Dressage attire guidelines

[CanteringCarrot]

I can’t believe that me, a former eventer who evented in bright and obnoxious color schemes and took pride in it, is sitting here clutching my pearls at the thought of non traditional attire

I was at a competition just a few weeks ago and I like the traditional black and white look. I hate wearing white breeches, but I feel they’re right for competing and don’t know that I could swap to gray, for example. I do fancy a burgundy or eggplant jacket, so maybe I’m not so “stuck” but I also cannot imagine using a colored saddle pad. I don’t object to the changes being made in the US, but maybe some others are like me and will slowly warm up to it or just add a little color or flair for now. Or maybe some will find inspiration when they see others doing it or rocking a really nice colour combination that just goes really well with their horse.

I do quite like the idea of a flysheet jacket

[2tempe]

I’m so with you on this. BUT showing a nearly white horse led me to white pads/black border for FEI classes. Said beast is now stepped back to 4th level freestyles as he and I are both getting older. And I found THIS perfect pad. A big step out for me…!

[iberianfan]

My last 3 horses that I wanted to compete have been gray. Since a bright white pad can make the gray horse look dingy, I have used black pads for years. Now I have switched to a dark blue. @2tempe, that pad looks wonderful on your horse.

[Jealoushe]

I showed in the white Loire no issues.I don’t think they are too shiny, the shine is subtle under saddle.

[dotneko]

Been judging quite a bit lately. All over the country. I havent seen anything outrageous, but I have seen black and dark breeches all the way into 4th level.
The TD and I did have a discussion about a green saddle pad with a stripe (or a swoop) and its legality. How wide can piping get before it becomes a stripe. We voted for educate dont eliminate - my preferred decision - but I dont want to be the judge that sends it to finals where someone else is less obliging.
I hate, hate, hate being the fashion police. I have little to no time while still writing the previous test collectives to supervise attire. in addition to bits, spurs, helmets, logos, leg wraps… If we are going that way, then there should be an attire official in warm up.

[sparkygrace]

@dotneko

I hate, hate, hate being the fashion police. I have little to no time while still writing the previous test collectives to supervise attire. in addition to bits, spurs, helmets, logos, leg wraps… If we are going that way, then there should be an attire official in warm up.

Totally agree. It’s crazy that there are so many nuances on color and patterns. Judges have more than enough to do than decide if a plaid is too loud or a saddle pad too sparkly.

[blue_heron]

Ideally that’s what your ring steward is for-- the one in the ring and the one in the warm-up. Every time I’ve volunteered as ring steward I’m given a list of the tack and attire rules. If you are in violation of a tack or attire rule, we try to point it out/report it. Judges should be able to focus on the horse and rider RIDING.

[eightpondfarm]

just curious…(because i have absolutely no idea)
Do the competitors acquiesce to a ring steward’s objections? Or do the majority of them bump it up to a higher-authority and take it to the judge?

[lorilu]

The problem is that so many of the new rules are so subjective, and final call is the judge’s. Unless the judge and ring steward agree, this might cause problems.

[2tempe]

More likely the higher authority would be the Tech Delegate. I was at a show this weekend, coats waived and someone got told by steward during warm up that their shirt wasn’t ok; it was then reported to TD. But its easy to see that something could slip by the ring stewards - they are often volunteers and not likely to be well versed on some of the finer points.

[sparkygrace]

I can’t imagine ring stewards at most shows knowing much about the dressage guidelines, if anything at all. They are almost all unpaid volunteers and their job is keep tabs of horses in the warm up and get riders in the arena on time. The technical delegate is usually making rounds and available if needed. A good TD would have an eye on the warm up and note any violations in equipment, clothing, or any abusive riding.

[Jealoushe]

@sparkygrace

They are almost all unpaid volunteers and their job is keep tabs of horses in the warm up and get riders in the arena on time.

The stewards in Canada are licensed and trained…paid. Not volunteers. EC Recognized shows I mean.

[sparkygrace]

Oh, you are in Canada. Here, ring stewards who work the gate are volunteers and sometimes not horse people. They can consult with the TD or show manager if needed. We have a hard time getting volunteers, so anyone who can hold a clip board and read a clock will work.

[SBrentnall]

I plan on getting a little wilder this year. My two planned outfits:

Burgundy jacket with grey trim, a burgundy/white stock tie, and white breeches. Steel grey saddle pad with burgundy trim from ES, with logo covered by a pin-on number on each side.

Brown jacket, bronze/white stock tie, and cream breeches. Bronze pad from ES with cream trim.

We’ll see what happens!

[sparkygrace]

By “here,” I mean our local USDF shows.

[Knubbsy]

@SBrentnall

Steel grey saddle pad with burgundy trim from ES, with logo covered by a pin-on number on each side.

I imagine we’ll be seeing more of that depending on how logo decisions go. As long as we don’t have to pin/tie numbers on our backs, I’m happy (I don’t even have button holes to hide the shoe lace ends anymore)

[Night_Flight]

@sparkygrace

Oh, you are in Canada. Here, ring stewards who work the gate are volunteers and sometimes not horse people. They can consult with the TD or show manager if needed. We have a hard time getting volunteers, so anyone who can hold a clip board and read a clock will work.

I think this might just be a matter of regional semantics.

In Canada, the person with the title of steward is a paid official who is responsible for ensuring the rules are enforced. They keep an eye on the rings and perform the tack check.

In my area, we call the person making sure the rings are running smoothly the in-gate.

[SillyHorse]

That sounds like the Technical Delegate (TD) in the States.

[sparkygrace]

Yes, that’s the technical delegate, who is paid for their services and trained to know USDF/USEF/FEI rules. They go through a training process to gain their license.

[Mersidoats]

For those concerned about saddle pads with logos, USDF said that they will are discussing the legality of those pads, as more manufacturers are adding their logos to the pads. Those “logos” are really manufacturer marks, and should be considered legal. Manufacturers marks are already legal on clothing.