For all of you more, ah, "dated" riders.. care to reminisce?

[Beezer]

LaurieB, that is a HYSTERICAL photo! I love it! It’s the kind of thing I come across strolling through old scrapbooks…

And Rusty, you’re not having a senior moment: You’re absolutely right, we had no ponies out here back then. Even us little kids (you sound about the same age) had to ride the horses around those big courses. I look at pictures of me about to be jumped off over some ENORMOUS coop and wonder why I’m not dead. We also didn’t have short stirrup classes … I can remember poring over the Chronicles of the day and seeing pictures of kids who’d won such things and thinking, “What the heck is that about? Those kids’ stirrups aren’t THAT short!”

My other most beloved outfit: A beige (yes, BEIGE) hunt coat with my RUST breeches. In fact, one of my favorite photos is of me on my most all-time favorite horse, showing in the mud and pouring rain at Santa Barbara, in that get-up. He is COVERED in mud from the chest down (kinda looks like the eventers who get slathered so they slide over those telephone poles), but still jumping in his trademark incredible form, and there I am in my beige coat. And it’s SPOTLESS, I might add. I was one stylin’ gal.

[msj]

Just reading all your posts bring back wonderful, fond memories.

Remember Belvoir Saddle Soap bars for 25 cents?

The madras plaid jackets, the drop-front breeches(someone previously called them ‘bib’)canary and tan full flare (non-stretch) gabardine breeches followed by a sensible rust. If you did wear black boots they HAD to have the patent leather cuffs. The old forward seat saddles even before Stubben Sigfrieds. My first Sigfried was $250 new! Marlboro boots for about $28. Newmarket boots.

The open shows were dominated by Saddleseat and Western. The few hunter classes would be hunter hack with a mandatory handgallop and 2 fences (usually at least 3’ and more often 3’6"). If you showed hunter hack, you couldn’t show english pleasure(I remember a bunch of us rebelled and showed up in western pleasure!). Open jumping fences started at 4’ and jumpoffs were raised to 4’6’-5’ and timed (if the show committee could find a stop watch!). That was as low as they got. Certainly no place for a green horse/rider combo to start out. And I’ll bet a lot of us posters started there!!!

Very few tack shops. Miller’s, Kaufmans, Deluxe Saddlery and a few more had catalogs that were our bibles.

Anyone remember when dressage shows were dominated by tb and everyone who didn’t have a tb, complained that that was all the judges ever picked. Very few warmbloods and what there were were mostly trakeners(sp?).

Gosh, I could go on forever. How lucky the young riders are today with all the safety equipment, lovely low jumping classes to start out with, stretch breeches that (usually) don’t split in the crotch.

One thing I will say tho that to watch a hunter class with their navy coats and tan or whatever color breeches they wear is sooooo incredibly boring. No flair, individuality, color. But one must go along with the crowd.

Many thanks to ErinB who started this thread which allowed us ‘oldies but goodies’ to remember the good old days.

msj

[Janet]

Single (center) vent jackets.
SOOOO much more flatering to the normal female figure.

[msj]

to be able to be an individual back in those days. Sorry that this is a bit of a slam at the current hunter riders but to watch a hunter class is so darn boring because they all look the same. Back in the old days, you could remember that so-and-so had a light blue jacket, and what’s-her-name had the blue madras, and whosey-what’s-it had the beige and so on. Granted we were never as colorful as the saddleseat riders were! but there was room for personality to come out. I’m probably going to get flamed by current h/j riders but, sorry, that’s my opinion. Just another vintage rider sounding off.

msj

[Weatherford]

Great picture, PamM!

Note, no saddle pad, no stirrup pads, probably a sewn in bridle!

Also note the near perfect line of the automatic release!

Loved those tweed jackets with the belvet collars - loved the velvet collars on the formal jackets, too! Velvet collars are coming back in abroad - or never went out, perhaps.

Ties - if you didn’t have a choker and didn’t want to wear a stock. I had some wonderful ties!

[LaurieB]

And it’s a bleeping miracle if I may say so myself.

Also, in line with this topic, please note Harry Hall breeches, patent leather boot tops on boots, unapproved hat, hair down–though secured by three hair nets (I have very thick hair) and double bridle on large pony (!) Back then, most people only used snaffles for the model.

