I would like to dress my mare in gray, (saddle pad, wraps, bridle.) Can i get away with that on Training Level and 1st lvl shows?
My first reaction is if you are thinking in terms of getting away with something, you probably shouldnāt do it. That said, youāre probably fine with a grey pad. Please remember that wraps (of any color) are forbidden in the ring while you are riding your tests.
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I would think so: the rules state that the saddle pad may be white or any conservative color. You cannot show with wraps or boots of any kind - you may warm up with them. Iām not sure they make gray bridlesā¦Iāve only ever seen black and brown.
ETA: It is completely up to the judge to determine what is a āconservative colorā and what is not. Iāve seen people with matchy-matchy jackets, pads and boots and helmets, usually in gray, brown or jewel tones. Iāve never seen anyone rung out for anything that wasnāt explicitly illegal (wrong bit, wrong bridle, whip in a championship, abusive riding). Since they updated the rules to allow for colored show shirts, Iāve seen a lot of colors when jackets are waived. But most people still show in a white saddle pad.
Generally speaking, Dressage isnāt about the colors you wear or how much sparkle you have on your horse, though the retailers seem to be pushing us in that direction.
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Good! Thanks. Iāve never been to a show. And have started digesting the rules and regs but havenāt gotten enough info on appropriate tack except that it has to be dull. Gray seems pretty dull and boring enough to me, but i see pretty much only white saddle pads in photos. So i just pulled the trigger and bought a couple of gray pads. Gray biothane is her new training bridle and breast collar. It looks so good on her that iād like to show her in it too.
is there a rule that bridles must be leather?
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What is biothane?
From the USEF rules: āExcept for the buckles and a small disk of sheepskin, which may be used in the intersection of the two leather straps of a crossed noseband, the headstall and cavesson/noseband of the bridle must be made entirely of leather or leather-like material. However, wear tabs on cheek pieces and reins may be made of non-leather or other material. A padded cavesson/noseband and crownpiece are allowed. Nylon or other non-metal material may be used to reinforce leather in the headstall but must not come in direct contact with the horse. Elastic inserts are permitted in the crownpiece and cheekpieces only. A browband is required, and except for the parts that attach to the crownpiece or headstall, is not required to be made of leather or leather-like material.ā
To be safe, Iād get a leather bridle. You canāt go wrong with a plain black leather snaffle: Dover has some for sale for under $100. Does biothane break under pressure? If it doesnāt, I wouldnāt ever use it on a horse.
Here are all the rules regarding dress and tack: https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/sAH3nOVD85c/dressage-attire-equipment-booklet#:~:text=A%20Dressage%20saddle%20which%20must,colored%20pads%20are%20not%20permitted.
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Iām not positive about the bridle as I donāt think the rulebook actually specifies which colors tack should be. A gray saddle pad should be fine, as the rulebook only states that it must be white or of a conservative color, for which gray certainly qualifies. Wraps/boots typically arenāt allowed in dressage, but if youāre only doing schooling shows they sometimes allow them so you should ask them.
Bridles must be leather or of a leather like material. I THINK biothane would qualify as leather-like, but you can get a decent used leather bridle for pretty cheap. Might be better to be safe than sorry.
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Biothane and beta are synthetic and absolutely positively do not break or tear!
They are standard materials for combined driving marathon harness because of their strength and durability. Also, if the biothane was black youād be hard pressed to tell it was not leather so it qualifies as leather-likeā¦ But since grey tanned leather is beyond rare, it think you are pushing it either a grey bridle. But to can always bring both to the show and ask the TD when you are there!
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I forgot to take my mareās bell boots off at a schooling show. The judge (who was rated) said sheād have to eliminate me and noted it on my scoresheet - oh well. The show office didnāt care a bit - I still got a ribbon 
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i have quite a few leather bridles already, but she looks the best in her gray biothane outfit. Have a matching *thin english, biothane breastcollar i ride her in too. This mare always goes in a breastcollar, her shoulders are gianormousā¦muttonish in fact. Thanks for the link Mersidoats! Iād not found that yet! Lovely to know that i can ride her in her cheap synthetic dressage saddle that fits us or my trusty Thorowgood T4 GP english saddle in a show! I do not have a leather saddle that fits her and iām not ready to begin THAT adventure quite yet. Just wanna see how she does in a ring. We are legit 1st level, working now on lateral movements actually, but i was going to enter Training Level at some schooling shows first. Then maybe an show-show. Then move up in a few months. I want to be successful and feel good about her score, so i think iāll just show a bit below us. Itās always been my habit in dogs and worked well for my self-esteem, so think iāll stick with that formula. Re: gray tackā¦ found this, bought it: https://www.statelinetack.com/item/oeq-traditional-dressage-saddle-pad/E072003/ (isnāt it pretty?~!)
