I have that same saddle. Showed in it for years. Only oiled it regularly, never tried to darken it. Had “normal” colored brown bridles.
No one cared, did not effect my placings one bit.
[QUOTE=beowulf;7230749]
agreed, but that’s only if you’re not in the HJ world.
your stubben should be really easy to darken - if you want to take that road. see this post.
Contrary to what some people like to believe, hunter judges won’t penalize you for “non-matching” tack. Your best bet for darkening is Walsh/Blue Ribbon oil (which is how the label now reads) which has a little bit of stain in the formula which helps darken it more easily.
[QUOTE=goodlife;7230827]
The horror! 
Such is life when you buy used and put fit ahead of fashion. :lol: I’ll send her over to you right away, TheJenners.[/QUOTE]
Don’t you know you have to buy your horse to match your tack??? All kidding aside, LOVELY horse and rider. Is that you? Very nice.
[QUOTE=goodlife;7230798]
I already posted this picture on another similar thread, but I’d venture to guess that unless I pointed it out, you wouldn’t see the horrific unmatchingness of my saddle to the rest of my tack at first glance. Not a big deal.
https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1239806_10153155761895524_2064690824_n.jpg[/QUOTE]
Hey goodlife, is that a black saddle?
It’s really important. Not matching shows you aren’t serious about looking your best. Why don’t you purchase the matching bridle for your saddle, oil them both, and use the other as back up? If you are showing AA or A, you will seriously get laughed out of the ring. It’s unprofessional and looks tacky.
[QUOTE=EquitationDiva98;7236750]
It’s really important. Not matching shows you aren’t serious about looking your best. Why don’t you purchase the matching bridle for your saddle, oil them both, and use the other as back up? If you are showing AA or A, you will seriously get laughed out of the ring. It’s unprofessional and looks tacky.[/QUOTE]
A JUDGE stated earlier in this thread that it does not matter! My saddle is more red than my havanna bridle and martingale. I have done a few A and AA shows in it and placed where I deserved to place (including a Reserve Champion.) Now, when I ordered a custom saddle, I ordered a brown one that would better match my bridle and martingale. But, I still use the other saddle on the other horses and have never encountered a problem.
[QUOTE=inca;7236760]
A JUDGE stated earlier in this thread that it does not matter! My saddle is more red than my havanna bridle and martingale. I have done a few A and AA shows in it and placed where I deserved to place (including a Reserve Champion.) Now, when I ordered a custom saddle, I ordered a brown one that would better match my bridle and martingale. But, I still use the other saddle on the other horses and have never encountered a problem.[/QUOTE]
Well, at my barn, we are expected to have matching tack. If it doesn’t match at first, oil it until it does. And that particular judge might not mind it, others may. One judge doesn’t speak for them all.
Fair enough. But, saying you will get laughed out of the ring at an A or AA show is NOT accurate. Your trainer also does not speak for all trainers and all judges.
You will not get laughed out of the ring. Or perhaps “EquitationDiva” can laugh Beezie Madden out of the Olympic ring, as her saddle is consistently lighter/redder than her bridles on Google images of Authentic. It’s extremely obvious here on Judgment: http://www.equisearch.com/news/nancy_jaffer/syracuse_110208/
Some people just don’t know what they are talking about.
I was always taught to match your bridle and martingale to each other and either match your girth to your saddle or to your bridle/martingale. Your saddle doesn’t have to match the rest of your tack.
[QUOTE=Spud&Saf;7236849]
I was always taught to match your bridle and martingale to each other and either match your girth to your saddle or to your bridle/martingale. Your saddle doesn’t have to match the rest of your tack.[/QUOTE]
Yes, my bridle and martingale are the same brand/style and match perfectly. Then I have a leather girth that matches my saddle very nicely. I have never had a single person comment on the fact my saddle does not match my bridle.
[QUOTE=janedoe726;7236218]
Hey goodlife, is that a black saddle?[/QUOTE]
No, just the dark brown/Havana coloured Antares.
ETA: @ParadoxFarm, yes that’s me and my (17hh) pony. 
She’s the best.
