I rode in the jumpers for 20+ years, and now I’m “retiring” to the hunter ring as my…ahem…mature brain cannot remember the jumper courses anymore.
I sure miss the colorful jackets, fancy boots, and my rhinestone-studded ear bonnet. The hunter ensemble is just so traditional (I know, I know). What can I do, within the rules, that will give my look (or my horse’s look) a little pizzazz?
Pizzaz is not in a Hunter’s vocabulary 
LOL, oh come on. Surely there must be something.
Is a mane charm acceptable? That’s a very, very small amount of pizzazz.
No. 
Just do what you want within reason. As long as it doesn’t overly detract from the horse who cares. 
Maybe your jacket liner can be cray-cray? Lol.
Just say no to bling. It’s tack-y……
I am all for (reasonable) pizzazz
I myself don’t ride in the hunters but I follow some folks on social media who do compete at rated shows and I have seen them wear some really beautiful coat colors - brown, light blue, darker green, etc. They add some color but still look very nicely put together.
I like braiding with slightly different (but conservative) color yarn. Bays look nice with navy, greys with burgundy or hunter green, etc. Of course, it does require that you’re pretty good with braiding because you can’t hide mistakes as easily.
Of course, I only do schooling shows, so maybe that wouldn’t fly at bigger shows haha.
Find eight beautiful jumps.
Out of the question. LOL.
Then hunters might not be your thing… since that is the whole point of hunters.
To me, the mane charms really break up the horse’s top line visually.
On the extremely rare occasions when I felt the need to do something decorative for a special occasion, I have put it in the forelock for that reason.
I saw lots of coloured yarn and mane charms in the hunter and eq rings at Ontario A shows this past summer.
Lots of different coloured jackets in the hunter ring as well.
You can get shirts with fun patterns on the inside of the cuffs and collar. Traditional in the show ring, fun when you’re warming up.
You can always pick up a fun belt or buckle as well.
“Pizzazz” in the hunter ring usually shows up when the shadbellies some out. Bright linings, fun points. I have a set with bucking horses on one side, and a metallic paisley print on the other side.
Personally, I’m not a fan of the yarn and charms. Like @MHM said it breaks up the topline. But I’d love to add a colourful jacket to my collection. RJ had an almost turquoise one, but I couldn’t find it anywhere in person. Now I can’t even find it online in my size.
I have custom spurs laser etched with my horse’s name and the straps have tiny dark jewels on the edge. I also have a small circular dog tag on the buckle of my reins that says my horse’s name on one side and a bluebird on the other (in honor of my sister who passed away). But that bling is really only noticeable to me. But it makes me weirdly happy lol.
I also love show shirts with funky inside cuff and collar patterns.
What a lovely touch.
Thank you ! Welcome to the dark …. Errrrr vanilla side of show ring bling. And best wishes!
Yes, Mane charms are acceptable as is carefully chosen colored yarn. Especially around holidys.
Yes, you need the right charm. Not dangly. Attached right to the braid.
I highly recommend taking up dressage on the side. There’s no bling in the Hunter ring, but I’ve enjoyed showing my Hunter in both classical (bling allowed) and western dressage (lots o’ room for bling that would make Liberace envious!).
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