I observed a woman in the hunter ring. She was from the eventing world, and wore white breeches, had a huge half pad, large button braids and rode in black tack. The trip was absolutely an atrocity, yet she felt her placing was the result of her appearance. The reality was that the actual riding was the element that was out of place (burying the horse to the distances, riding hard to the jumps, etc…). So, I’m sure there are a lot of people who blame their tack and clothing because they think they did just fine when in reality they did not.
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I live and ride in Zone 3 and no the white breeches thing will not hurt you at all. PLENTY of kids and adults do it on Sundays when it’s jumper classic days. No one is going to bother change their pants in 100 degree weather in a terrible bathroom when the have both a jumper and a hunter. LOL
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When I was showing in Zone 3 in the 90s, it was practically a crime/you didn’t fit in unless you rode in one of those Beval therapeutic pads with no shaped pad under. Trends change!
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Lots of whites on Sunday here in Zone 10, for the same reason.
Also, It broke my 1990s East Coast heart into pieces to do it, but I have personally been awarded primary colored ribbons while using Pelhams and/or full cheek snaffles and half pads (in combination!) in the hunter ring since we moved out here. Nobody died, and the horse went much better. He placed in the rounds where he didn’t swap off his left lead, and didn’t place in the rounds that he did. All remained more or less right with the world.
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Someone who judges at the county level told me only D rings in the hunters, pelham bits in equitation, and leather girths. My horse does hunters and eq in a synthetic girth and a snaffle bit that looks like more of an egg butt. In my profile photo he’s in a loose-ring snaffle. So clearly I don’t think any of that matters.
Several judges have have told me in person or via an article not to wear anything that makes you look too much not like the others, especially in flat equitation. Depending on the judge it might get you noticed (for better or worse) or might give them an excuse to knock you down in placing. Or make their eye linger on you a bit longer so they notice something they might not have. So why pay $$$ to enter a class and wear black tack with brass buckles just to test the waters, unless you’re doing some sort of a study to determine judging prejudices.
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I don’t mean to put you on the spot Anne, but I’ve included the quote you left on the other thread since you made reference to it.
Yes, first impressions are important when show in the hunter ring because 1) your are judged from the moment you enter the ring and 2) your overall score is opinion based. That being said, in my opinion, a hunter judge’s first impression revolves around making sure your boots are polished, your horse’s braids are tidy and neat, the coat shins and the horse is in good weight, your horse is well trained and you enter the ring at your horse’s best gait. This helps the judge form an impression about the quality and movement of your horse. That is very different than assuming braids on the left, black tack or white breeches automatically makes a bad impression. Maybe I am incorrect, but I think you misunderstood what was being discussed at the clinic in regards to first impressions. I have attended these clinics regularly too. Did the clinician actually state during the clinic that a horse must be braided on the right, black tack is not acceptable and riders shouldn’t be wearing white breeches?
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One myth from years ago: only puke green tailored sportsmen breeches, Vogal boots, flat bevel saddle, raised bridle, D ring snaffle or you do not place!! And no colored horses please! 
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I’m doomed. My new horse has a mane that lies resolutely on the left and I have no choice but to braid it there. And she goes best in a Pelham. Will her lovely movement, stunning looks and “jump the moon” style be enough to save us?
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If we plan the same classes I’ll distract them with my black tack for you:yes:
Sorry not sorry, I’m not buying new tack to dip my toe back into the hunters. :no:
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IME when I’ve had trainers show my hunters, occasionally on GP days they would wear whites with no issue. I’ve had a horse champion in a large division with my trainer wearing white.
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Horseshows are run the same way in pretty much every zone. On GP day and Jumper Classic day I wear my white breeches for the whole day regardless of whether I have hunters going or not. I have never been looked at sideways for doing so. And I’m also not the only one doing it. So I think you are wrong.
And while I totally agree that the impression you make is super important, an overall impression does not usually come from a single detail. If you walked into the ring with [bad] braids on the wrong side, white breeches, ill-fitting tack, and a poorly groomed horse, then yes, you will likely be judged poorly. But I’ll stick to what I said on the other thread. If you are impeccably turned out and have one “funny” detail, I think that 95% of the time, no one is going to notice. In
I’ll add to what I said on the other thread as well. As mentioned above, I have shown in the hunters in white breeches at least one day at almost every show I’ve been to in the last few years. Never had it change my placings from beige day to whites. I had a horse whose saddle slipped like crazy with a hunter pad (or half pad) under it, so I showed for a season in the Performance and AO Hunters with no saddle pad at all. That horse won enough that I’m pretty sure I can safely say that it did not impact our impression, despite the fact that it looked a little odd watching the videos to me (but also, I knew what to be looking for). And I’ve had many occasions where I’ve been in a big jumper class (much more important to me than my hunter rounds on my young green horses) and I’ve literally run back to the barn to drop the jumper off, grabbed the hunter, and sprinted to the ring without remembering to change into a less flashy/more-huntery hunt coat. Oh, and we had a show where the braider population declined precipitously thanks to a combination of weather and the flu. My Baby Green horse went (“surprise!”) unbraided and still beat a heck of a lot of braided horses.
