I think the reason is probably rather more practical.
If you are an upper level rider, probably riding multiple horses a day, it’s a whole lot easier if all the horse laundry can go in together… and even easier if everything is white and you can glop in a cup of bleach with the load. (And also, if you show a fair bit, you have all those not-good-enough-to-show-in-anymore white pads that just get cycled into the everyday wear.)
I’ve always stuck with white for that reason. Older pads can be BLEACHED!!!
The one time I opted for color was when I had a boarding barn. I had my nice stack of white pads in the tack room it was all too easy for them to “borrow”. I bought some really cheesy, ugly purple and orange pads and it never happened again.
I think you should do whatever you want. HAVE FUN!!! Personally, I only buy black and white because it’s easier. But I have a bunch of blingy vests from Eurofit. I also have some cream somewhere, but haven’t used it with this horse.
I have friends who do the matchy matchy and one of my trainers, an international rider for another country, did the matchy matchy too with other colors. I’ve seen the pictures of Hilda. I think that stuff is cute, just I don’t have time to sort it out! I’d be the one ending up with purple and orange together!!! LOL!
I have a friend who had a custom made show coat in midnight purple. You know her Beasmom!!! (LOL) I never could tell that it wasn’t navy though.
I was doing 2nd and a bit of third with my mare, though she was just not holding up to the work as she’s 19 and was ridden very poorly for more than half her life. But her favorite color is pink, and the brighter the better. Everyone mistakes her for a gelding if she’s not decked out in pink.
My young horse is about to get a navy pad for clinics and schooling shows. He’s a “rose grey” that is more “orangey-pink” than anything, and white looks pretty bad on him. Since my tack is brown, black isn’t good either, plus he would look like we was going trick-or-treating. He will stay with navy until he’s a more normal color, and maybe even after that. It just looks better on him.
All bets are off though for my bay and minimal white filly. She has FEI potential, but she will probably be decked out in all sorts of fun colors. She’s half-Lusitano, so she already has the barbie-doll hair.
I like color, but honestly most of my stuff is black with hints of color here and there (blue in the browband, for example) just because I think it looks really nice on my grey mare.
I think people should use whatever makes them happy! As for pulling it off, I think the better people do, the more they can pull off whatever they want.
It’s kind of like Shaun White (Olympic gold medal snowboarder) - he could wear whatever he wanted and who would care? We’d just be standing there drop-jawed over his performance. The same goes in the dressage ring, even though it’s traditionally a little more subdued than the Halfpipe! 
[QUOTE=Dressage_Julie;4702602]
If I can drum up enough people, I will win our “fun argument” and she has agreed to use color one day, if she wins I will have to retire the color for 2 weeks. Responses are greatly appreciated![/QUOTE]
That doesn’t sound very fair!
For the record, I love color. My poor horses :lol:.
oh, after the clarification… :uhoh:
Don’t use me for the argument. :no:
I’m only schooling 3rd-ish. With piaffe & 1/4 -1/2 pirous… not schooling passage yet. Changes are a work in progress.
So, yah, banging my head on the 2nd level ceiling still… Must be why I like purple, green and black… matches the bruising… :winkgrin:
You wouldn’t have seen upper level riders wearing colors because until this year, shadbellies had to be black or midnight. This year the FEI and USEF have changed the rule to allow coats to be any dark color. I’ve already seen short coats in browns, greys and blues and they look fabulous. I’ve only seen a few shadbellies in “living color” - but tailcoats aren’t something that most people buy on a whim!
Catherine Haddad has a spectacular brown shad and brown top hat on her blingy chestnut. There is a YouTube of her at one of the german shows wearing it. Both Anky and Edward have the pearl gray shads, which I think is elegant on black horses. But while these are different from what we are used to, it’s still not exactly colorful.
I still would love to see a dark green. That would be beautiful.
A few years ago, Eurosaddlery offered shadbelly coats with vestpoints that were quite colorful. I didn’t see any locally thought. If they could make the vestpoints and collars removeable so that you could spice up a black shad, then maybe that would sell!
In Vegas at the last World Cup, during the warmup one tiny lady was on a huge horse and I pretty sure her polos and saddle pads were pink with Swarski crystal accents.
[QUOTE=esdressage;4704367]
I like color, but honestly most of my stuff is black with hints of color here and there (blue in the browband, for example) just because I think it looks really nice on my grey mare.
I think people should use whatever makes them happy! As for pulling it off, I think the better people do, the more they can pull off whatever they want.
It’s kind of like Shaun White (Olympic gold medal snowboarder) - he could wear whatever he wanted and who would care? We’d just be standing there drop-jawed over his performance. The same goes in the dressage ring, even though it’s traditionally a little more subdued than the Halfpipe! :)[/QUOTE]
so true!! I am totally amazed at this guys ‘dancing’ in the halfpipe…same applies to Gal and Co…so I think it should stay traditional but open to colors that look really good with the horse- so a nice brown for a chestnut, a nice darkblue or darkgreen for a white or grey horse and a nice light grey one for a black horse- or maybe even a light shade of mauve??
I’m schooling and showing 2nd Level, so not very high up yet. 
I like traditional black and white colors at a show, even if you’re doing Intro Level. I feel that it shows respect for the judge if your turnout is sharp and crisp. I don’t really even care for the breed logos in the corner of some pads. I’m not against dark colors, like navy. In fact, my borrowed show coat is a very dark blue.
My dressage saddle is two-toned, I like that it’s different but not overly noticeable. And my horse has a gold heart browband.
At home, use whatever you’d like! You can just have fun with it. Bright blue is my horse’s color so I have one saddle pad in that color and then other blue plaid one. Fun colors and patterns aren’t only for the barrel racers and eventers.
I love loud. My horse is a sorrel overo, VERY loud and flashy. Add in my love of color and bling and wow! When we school I’m all about the bright colors- blues, hot pink, purple, teal, love them all. Clinics, go with navy or black, shows, tone it down a bit more to the more conservative black/white look, but I do have a bit of blue on my stock tie and browband.
Lower level here.
I currently ride a BIG black horse. Formerly had a nice plain bay and before that a flashy chestnut/roan.
At shows, conservative, w/b or cream/brown tack (on the chestnut).
Schooling at home? Red polos, red paisley pad (from Roma), or purple polos/ white pad (I don’t have a purple dressage pad), or tan polos and tan pad…
I personally think some “dress-aghe” riders - of ANY level - are too serious! It’s SUPPOSED to be fun!
I had that problem a few years ago… got way too serious, lost the fun factor… went to colorful appointments, and everything is OK now!
L
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