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Colored yarn apocalypse?

Hunter/Jumper
#61

[QUOTE=carroal;7660640]
We are in Alabama and show here and in Georgia. I haven’t seen the colors in Atlanta. Maybe the south is more conservative?[/QUOTE]

Doubtful. I was braiding my horse (blood bay) in dark blue in 2006 (in GA) and it wasn’t like I invented the idea. :wink: (some of my finest ideas are stolen).

If anyone (aka a judge) can actually SEE dark blue yarn in a black mane, then your larger problem is you have gone so far off course as to end up in the judge’s box. But it sure is easy on old eyes to remove at the end of the day!

#62

Personally, I LOVE the look of colored yarn! I show in Zone 7 (Tennessee mostly, as it’s the only A show that’s close), but I’m moving to South Carolina/Georgia in September.
I’ve seen hunter green in dark chestnuts and think it’s absolutely gorgeous! I love navy in bays and black horses. I have yet to see a grey done in a pastel, but think it would look absolutely smashing. I may have my new grey guy done in baby blue for our first show…
Also first I’ve heard of the “lucky braid” thing, and I love it! My old eventing barn was Lucky 13 sport horses… I may need to have a royal blue braid put in the 13th braid!

Pompoms/puffs… no thank you! That’s just a little too out there for me!

#63

One of the best braiding jobs I’ve ever seen was on a dark bay’s mane - all 52 braids were done in purple. It looked amazing.

#64

I am not sure I get the pom-poms and I have always been a traditional color yarn person myself. But each to their own. I do not get why a braider would assume it is OK to use an off colored yarn with out asking the owner.

#65

I think it really depends on the horses conformation. Sometimes its harder to hide their topline when there is colored yarn. Its like when dressage riders use white yarn on black manes when their horse’s neck isn’t perfectly put together.

#66

[QUOTE=DMK;7667085]

If anyone (aka a judge) can actually SEE dark blue yarn in a black mane, then your larger problem is you have gone so far off course as to end up in the judge’s box. [/QUOTE]

This. Such discussion over something you can’t see from 15 feet away.

I haven’t seen white yarn in dressage…ever, I think. I haven’t seen white tape in ages. I’ve also seen some really, really terrible braiding jobs. I hope it’s just because the only dressage shows I go to are fairly low level. I suppose I should applaud them for doing their own braids, but man, it’s not pretty.

#67

I normally just use black yarn, but I remember that once my trainer braided my pony’s mane with sparkly purple yarn as a special treat since I was showing on my birthday. It was years and years ago (I was still in short stirrup) and I still remember that it really looked quite smashing because my pony was a dark bay with a good neck. I think my mare (grey with a black and white mane) might look good with purple yarn, too, now that I think about it. She certainly rocks her purple polo wraps at home!

#68

I think colored yarn is fun, pretty, and still classy. Yeah, if you’re using day-glow-orange in a black mane and the braids are awful, that’s not going to look good… but bad braids are bad braids. At least colored yarn will make it more obvious to the braider.

#69

[QUOTE=trubandloki;7667298]
I am not sure I get the pom-poms and I have always been a traditional color yarn person myself. But each to their own. I do not get why a braider would assume it is OK to use an off colored yarn with out asking the owner.[/QUOTE]

As a braider I’m with you, never would I ever without the owner or trainers buy in or direction. I did have a palomino request green, I got a pretty dark sage, it was gorgeous!

I’m at a Paint show this week, maybe I’ll get a little crazy (with trainer permission LOL!)

#70

[QUOTE=RugBug;7667361]
This. Such discussion over something you can’t see from 15 feet away.

I haven’t seen white yarn in dressage…ever, I think. I haven’t seen white tape in ages. I’ve also seen some really, really terrible braiding jobs. I hope it’s just because the only dressage shows I go to are fairly low level. I suppose I should applaud them for doing their own braids, but man, it’s not pretty.[/QUOTE]

White is quite popular at the recognized shows in area 2. Yes, there are a lot of bad braiding jobs. I braid my own but I am a Nazi about it and only do black. If you have a beautiful dark horse and have a good braider do it, the white ones look great. Otherwise, don’t do it! I just think that if the color doesn’t match the mane, it better look good because it shows the topline and accuracy of the braids more.

#71

If a kid did it HERSELF, I don’t care how awful it looks-- she get a bonus point from me for putting the effort in and trying/learning. I’ve seen some weird stuff at 4H/pony club/local type shows (tail only braided/mane left down, very strange looking braids, etc.) but if it was a kid with initiative-- I like that no matter how it comes out. I have never asked about a bad braid job and had it be an adult who did it, it was always the kid. It’s also fun to see the kids get better over time. Some kids have really goofy looking braids to start and then I come back the next year and they look semi-pro.

