It seems no one is wearing anything but boring White. I just got back from Wellington and watched many national show tests. Nothing but white. We fought hard for the “right” to use conservative colors - but no… ALso, it seems the bling level is going down as well. WHat do you think?
We can use colors now??
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I’m a long way from any sort of recognized competition, but is “conservative” defined anywhere, explicitly, in this context? I couldn’t find anything but my search was not exhaustive. I wonder if people are being a little slow to change because they already HAVE white show pads, and are waiting to see where the fashion winds are blowing on the specifics on the colors.
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it’s not too surprising that people are not changing overnight at the higher levels. Change in rules and laws may happen overnight. It rarely happens that fast in behavior. 
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I have always been conservation. Not even a padded browband. The horse is beautiful all by himself. I love a blinding white saddle pad and white polos.
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Interesting - I see colored pads all the time! And bling seems to be evening out, not the giddy revelation it can be used and drowning in it, but also not eliminating it - each person finding the balance for what is tasteful to them. And cantles seem to be getting more and more bling, but they are frequently hidden by coats.
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I could imagine there being differences between different trainers, different circuits, different regions, different tiers on this.
Come to the west coast 
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Even at at local schooling show my trainer wanted me to use white. I own a chestnut now. With my other horse who is a grey/white pinto I would use a dark pad for both eventing dressage and regular dressage- both schooling. I like the contrast.
I’ve never seen many colored pads at shows in my area. (Mid-Atlantic) Personally, depending on what my colors are I would stick with either cream or white with some sort of colored piping. But I’ve seen navy, black, and grey pads at shows before. They look nice, too depending on the color of the horse and the rider’s color scheme. I tend to enjoy putting more color options into my riding coat, helmet, and browband.
Yes, I would imagine that, like so many things fashion-related, trends in dressage fashions change at different rates in different geographical areas.
We definitely have some more color out here in CA. I have seen navy, black, brown, burgundy, grey pads at shows. I also have seen plenty of colored coats and helmets and boots, too, even in the CDIs. It does seem than the excitement to wear color everywhere and bling everything has abated a bit and more often color and bling show up in a few areas, with more traditional choices being the majority of the outfit.
All white pads are probably also easier on the grooms when they are already juggling a million and one details.
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Me too! I am dismayed by all the bling - good grief - if you want bling, go into the western pleasure world -
why detract from the beauty of the horse and its movements?
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If I were a clothing designer, I would go to the paint section of Sherwin Williams, pick out a few light, tasteful wall colors and make breeches in those. If we can have a million colors of white and cream (or even light grey or light blue) on our walls, we certainly can have something a little kinder that bright white on our thighs.
And then you’d get a pad to match the Egg Shell or Sand Dune or Cloudless breeches you were wearing.
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Lack of matching pads and breeches are the only reason I stick to stark white. And lack of interest in paying to have pads custom made for showing, which I think would solve the issue.
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I just wish breech makers would make eggshell breeches to go with my new brown coat. BOnus if FITS did it.
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I am going to use the following show pads this year:
Ogilvy white with red and black piping
Ogilvy white with royal blue and white piping
Ogilvy white with navy and black piping
The horses will wear either black or navy ear bonnets and both have blingy browbands. I don’t really have a ton of bling on me, just earrings and big stones (1 on each) on my spur straps.
I’m doing my part! 
MTA: Mostly recognized showing, maybe a schooling show or two to get enough points for year end awards
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See? There’s a market.
FITS used to do them. A friend of mine has a pair.
I don’t see why they wouldn’t still do them. Just check.
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I am on team “start crowdfunding so we can pay a designer to make tastefully white breeches” rather than eye-gougingly white! (And can we go with a comfortable fabric that avoids the habit of going strangely translucent?)
All that aside: there have been some very nice looking grey pads that have made an appearance in our big rated show series. The one I am thinking of especially is a dark grey on a very light grey horse, and the rider also has piping on the saddle that matches.
(And I am a bad example of this as I love boring, boring conventional options - although I do have one show pad with charcoal trim, which makes me very happy. I’m still on the quest for the perfect browband, though. Someday.)
Um, because my warmblood would look really stupid doing western pleasure? And because western pleasure is boring? If people don’t like the bling, then they can go watch someone else’s test.
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