I prefer the big Dutch braids too! I think hunter braids look fussy. And I think pulling a thick mane enough for hunter braids is cruel!
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As someone knee deep in this bling deā bling english industry I can say the bling trend is here to stay and I form this opinion based on sales trends. Colors are too but we keep saying, as long as it is tastefully done. Also many riders love their colors for training and really enjoy pairing up their sets. I am also seeing more riders willing to pay for better made breeches. I think many of us have grown tired of less than comfortable breeches and with new materials, four way stretch, silicone grip, and a plethora of other choices, itās easier than ever to get pretty breeches that you actually want to wear. So I guess I am on the āpro bling and colorā group lol!
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I like big button braids - they complement most necks. Scalloped braids are kind of cool IF well done but I rarely see well done ones. They look especially awful if theyāre not well done.
Iām all about the bling. The more sparkle the better AFAIK 
Haha! I agree with the first statement wholeheartedly! At this point in my riding career I prefer to blend in moreā¦Otherwise I might be remembered as the fumbling ammy in the goofy outfit instead of the amazing rider with unique style! I usually see something I think looks so cool, but Iām not brave enough to try because I refer back to this thoughtā¦
That being said, what the hell, to each his own, right? I agree I think itās peaked. I like the colored coats, piping on pads, fly hoods and bejeweled browbands ( I am a sucker for the browbandsā¦ shut up and take my money!). And if you want to throw a few more rhinstones on your boots and helmet, sure whatever. Thatās not my personal style though. I wonāt bust out the bedazzler, but a little subtle touch is nice. As someone else stated if a few statement pieces make it more crowd friendly, interesting, great. We sure could use that.
But if it ever reaches that tipping point of western pleasure bling, yea sorry guys, Iām out. Or worseā¦ Look like Fallon Taylor the barrel racer! She certainly has set a fashion trend in her sport!
Made me LOL! āShut up and take my money!ā
:lol:
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A friend of mine shared this website on FB today, speaking of new types of bling.
http://www.evoequine.co.uk/store/c10/Rainbow_Gloss_Collection.html
I have no affiliation with the site and wonāt be buying anything from it because I have more pressing needs but I must admit that I did like the browband as an option for a black horse!
Iām not ashamed to say that I love bling, color, big scallop braids, etc.
Sitting ringside and admiring lovely turnout is a favorite past time. Iāve never thought āIād be able to focus on this pair better if it werenāt for ā¦ā and ended that sentence with something about turn out unless the horse was filthy or something was very obviously ill-fitting.
Thereās a rider I admire who does matching boots and coat. Personally, I love that sheās easy to spot at shows. Her attire always catches my eye but I keep watching because sheās a lovely rider with happy horses.
Once a horse is in motion I think it is very difficult to even notice a brownband, coat details, cantle patent/piping, or saddle pad piping unless the light hits it perfectly. Several times Iāve thought a pair had a very traditional turnout only to see them up close post close and realize that they have tons of āblingā that disappeared when you are more than a few feet away.
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I am with you on that one. I am very carefull with how much bling we put on, and try to be classic and tone down at shows etc. I really donĀ“t want to look like I am all about the tackā¦
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Itās so interesting how people say they have dark brown, navy, cream or a piped flybonnet, etcā¦
but honestly I canāt see that? it just looks black and white to me. I feel bad, people put so much thought into the coordination but I canāt see that level of detail from ringside.
i love it, i like seeing how people pull together their outfits, and all the little details 
i was the first one in my area to have coloured stirrups and now its really taken off and a lot have them, im swapping colours from royal blue to a cloudy navy blue for my new guy, and have swapped out my jacket to match too
I donāt mind color at all and some blingā¦what gets me is all of the WHITE PIPING! I can take some coordinating color, but not stark white against a dark color. Also, there was a rider at World Cup (canāt remember who it was) whose shadbelly had white piping on every back seam. It was hideous, distracting and would show every little imperfection of balance. Granted, she was actually RIDING at World Cup and I was not so who am I to talk? But, that outfit made me cringe.
It makes me happy up close to have it. And if from a distance it just looks conservative and there, and every focus from the judge is on the horse - GOOD!
Are you sure it wasnāt a he? Sounds like Carl Hester. I love it, but I have some scoliosis AND nerve damage on one side - so no way I would ever wear something which shows crookedness so distinctly!
Iām pretty sure it was a sheā¦I could be blocking it out though because Iām just a wee bit obsessed with Carl Hester and I"m pretty sure he could ride in one of Elton Johnās Vegas outfits and Iād think it was fabulous 
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Ah, maybe you meant Maria Florencia Manfredi !
http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/ā¦ressage-finals
It was too much for me, though I loved her exuberance.
Carl is down lower getting showered in champagne - his is far more subtle and I like it.
Nteg- that is what I meant, if it makes you happy, great, itās just unfortunate that the colors donāt read well from afar. Dressage should be fun, after all
That would be her! Here is a pic of the back that shows the piping:
http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/omaha.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/38/f383649d-2191-5c2b-a3b7-50c89d656061/58dd9d8207254.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C846
She was fun to watch, though
As for blending in and keeping a low profile, well as I mentioned above, my present horse is an Appy - as were the last three horses I had before him, from 1977 through the present. Granted, the first two were event horses, but we had to do the dressage phase, ālow profile/blending in,ā well that ship sailed long ago. So these days, I figure āgo for itā (as long as it is, as they say, tasteful.)
Now, in my eventing days, I would meet my eventing trainer at various venues to school cross-country, but on a weekly basis, I jumped with the neighboring Hunter/Jumper trainer to school stadium. I used to show up for my jump lessons with the H/J trainer with my matching SportsMedicine boots, saddle pad, ear bonnetā¦usually in green, and on my Appy. He used to crack up and say, āOh, man, I would LOVE to get you into a George Morris clinic. Old George would probably have a heart attack at all that color.ā Yeah, George quietly rants about how eventers like their ācolorsā (and he doesnāt) but on the other hand, he says that the only horse he still owns is an Appy, soā¦
I have a brown dressage saddle that I have shown in for about 12 years I got it for a steal because it was a custom Albion that someone decided they didnāt like. I am very traditional BUT I will say that i JUST ordered a navy bling helmet and have a lovely navy coat to match that I hope will be here for the show this weekend. I have a kind of BIG Chestnut mare. Not very petite or girly and people keep thinking sheās s gelding, so I thought we needed a tad bit of splash.
Must post photos of all, please!!
