So I’m getting into Western Pleasure and Showmanship and planning to show but I have medium length (almost between my shoulder blades when straightened) CURLY hair (like I’m half Nigerian so super curly and frizzy). I have no idea what to do with it when I start showing. Does anyone know what I can do, preferably without straightening it? I will if I need to but I don’t want to fry it every other weekend and have it frizz up when it’s humid.
Put it up in a twist or bun and under the hat if you can and bobby pin any stray locks. Then spray the heck out of it with hairspray so no wisps pop loose. Heaven forbid :eek: a stray curl pops loose!
I have very short curly hair (almost pixie short) and got knocked down in placings in showmanship badly last year when the judge noted the curls at the nape of my neck. He announced in front of the entire class that my hair was “unruly and I should do something” with it. Well, it is so short there was not much I COULD do with it except shave it off and that’s not an option, even for showmanship 
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Low bun, cover with a sheer hair net, and spray it to death with hairspray. Practice at home to find the sweet spot that is low enough to not interfere with your hat, but high enough to not rub on your shirt or jacket collar.
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We used gel --I believe Deb was the cheapest there was (Dep?) --anyway, thoroughly wet hair, apply a handful, comb through,style hair (we used two small braids along the sides to keep fly-aways off the face, then braided those into two braids down the back, then twisted those together to form a bun at the back of the neck. Always try on hat before finishing) – lots of hair pins (the big kind) and we used heavy-duty riding hair nets --two of them. Then spray. Hair would stay neat for the entire week of showing -never had to take it down . . .even if you did, it stayed in one place --like cement! Learned this from the gymnastics moms --those ladies know how to keep hair in place! Remember, though, we you do take it down, get it wet first —don’t want to break hair off!
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A low bun is always in!
great advice from foxglove! Many girls show WP with a ponytail but you won’t be out of place at all with a low bun.
Low bun. I have a clip thingy with a couple of sparkles on it that I use over the bun. Do not go the pony tail route. It swings and that is distracting and it can cover your number in showmanship.
Seems to me there’s a lot more regular ponytails being worn in the showing world. I was kinda surprised.
I usually opt for the hairnet myself, and keep everything hairsprayed and neat!
Omg Thank you!
Bun for showmanship (I do a low ballet bun) and then a pony tail for pleasure. Bun is still acceptable here to though I’m
Bun for showmanship and Pleasure - around here it’s not acceptable to have a pony tail or braid at an Open or Breed show. At schooling shows it’s fine. Use a hair net, a metric ton of gel and LA Looks Gel is the best- and bring a can of hair spray for the fly aways.
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At AQHA shows I see plenty of LONG pony tails in WP, and honestly, I think really long ones are distracting, but it doesn’t seem to hurt them. I think a smaller pony tail would be fine (I show huntseat - which I could get away with a pony tail…).
But for showmanship… I have curly hair too about the same length as yours (but not nearly as curly…). Another friend that shows with me is a hair dresser. She told me to go to Sally Beauty Supply and get one of those small donut looking things for making a bun, and get the tiny hairnets - they are called “chignon bun nets”. So I put my hair in a pony tail, then pull over the pony tail that donut, and spread my hair around (b/c it isn’t long enough to make a thick bun). Double up that small bun net, put it on my bun, and add a pony tail holder on top of that to keep it all together. I stick in bobby pins to hold any strays in place, then hairspray the rest to slick it down. There is an art to horse show hair… good luck
I’m in the same boat as you. I’ve switched from the h/j world to the western world (SMS, HMS and Ranch Riding) and I have mid to lower length super curly hair. (So happy I never have to try and shove it up under a helmer ever again!) All of the suggestions here are fantastic! I wanted to add another resource if you’re interested…
Deanna Green, daughter of BNT Rusty Green, and a highly accomplished youth rider herself, has a youtube channel about horse show makeup and hair. (along with product reviews and the like) Even though she doesn’t have curly hair, a LOT of her information is super useful, and very up to date with trends and the like. (For example, even though I use one at local shows, the black hair net with the clips and rhinestones that you clip over your bun, is apparently a big ol’ faux pas now. Which stinks because I LOVE mine. Oh well…)
Here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMY…iyYrMIw/videos
Keep us posted on what you decide to do, and how it works!
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I watched an SEC show last weekend (horsemanship and western pleasure) and the competitors I saw had ponytails.
Are SEC rules different from other show rules?
What is SEC?
Southeastern Conference. Collegiate equestrian programs. Western and hunt seat.
I have no hair styling tips but I know from doing horses manes that Dep gel and Aqua Net hair spray make hair immobile. We used to joke that Aqua Net was cement in a spray can, lol!
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She does have some good hair and makeup tutorials (if that is your thing!). I’d go with a bun, that’s what you’re mostly going to see in showmanship and perfectly acceptable in WP too.
As a side note- Emma does kinda look like Deanna but that channel isn’t Deanna Green.
NCEA competitions have Horsemanship and Reining on the western side. I can guarantee that none of the girls showing horsemanship had ponytails (all wear buns) but the reiners definitely wear ponytails!
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Ah! You’re right!
I misread a couple of the titles where she tried to recreate Deanna Green’s makeup!
sorry!!
Yep my daughter has extremely curly hair. She used a LA Looks and Aqua Net, wet hair COMPLETELY down or do after shower, then put in the bun, (plenty of youtube tutorials on the bun and hair net) then just copious amounts of extra aqua net before each and every class.
We have tried the tiny-braids-on-the-side thing but it made my dd’s helmet too painful and I do require a helmet for warmups especially if the ring is busy. Also, she’d still have tiny flyaways no matter how tiny I made the braids. so Just re-spray for us.