[This message was edited by LaurieB on Dec. 24, 2000 at 12:19 PM.]

[rusty]

The jumper teams at Santa Barbara were fun.
ANd your right it always did rain for the english. I was talking to a friend who showed western and she said she always liked showing there because the weather was good.

[pwynnnorman]

Or were those two the early eighties? I don’t recall.

Oh, and the Professional Horseman’s Association. I don’t know why, except that my boss was pretty active in it, but it stands out in my mind as an important and very functional organization back then. I recall Gene Mische played a major role and I specifically remember how they’d take up collections or whatever if someone got injured or died.

Sportponies Unlimited
Specializing in fancy, athletic, 3/4-TB ponies.
For more info, email: sportponies@horsecity.com
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[Reckoning]

I have a 1/2 brother of Stocking Stuffer (same sire).

[Clarke_County]

farmgate, TOO funny. I’d forgotten that until you said it - Marie pulling up, talking with everyone, etc. She’d ask people sitting in the grandstands what they thought too!

[Specks]

What i meant about jumpers years ago, was that i don’t remember the childrens, adults, junior/ a/o,low schooling, high schooling, modified, etc and so on that we have today. You’re right, they did have the Open Jumper classes at Raleigh!
And, now that the old brain is functioning as it should (which on a good day leaves a lot to be desired…), i remember the entire family going to Charlotte for the Grand Prix they’d hold each year in one of the large football stadiums (which i’m sure has long since been torn down). The temporary stalls were across the road in a park, and the horses went thru a tunnel under a major thoroughfare to get to the ring.
And, my hero of then (and now) will always be Rodney Jenkins and Idle Dice.

[Bumpkin]

Because we didn’t have any Novice classes. You jumped the ht’s that most people are terrified of today

[Bumpkin]

Beezer and Merry you rode with her until when?
I had met someone who had a lovely big, big bay mare from her.
I often wondered about that mare, her breeding, and what happened to her. Perhaps we can email?

[Twister]

My mother made my jackets and had a fit over the velvet collar and pocket flaps. I wanted to make the whole lapel velvet, but she wouldn’t go for that.

I had a friend with a winter white jacket and a gold breast badge.

I did cut the elastic off my velvet hat.

No saddle pads. I rode a high withered horse whole got a rub from the pommel. My trainer (called ‘my teacher’, back then) told me to put a sponge under the saddle. I did, but put it under the center of the saddle. I had no clue how THAT was going to help! The poor guy was rubbed raw by the end of the day.

We sewed in the braids with needle and thread. No yarn.

I still have my twenty year old Dehners. Fully lined was the only way to go!

[ccoronios]

<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>ok ok I am the oldest one here!!!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I bet not… But are you originally from LI or VA/MD area?

[LaurieB]

I don’t know that I ever had a madras choker but I know I had a blue madras jacket (even worse!LOL)If I could figure out how to get my scanner working, I’d put up a picture.

Janet, I should have said that I don’t know what Buddy was riding at home, only what he was taking to the shows (between '67 and '70.) Becky (Wennol Bechan) was 69-70; West Wind, 68-69. Sparkler, before that(?)

The Tanrackin ponies I remember from that time were two large chestnut mares, Pollyanna and Menlo, and Meta rode them both. Pollyanna was champion at MSG in '65 or '66. Maybe Buddy was on Mrs. Waller’s small ponies? (I can picture another chestnut… I just can’t come up with a name.)

[Ruby_G_Weber]

San Felipe (Fipper in the barn)could be the one you are thinking of at Upperville however, a mare with an owner who always wore sunglasses would have been Market Rise. Both those grey horses showed about the same time.

[baymare]

Bumpkin are you thinking of Heather St. Clair Davis who died of ovarian cancer last summer?

[LaurieB]

wtywmn, I only knew him when he was with Rodney (this would have been in the late '60s.) He was owned at the time, I believe, by Mrs. Peggy Augustus. Funny thing is, we always thought of him as huge. He probably stood about 17.1. These days he’d just look normal size.

[AHC]

I also remember a pony named Shenandoah Opal from Florida. Had a white face. Won everything for years in the late 70s I think.