Asking for a gentleman friend who will be showing the AA hunters in some fall shows. Handsome guy, well trimmed beard, but when he asked if he should keep it to show it occurred to me I rarely if ever see any facial hair in the ring. Opinions?
I really cannot think of much that should matter less, with regard to adult amateur hunters. He should wear his beard if he likes it.
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I would think that a man would be so welcomed in AA hunters that he could wear a pink tutu with spangles.
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Hunters is not judged on the rider’s facial hair
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Tell him to wear whatever he wants. @#$, there’s a guy in france who rides in his birthday suit (albeit in the jumpers)
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He might get torn limb from limb. Tell him to be careful !!!
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Okay . . . so I know a judge (I will name no names) that was offended by a man who came in to their ring for the hunters “unshaven”. I don’t know if they actually marked them down for it, but it was brought up in a discussion with other judges about rider turnout, and that particular judge was SUPER offended by it. . . so maybe they did. Ridiculous but there you go.
I think it’s a bit like doing the hunters with pink hair. Some judges won’t notice it, and for other judges it will be all they notice.
As long as the rider is clean and well kept I really don’t think it matters. If he had a beard long enough to catch flies and had left overs from yesterday’s dinner I’m sure that it would be a different story.
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Duck Dynasty level beard? Err on the side of caution and clean it up. Some people are super into that kind of thing, but not hunter jumper judges. A trimmed beard I wouldn’t think would cause any issues - unless you get one of “those” judges. Most just want you to look clean and not cause a distraction from your riding.
OP was pretty clear that this is well groomed facial hair
I am also a USEF R Hunter judge…and it has been awhile since I have heard an opinion so absurd [the judge’s]. My job is to judge jumping style, manners and way of going…not whether the rider is making the appropriate fashion statement or not. I know of several trainers that show and have a beard. It does not and should not matter whatsoever.
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Go for it, not a problem. Or at least, as potential problems go, it’s way down there along with all the other random and arbitrary weird things that some judge somewhere with an axe to grind might ding you for that aren’t worth the worry. (If the hair to go with is at all long, though, I would use a hairnet.)
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Ooooh, I remember that! He had no costume for the costume class so he went “au naturel”. “Not safe for work”. He is nude…http://www.horsenation.com/2013/07/1…-show-jumping/
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Are we talking ZZ Top beard?
A beard like this an he could be riding a donkey in the hunters and still should get first place.
http://www.gono.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Crazy-Yet-Amazing-Beards-3.jpg
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I definitely agree with you . . . I’m not a judge but I know some, which is why I am sometimes privy to the inner workings of their minds! It has been educational for me. . . I really do take certain judge’s opinions with a grain of salt now knowing some of the things I do!
Link to pics or it didn’t happen.
It happened. Here is the video (again). From post #14: http://www.horsenation.com/2013/07/1…-show-jumping/
That is “throwing” it down, balls to the wall with no fear, and mostly (I think) trying to be a good sport when you forgot your costume.
Scroll down.
Top that!
I don’t think anybody could top that. Very impressive. I would have to have given him 1st place, even with the rail down. And I really laughed at him galloping out the in gate, around the corner, and just kept cantering, I guess back to his stall or trailer and everyone’s heads in the stands following him at he went out of sight. :lol: Priceless.
He received a standing ovation, yet was intelligent enough to know that couldn’t hang around.
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