[QUOTE=EquitationDiva98;7236750]
It’s really important. Not matching shows you aren’t serious about looking your best. Why don’t you purchase the matching bridle for your saddle, oil them both, and use the other as back up? If you are showing AA or A, you will seriously get laughed out of the ring. It’s unprofessional and looks tacky.[/QUOTE]
You’re right. I was laughed straight out of the USHJA International Derby earlier this year because of my non-matching tack. Super embarrassing. I mean, how did I go out in public looking like THIS!?: https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/996569_10153155847940524_981011823_n.jpg
Man I am catching hell everywhere I turn on here right now…lol
Lovely picture Goodlife.
I have sat with over 20 large R judges, and have judged 5-10 shows a year for the last 16 years, not once have they or I ever cared about whether the tack matches, now a blingy belt, well that is a whole 'nother discussion Bwahahaha
[QUOTE=mroades;7236947]
Man I am catching hell everywhere I turn on here right now…lol
Lovely picture Goodlife.
I have sat with over 20 large R judges, and have judged 5-10 shows a year for the last 16 years, not once have they or I ever cared about whether the tack matches, now a blingy belt, well that is a whole 'nother discussion Bwahahaha[/QUOTE]
I always say that if the difference between first and second place has to come down to the colour of your saddle/bridle/jacket/boots/horse/dog/golfcart, just be happy that you rode that well to begin with, because everything else must have been spot on.
[QUOTE=EquitationDiva98;7236750]
It’s really important. Not matching shows you aren’t serious about looking your best. Why don’t you purchase the matching bridle for your saddle, oil them both, and use the other as back up? If you are showing AA or A, you will seriously get laughed out of the ring. It’s unprofessional and looks tacky.[/QUOTE]
It doesn’t matter.
Tell John French he better get oiling…
You know tacky can also be an attitude right? Judging fellow competitors not on their horsemanship, but on fashion, color of tack etc, is unprofessional and very tacky.
I still can’t figure out if you are for real - or just like stirring the pot with ridiculous “hunter princess” - all that is wrong with the sport - type statements.
I would match it, but its just my preference.
Don’t worry about it! Bridle and martingale (if you use one) should match, girth to saddle (if you can…it’s not an end-all thing), and go knock everyone’s socks off!
If you encounter those “laughing you out of the ring,” rest assured they’re more concerned with fashion, popularity, and being snide than they are with horsemanship and truly riding well.
[QUOTE=EquitationDiva98;7236766]
Well, at my barn, we are expected to have matching tack. If it doesn’t match at first, oil it until it does. And that particular judge might not mind it, others may. One judge doesn’t speak for them all.[/QUOTE]
Perhaps you could post a picture of yourself so we can see how we’re supposed to look?
[QUOTE=goodlife;7236924]
You’re right. I was laughed straight out of the USHJA International Derby earlier this year because of my non-matching tack. Super embarrassing. I mean, how did I go out in public looking like THIS!?: https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/996569_10153155847940524_981011823_n.jpg[/QUOTE]
Oh yikes, goodlife, the horror! All I can see is the non-matching tack!!! :lol:
(seriously love your mare, if I haven’t said it enough lately)
I live in the jumper ring, so I’m not held to the same standards, but relevant to the point that you’ll get laughed out of A/AA shows…here’s my guy in a GP and another shot from another GP where you can see that not only do my bridle and saddle not match, but my girth doesn’t match the saddle and my reins don’t totally match the bridle. The horror! I’m so tired of getting laughed out of the ring!
And while my boys go in lighter saddles and darker bridles, one of my mares goes in a not-quite-black saddle with a lighter bridle similar to goodlife’s pics.
To be fair to EquitationDiva, though, my trainer from when I was a kid would have eaten us alive if we hadn’t had matching tack in the hunter ring, and in my inexperience and naiveté, I probably would have believed that the judges cared about the tack based on what he used to say too. Of course, we all had one horse and bought tack only for that one horse. What I do now more resembles a swatch factory (omg, I just totally dated myself!). I have a whole bunch of saddles and two or three times the bridles and just randomly assort what I need based on what fits and what I want to ride in. It’s actually a miracle I show up to the ring with any tack at all, let alone matching! :lol:
![https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/996569_10153155847940524_981011823_n.jpg[/QUOTE]](https://scontent-b-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/996569_10153155847940524_981011823_n.jpg%5B/QUOTE%5D){kind=link}
