrettes, hairnets, and mousse. I looked at videos and saw that Isabel Werth has no bun. So, I plan to put it up under the helmet. There isn’t enough to disrupt the fit. I had (emphasis on had) one of those posture correctors and it did little for me. Thank you!

[fivestrideline]

Definitely try your hair up pseudo-hunter hair style, and a good hairspray. Some gel and a good flat comb/brush might work too - look up softball ponytail or braid tutorials for tips on taming baby hairs in athletic settings.

Yes to the snap collar shirts and skipping the stock tie, and also making sure your breeches + jacket are cooperating with each other! Sometimes you have to play with waist rise relative to the cut of your jacket while sitting down.

Lastly, definitely ride in the shapewear at home on the hottest possible weather for a full ride. I’ve seen some borderline heatstroke exacerbated by inappropriate clothing, and breathing is important to put in a good test! My method has always been to not show in anything that I don’t basically use at home - I try to have my show kit as close to my schooling gear as possible. Wearing a completely different getup to show is likely to throw some things off but ESPECIALLY when we start talking shapewear. Try things out at home, for sure!

[joiedevie99]

I made the move to dressage almost 15 years ago, and still can’t get behind the bun. I have a separate helmet for shows that is one size bigger to accommodate my hair, and I use a no-net hairnet. It takes me less than 10 seconds to get show-ready, no mirror required. Happy to show pictures

[Pico_Banana]

@GrayCatFarm

Problem #2: I have shoulder length hair. It really doesn’t nicely fill out a snood when gathered into a pony tail at the nape of my neck, and when I add that on top of the scrunched shoulders and the helmet harness I look like a block head. Plus, no matter how many bobby pins, I always have wispies sticking out. My hair is a mix of ash brown and gray and I haven’t found a hair net that looks good - plus the wispies escape. Any solutions?

I also have shoulder length hair. What I do is put hair in low ponytail (it’s maybe 1-2 inches long), take the end and flip it up on the back of my head and secure with this kind of barrette:

Amazon.com : Dofash Epoxy Snap Hair Clips Metal Grips 5cm/2in Tortoise...

I use one of those barrettes on either side of my head to grab the shorter bits that tend to fly away.

I usually skip the hair net as this is usually enough, but you could also slap a no knot hair net on top.

[Djones]

I tried riding in shape wear and it was awful. I carried way too much tension in my body. Tailor a more structured coat and absolutely get it fitted while you are sitting, not standing.

For the hair, old school hair gel and a no knot hairnet.

For the shoulders, you’ve gotten great suggestions. I would also suggest training your body to half halt and reset your position in all transitions. Make it a part of your riding. I taught my body to shoulders down and collarbone up with preparing for every transition.

[Meshach1]

@atr

I’ve just been careful to avoid frilly neckwear that accentuates the problem and makes me look like a porkchop.

This is the comment of the week that actually did make me laugh out loud (since I am a bobble-headed vulture)

[VodkaRedbullx2]

For the shoulders bodywork massage.

[red_mares]

I was going to suggest your hair up, but you got there already. My hair has thinned enough that it makes a pathetic bun. Traditionally, a woman showing a road pony has bun. I told my trainer that Helen Crabtree was dead and my hair was going up in the cap.

Big Sexy Hair is fantastic hair spray. It’s expensive, but it’s like shellac. Amazon is good place for shapewear. I usually show in it, but I drive, different feel.

[ThreeFigs]

I have thin hair and made the mistake a few years ago as I approached PSG of growing my hair out to make a “bun”. The results were sad. I don’t have enough hair to fill a bun cover. I faked it with a hairpiece (a “messy bun” type as I recall) and covered my hair and the fake with a no-show hairnet, then pinned my bun cover on my “fake bun”. Worked OK, but after my gelding decided to retire, I whacked my hair back to the short pixie and decided when (if) I ever show again, no bun is required!

My posture also sucks – the solution for me was to try a few back braces and shoulder braces till I found ones that worked for me. It has really helped! I snug 'em up tight enough that when/if I slouch, the brace kinda hurts and I straighten up again. I have found I even ride better when I happen to forget the brace.

As for your problem # 3 – I think I found your 20 pounds! Honestly, as a 70-year-old, I expected to gain a bit of weight, but it sure makes it hard to look good on a horse…

[Mander]

IME rigidity and extreme tension in posture nearly always indicates some weakness. My latest area of improvement is similar to yours as my left shoulder has a tendency to creep up - incidentally, I’m right handed and my left shoulder is visibly smaller from lack of muscle.

Last year I was really struggling with clamping my legs (and pointing my toes out), and then I started targeted strengthening for my hips and wouldn’t you know, the clamping has decreased dramatically and my toes point nearly forward most of the time. The same thing was true for my back. I had a tendency to arch my back severely and would get “locked in” in that position. Focusing on strengthening my core has helped address that tremendously and I am no longer arched when I ride, and I have much greater ability to move with my horse and handle his more expressive gaits.

All that to say, I think some focused strengthening in your shoulders will go a long ways towards fixing your posture. Once the strength is there, it will be much easier to re-train the muscle memory. And if your experience is anything like mine has been, fixing one area will begin to reveal other areas that are lacking strength as well

[luvmyhackney]

For the hair, a liberal application of aqua net hair spray and nothing will move. No wispies until you wash it out.

Shoulder issues - let me know what works for you. I have the same issues, pilates is helping, but I’m a desk jockey with tight shoulders.

[netg]

Do yourself a favor, and order 100 hair nets for the price of 3 from Walgreens. My hair is curly and fine textured, so it wants flyaways!

Amazon.com : Hair Net 100 Pcs, Smilco 20 Inches Elasticity Invisible Elastic...

They are thin and generally only last one use, but squares are small enough to contain whispies. I use two!

Ditto to most of what was said already. I have inexpensive (also lightweight) Walmart shapewear purchased in a size larger than I would get if I wanted it to actually shape. All it does is avoid creating bulges, and avoids places I don’t want rubbing together. It’s so hot in the summer here, it has helped avoid issues for me. I make sure it goes to my narrowest point, as do any breeches I wear, and I put a stretchy belt on to avoid it creating lines.

I’m currently heavier than I’ve ever been after months of inactivity forced by a mystery illness, but this was when I was about at my fittest, and still had far more body fat than I wanted. High enough waisted breeches (I need higher than I thought given I also have a very short waist), and good fitting sports bras and coat really help you look better. At least until you’re moving or slouch, which definitely happens to me! As for the shoulders to ears - that’s a constant struggle for me!