I don’t disagree that some judges might notice odd details particularly well. But I think that the majority of the time Daventry is spot on with her point that it’s the overall presentation of things like shiny coat/healthy looking horse/nice mover (etc.), and that the stupid little details that are not technically against the rules are just not a big deal (if not amassed).
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Many of these “myths” come from people who are new to hunters, or new to a higher level of hunters, and don’t do well. It’s easy to say you didn’t pin because your horse goes in a pelham. It’s much harder to realize that maybe you were a little unprepared or uneducated and it showed in your rounds. My rule of thumb is to do everything with a purpose and look like I know what I’m doing :lol: I personally wouldn’t braid on the left. I’ve never encountered a horse with a mane so stubborn it couldn’t be braided neatly to the right.
Some things I learned along the way (and later learned were very, very false):
- Sit the trot into an equitation class
- You must show in a martingale
- You must have a lip strap on your pelham curb chain
- Always keep your crop in your outside hand and switch it during the flat
I’ve also survived the beginning and end of a few trends:
- GPAs make you look like a skunk.
- If you do not have a skunk helmet you don’t look put together
- GPA Speed Airs make you look like a bug (and repeat :rolleyes:)
- Navy hunt coats only. Black hunt coats are for pony club only and green gives everyone around you immediate anxiety stricken flashbacks to 1990.
- Hunt coats must be black or so dark navy they look black
- Black is outdated and your coat must now be a shade of navy light enough to not be confused with black. Wouldn’t want to look 2010.
- Your noseband must be fancy stitched, padded, yet somehow understated.
-Your noseband must be unpadded and wide. But still fancy stitched. Always fancy stitched. - Nothing touches the horse that is not white, black, brown, or navy. Hunter green is oooookay if you must. Other colors don’t exist. We close our eyes if we accidentally run into colored items in the tack shop. Other colors do. not. exist.
- Every strip of fabric, leather, trim, binding, stitching, piping, embroidery, and/or crotchet must be perfectly color coordinated in your custom color scheme. All colors are fair game. As long as they match. Perfectly.
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This brings back some memories! :lol: Especially the crop… like you’re somehow hiding it from the judge in the center of the ring if its on the outside. Because, you know, the judge isn’t observant enough to see you have it in your hand and constantly switching it back and forth as you change directions… 
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Soo… I’m from dressage land. What are judges looking for in hunters? Just curious. I have NO experience in this area.
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Yes, but it looks like you did braid on the right, which got the OP’s panties in a bunch on another thread. Clothing and tack styles may change, but I have never seen a hunter at a rated show braided on the left. OP kept stating she was a USEF R rated judge and you could braid on any side and no one would notice. Most disagreed with her.
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Google USEF Hunter Competitions and it will tell you. You can also google winning hunter rounds and watch YouTube videos.
OP was stating that it won’t impact your placing in the class if you had to braid to the left as opposed to the right for whatever reason. The judge isn’t going to mark you down automatically for it.
As another poster pointed out in that thread, if placings came down to left or right braids that would be one hell of a class.
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Braiding on the left will stick out like a sore thumb, to me it’s the most obvious of the aforementioned myths.
I’m a braider and trust me, any mane can and should be braided on the right.
It’s not that any of these things are the reason you won’t win. Some of them just seem to go hand in hand with people who are new to the hunters.
It’s also worth pointing out that the top level hunters in one area do not equal the top level hunters in another area. That goes for quantity and quality. I grew up showing in Ontario, groomed in Florida, moved to Alberta, then back to Ontario.
The B level (Trillium) hunters in Ontario usually had larger class sizes with nicer horses than the A circuit hunters in Edmonton and Calgary. Tbird was a bit better but nothing like the average A show in Ontario.
The reason I Point this out is because with fewer numbers the people showing with these “myths” will be more likely to pin and thus it seems more acceptable.
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As others have said, most of these aren’t myths at all.
- D rings or eggbutts, or pelhams. Don’t go into the hunter ring in some crazy hack-a-bit contraption, or other bit that is obviously for a strong horse. The point of hunters is to look effortless and smooth. Your bit should tell that story too.
- I think half pads have been ok for a while now, as long as they are a neutral color (not bright pink)
-White breeches for adults only, and only in certain cases. Juniors in the 2’6" hunters shouldn’t be wearing white.
-Your braider can braid a left mane on the right. It’s not hard as long as your horse doesn’t have a bush for a mane. - True black tack is probably not going to go over well in a AA show. But at unrated/C shows is probably fine.
The thing is, unless you know for a fact you will put in the best round of the day, it’s best to not go against the hunter grain, especially in flat classes. When you are all standing in the center of the ring, that class very well could be decided by who is better put together.
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I agree if one goes against the norm you will be noticed for better or for worse.
These conversations about tradition in show hunters crack me up because show hunters are so far removed from tradition with regards to field hunters it’s not even funny. It’s amusing to me how some traditions can be thrown out in the name of fashion but others cause heart burn.
I personally, do not care what people wear, what side of the horse the mane is braided on, what color tack the person has etc. I am way too busy with my own classes, horse, and nerves to notice half the time. If I do notice I still don’t care.
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