#72

Here are my boys with their poms from Derby Day last week.

https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/p417x417/10491069_10152228038922960_6672323974714508247_n.jpg

Both were done in navy. I don’t personally like the commercially bought poms I’ve seen, but the hand made one by my braider I just adore. He will make them in multiple colors sometimes.

AND I do both of these horses in the A/Os. Oh the horror! :open_mouth:

#73

[QUOTE=MorganJumper848;7667695]
White is quite popular at the recognized shows in area 2. Yes, there are a lot of bad braiding jobs. I braid my own but I am a Nazi about it and only do black. If you have a beautiful dark horse and have a good braider do it, the white ones look great. Otherwise, don’t do it! I just think that if the color doesn’t match the mane, it better look good because it shows the topline and accuracy of the braids more.[/QUOTE]

I haven’t seen white yarn used at dressage shows, and I do the rated ones out here to include Region shows. I do see (and do) small white bands around really perfect buttons, I do those for some at the USDF shows and most of the AHA Sport Horse shows. They are subtle. The big white tape is horrifying when I see it occasionally.

#74

[QUOTE=vxf111;7667701]
If a kid did it HERSELF, I don’t care how awful it looks-- she get a bonus point from me for putting the effort in and trying/learning. I’ve seen some weird stuff at 4H/pony club/local type shows (tail only braided/mane left down, very strange looking braids, etc.) but if it was a kid with initiative-- I like that no matter how it comes out. I have never asked about a bad braid job and had it be an adult who did it, it was always the kid. [/QUOTE]

Well, I’ve never asked about a bad braiding job at all, so I can’t say for sure…but seeing that almost all the horses were ridden by adults and there was nary a child on site, I would say I was seeing a lot of bad braid jobs done by adults. :smiley: (BTW - we are talking dressage here, not H/J).

Part of it is that I think button braids are ugly to begin with…but then add on badly done button braids? Ugh. Bonus points for doing it yourself, but still, Ugh. OVerall, the turnout was subpar. I think my horse had cleaner socks than a lot of these horses and she hasn’t had a bath since end of May.

#75

[QUOTE=Nickelodian;7667707]
Here are my boys with their poms from Derby Day last week.

https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/p417x417/10491069_10152228038922960_6672323974714508247_n.jpg

Both were done in navy. I don’t personally like the commercially bought poms I’ve seen, but the hand made one by my braider I just adore. He will make them in multiple colors sometimes.

AND I do both of these horses in the A/Os. Oh the horror! :O[/QUOTE]

They both look stunning!!!

#76

I haven’t braided for the hunters in forever it feels, have never seen non-traditional colors there, but think that is the neatest idea if it looks good. I have lately only braided for dressage, and have seen people braid with white yarn, or white bands (not the tape) in black manes- at rated shows. I saw one young lady with white-glittery yarn on a black mane, but the overall job wasn’t pretty. I’ve always done a lucky braid for my personal guys (one gets purple, one gets blue), but whenever I offer other owners if they would like one they always turn down the offer, usually because they think they will get dinged for it by the judge.

One girl I rode with did beautiful braiding for the hunters and would always add a little silver charm in one braid for some horses. I have forever been looking for a little charm like that for my guy, but haven’t found anything suitable.

#77

I don’t know if there is a “suitable” one on this site since I’m not sure what you would be looking for and their products seem to be directed toward a pony kid/pre-teen consumer, but they have tons of charms.

http://www.mybarnchild.com/charms.html

#78

[QUOTE=comingback;7667949]
I don’t know if there is a “suitable” one on this site since I’m not sure what you would be looking for and their products seem to be directed toward a pony kid/pre-teen consumer, but they have tons of charms.

http://www.mybarnchild.com/charms.html[/QUOTE]

Oooooh, thank you! I see some that may just work :smiley:

#79

[QUOTE=LouBeans;7667958]
Oooooh, thank you! I see some that may just work :D[/QUOTE]

You’re welcome:)

#80

Way back when I showed in the hunters- mid to late-80s- we always had colored yarn as an option. Hunter green or navy on my chestnuts looked amazing. My dark bay was in either black or blue, but sometimes the braider would do a lighter blue and it looked really nice. We had the top A/O Hunter (two years in a row at the Indoors), in our barn who was a fleabitten gray and his owner would do all sorts of different colors in his white mane.

I think unless the colors are completely crazy (like neon pink) the judge isn’t going to notice/care.

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