Oh Oh Oh! (raises hand) pick me! Pick me!
but seriously I can help you with this. I train for the Morgan breed circuit. You need to know what division you are wanting, there is Morgan Hunter Pleasure and Morgan Hunter which falls under the sport horse division.
Usually it is only the bigger shows that offer the sport horse division as many of the barns that specialize in Morgans do not have large numbers of sport horses. The sport horses usually train with jumper trainers or dressage trainers instead of Morgan trainers.
If it is a Hunter Pleasure class, then yes, the horse should be a bit of a flashy mover. The size of the horse doesn’t matter. I have seen some pretty large morgans showing in the classes and this year at nationals the big classes seemed to be dominated by large chestnuts with chrome.
Your horse doesn’t have to go level with it’s knee, but it should show some action. The movement should not be trappy but should be free and open moving with nice extension when asked for. Your horse should be arched in the neck with good flexion at the poll, but the profile should not be behind the vertical. You want a horse that moves well off all corners, a horse that steps nicely up front and shuffles behind is not going to do well in strong competition.
I don’t use neck wraps but I know people who do. You can work with a neoprene wrap and a sweating agent. You can make a sweating agent using regular yellow Listerine, lemon juice and a bit of glycerine, but keep in mind that if you do not rinse it out it the lemon can bleach the coat. For in the stall, people usually use a felt wrap on the throat.
Scallop braids are not seen in the Morgan ring. Plaits and French braids are what are used. I suppose you could use the scallop braid if you want to, but it would stand out and that could be a good thing or a bad thing in different situations. Because it is “different” it may call too much attention to the neck and it seems like that is something you are trying to not call attention to, right?
As for the long back. if you are in the pleasure classes, don’t use a white saddle pad. If your horse is dark, use a dark saddle pad. A black contour pad on a dark horse. A brown or beige contour pad on a lighter horse. And don’t wear beige breeches. Wear something that will not contrast with the horse’s color so much. Think of it as lighter colors on a dark horse make a “division mark” to the horse’s length and it is easier to see that there is more length to the horse behind the leg or behind the saddle than there is in front.
Also, if you are trying to hide a long back, maybe don’t braid the tail. Try it at home with a French hunter braid in the tail and a regular tail and take photos. Make an outline of the horse’s photo on paper and fill it in like a silhouette and compare. What makes your horse look longer? Unbraided tails are becoming popular in the breed ring.
As for rubbing the tail, do not wrap the tail in anything at home. It is too great a risk of her rubbing the wrap and something tightening or shifting and cutting off circulation. The risk is too great.
Is it the top of the tail that she is rubbing? Is it just the whole back of the tail?
Itchy feathers are usually treated with a mixture of Listerine and baby oil. This keeps the skin conditioned and kills off any nasty fungal or bacterial issues that may irritate. Keep the hoo-ha area clean, keep the titties clean.
If she is just a perpetual slutty mare who wants to get it on with the water bucket or feed bucket, I am not sure how you are going to fix that. Maybe Regumate? Might be worth a try.
If it is the top of the tail head she is rubbing and she is rubbing on the wall, You could also try tail boards. A tail board is basically a shelf around the stall. You would put it below the part she is rubbing so that it barricades the top of her butt from making contact with the wall, just make sure it is not low enough for her to “sit” on because she will still make contact if she can sit on it. I can try to get pictures for you if you want. You see them in saddlebred barns usually.
If you are wanting to show your Morgan in the sporthorse division if it is held at the breed show, you need to first look at who the judge is. Did they hire a sporthorse judge or is it the regular Morgan judge officiating? They will be looking for different ideals.
A sporthorse judge will judge your horse like a sporthorse. You should have a traditional look with the white contour pad and beige breeches and conservative coat and shirt. Your horse should travel with a bit of a longer frame and doesn’t have to move like the pleasure horses. If the show can’t afford the separate judge and they use the breed judge, they will want to see a bit of a fancier mover.
If you want to poke around and see what was in the ring at Nationals, here is a video from 2015 from a pleasure class.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Morgan+Hunter+PLeasure+grand+national+2016&&view=detail&mid=A52E725EDBE84138DA59A52E725EDBE84138DA59&FORM=VRDGAR
This is from the Morgan hunter sporthorse division from Nationals in 2013 (sporthorse judge)
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Morgan+hunter+hack+grand+national&&view=detail&mid=986C5FC1D35639A40283986C5FC1D35639A40283&FORM=VRDGAR
The photographer’s website is here:
http://www.howardschatzberg.com/default.asp
go to the Grand National and World Championship show. The show is several days. Pleasure horses show in the coliseum and performance arena. Sport horses show in the sporthorse arena. Most of the hunter sporthorse classes are Tuesday and Wednesday I think, Mornings and afternoons.
But, that’s not possible at a week-long show… So, what is the best way of protecting her tail? I’ve heard you aren’t supposed to wrap the upper tailbone part because it can make all the hair fallout! But there must be a safe way to protect it for just a week? Thanks!