Western ASB tack!

[NBChoice]

I would post this question on trot.org, but it’s still closed… so I’m hoping some Saddlebred folks will be able to help me out here!!

I know that “bling” is the norm in the Saddlebred western division, but is color ever allowed on tack? I found a gorgeous bridle and breast collar that has royal blue on it. Also one that has a dark greyish color on it. Are stones or gems allowed?

I haven’t ever seen any tack that has stuff on it other than silver and bling so I know it is not really normal in the show ring, but I thought I’d ask if this would be frowned upon or not. (Actually now that I think of it I’ve never seen it in stock type western pleasure either. Is it just not “the right thing to do”?)
The mare I’m going to be showing is black, so I thought the royal blue would look really pretty on her…

[Renae]

If you want to know what is allowed read the rulebook I do know people who show in rhinestone tack, its not against the rules, but remember the more your tack stands out the more you need to make sure you and your horse want to stand out in a good way.

[NBChoice]

I’ve read the rulebook many many times. Whenever I have a question I go there first. But since I didn’t see anything (Or I missed it) about colors specifically I thought I’d ask!

Okay, so I probably shouldn’t start out with really gaudy stuff lol!

[mand_asbfan]

I wouldn’t do it - I think it is legal but it would be very faux pas… remember, people are still wearing the monocolor, scalloped custom show sets that are circa the 1960’s

[bludejavu]

I think if you’re going to show with bling such as stones, make sure your tack and outfit say “quality” and not quantity. I showed several of my ASB’s in vintage Circle Y tack with red rubies intricately worked into the silver - got tons of compliments on that set. As for colors on western tack, I haven’t seen anyone showing in colored tack, but there is definitely no ruling against it. My advice - unless you have a top notch horse and plan to be a trendsetter, don’t let yourself be too much of a “horse of a different color”.

Also, an idle observation of mine is that different parts of the country show in different tack. Here in the south, you can NOT have too much silver or bling on tack or clothing. After studying proofs for other parts of the country, some areas are much more conservative.

[ReSomething]

I asked my trainer and she said basically that you can use whatever you want. Will it be “in”? Probably not. If you want to be a trendsetter just remember you want to be remembered for your gorgeous horse and fantastic ride, not because you were that person that wore hot pink.

[NBChoice]

Thanks guys.
I definitely don’t want to be a trendsetter… I just thought the blue would look pretty on her. But I think I’ll pass on this for a while until I see how we do in the show ring!
I’ll just go for the traditional silver and get a cute saddle pad or something.

[sdlbredfan]

I seem to recall that the rules say ‘working’ tack is OK, that it does not have to have silver or look fancy. Working tack, however, means workmanlike such as one might use if actually working with cattle, riding fence, trailriding etc. I agree with quality construction, material and design being a good thing. For example, I would guess that a leather plus cordura (but not colored) saddle such as is popular for trail riding would also qualify as ‘working’ tack.

[pattnic]

Honestly, I would suggest taking a look at some of your breed magazines and photos from top shows. Looking at those things showed me that things that would never fly in the regular hunter-jumper world were all the rage at Morgan shows.

[NBChoice]

I have looked at all the show pics in my area and have seen a few that have some type of color, but not many.
But like I said, I’ll pass on it this season!