I know itās NOTHING compared to what most of you spend on dressage tack, but to me, a 44$ machine-made mass-produced cottonblend one seems like a lot to me. Iāve bought some beautiful expensive handwoven wool western saddle pads, but LOLā¦iām loathe to even use themā¦lol
A biothane bridle is fine. Grey isnāt traditional, but itās legal and the judge will not care. Gray saddle pads are fine, and you can show in any jump or dressage style saddle through 4th level, leather or synthetic.
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thatās awesome news joiedevie99~!!
Sheās a nontraditional color herself, being dapple palomino w/drk gray nose and gray āeyelinerā coloring around her eyes. She looks awful in black, washed-out in brown and kinda awesome in navy and gray. I know navy is āoutā, so thought iād go-with gray. Not a stark gray thoughā¦a warm gray is what she wears the best.
I had a gray leather bridle several years ago. I think it may have been Kavalkade brand? Anyway, it honestly just looked like faded black leather, so it wouldnāt have been my choice for showing.
A gray pad and matching jacket would look sharp, but I wouldnāt worry about navy being āoutā if it looks good on your horse.
I have a longer navy Pikeur Diana that I plan to show in at 2nd level, since navy looks incredible on my dark chestnut mare (discovered the hard way that silicone full-seats plus posting in a longer jacket makes a terrible combo, hence why it will stay in the closet until posting is not part of the test).
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ā¦so your jacket tucked under your seat? LOL. Iāve never had grippy-seat breeches, i can hardly stand kneepatches and usually train in yoga tights.
I have a question regarding rising trot ā¦how much attention is paid by judges to rider being on the correct diagonal? Or is that even a āthingā in dressage?
HEY, i just found navy blue leather bridles (and reins and breast collars~!) i may be dressing her in navy after all~! Iāve requested a leather sampleā¦ I look better in navy than i do in grayā¦
Navy blue bridle/reins/breast collar and palomino horse questions:
ā¦White or black stitching? maybe white is too casual and black will be more formal?
ā¦stainless steel or brass hardware? normally iād go-with stainless, but she is a palomino, so?
but, bit will be stainless, and whatever little bit of hardware is on the saddle is silver-tone
Diagonal doesnāt matter, but it can be part of rider effectiveness. So if you are posting on the inside diagonal and it is impacting your horseās rhythm, that goes into the rider score.
And yes, the longer tails got stuck between the silicone full seats and my saddle so the whole jacket was kind of pulling down on my shoulders while I was trying to post. Now I have shorter coats that are more on-trend and donāt reach the cantle, so itās not an issue.
Honestly, youāre overthinking this turnout thing. Itās better to have quality, well-fitting tack that is more plain and workman-like for lower levels.
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Technically, there is no such thing as ācorrect diagonalā in dressage. But some judges (especially those who started in hunter/jumper) think/act as if there is.
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i wondered why my coach as never mentioned my diagonal to me. Or has told me to sit-a-beat, and sheās a judge. I plan on quizzing her tomorrow when we meet (masked!) for our lesson though. tks for your reply Janet
Some of the Eastern European Dressage Masters explicitly teach that you should post on the inside (āwrongā) diagonal. The claim is that posting on the outside (ācorrectā) diagonal āoverburdensā the inside hind.
Since dressage is an International sport, they did not wan to be accused of favoring one ānational schoolā, so they did nt specify a ācorrect diagonalā. (Though, at the levels where competition is International, posting/risingtrot is rarely asked for.)
But, whchever diagonal you use, you should be consistent, and have a reason.
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i havenāt posted the trot in more than a decade, preferring to sit actually. But because iāve decided to show, my coach is now asking for a rising trot. Last week she didnāt critique meā¦and i didnāt ask, but on the way home i decided that maybe i was not actually, (accidentally LOL) on the correct diagonal and she didnāt say anything because it was not relevant. Guess thatās the answerā¦not relevant.
