"Wow, they do that now?" -- Surprises after a long absence

[ZuzusPetals]

Hi, all. Haven’t sat on a horse in 25 years and starting to get back. So far I’ve found:

– Some debate whether people still wear full chaps. Listen, I’m never not going to wear full chaps.
– There’s an awful lot of poor-quality new tack out there
– RIP Bevals, for the most part. Bevals, my every-weekend hangout from the days when Bev himself parked it in a director’s chair outside the Bernardsville store, wearing jodhpurs for no discernible reason. Bevals, my unattainable first love.
– Performance fabric show shirts
– The Show Bow persists
– Helmets have finally caught up to what’s needed for really good head protection

What are your surprises after returning?

[NancyM]

Riders think that 3’6" is “big”.

[mbhorse]

I was surprised that every horse now seems to need a $$$ custom saddle. BTW, I love the new tech fabrics for riding clothes, so much better in the summer!

[Mander]

I’ll never not chuckle at GM’s “Teaching Beginners to Ride” which tells the coach to set up a gymnastic of small fences… about 3’. Funny how perspectives change over time.

[ShenanAnna]

Really. Back when I was showing a lot, in the '60s, the courses for my 13 hand pony were 3 feet. Didn’t look big to me. Or the pony

ETA: During lessons at that time, if a student was afraid of a fence’s height, the instructor would tell them that the average horse could jump three and a half feet from a standstill. Therefore, those lesson fences were very easy for our horses.

[Jealoushe]

Yes horsemanship has evolved into realizing horses backs are all different shapes and saddle fit matters! Lucky for the horses!

[Xanthoria]

But they’re not really custom. They’re just a small set of predetermined panel and flap configurations on the same tree but for $$$$

[BootsAndCoffee]

A wave of nostalgia hit me when the pandemic began, and I ordered full chaps.

I then hung them in my closet and forgot about them. Until now. Oops.

[2DogsFarm]

Really a minor eyerolly thing, but bugs the crap out of me:
Fake tails in the Hunters
Bad enough in WP, but a fake trailing limp over a fence is fugly to me.
Why & When did this become a fashion?

For the record, my days of showing a Hunter are waaaay in the rearview, but I like to look.
& Yeah, I remember trainers saying to us pre-teen lesson kids:
“That’s only a 4’ fence!”
This was wayback in the 60s, so…

[Qstnpls1]

I appreciate the fitting the horse aspect of saddle selection, and yet, it only seems to apply to the custom saddles for the boarders (all the same brand). The school horses have all the same brand but students are encouraged to bring their own if they have one that fits…the student. Bought my own and using a pad with shims to make it “fit” the horse i always ride.

[ZuzusPetals]

Oh, good for me! I’ll rule every class this time around.

[Rubyroo]

@Qstnpls1

I appreciate the fitting the horse aspect of saddle selection, and yet, it only seems to apply to the custom saddles for the boarders (all the same brand). The school horses have all the same brand

Also, horses that are ridden by professional riders all fit in the professional’s saddle. No need for a custom saddle until a junior or amateur buys the horse.

[MHM]

I wonder how many kids today could even figure out what boot hooks are for? Lol.

[2DogsFarm]

Or a bootjack

[LaurieB]

@ShenanAnna

ETA: During lessons at that time, if a student was afraid of a fence’s height, the instructor would tell them that the average horse could jump three and a half feet from a standstill. Therefore, those lesson fences were very easy for our horses.

Along the same lines, my trainer (late 1960s) used to say “if your horse stops at a jump, don’t make it easy for him, make it harder.” We were allowed to back up three steps, then had to go from there (basically one stride and these were 3’ and up fences). It drives me crazy now to see riders have a refusal in a class and circle around half the ring before approaching the jump again.

[ZuzusPetals]

Why? Everyone has zippers now, even for custom?

[2bayboys]

Tall boots got way taller and show jackets got way shorter.

There’s now a requirement that horses must have at least 50 braids.

Saddles cost more than my first (or second) car and if you wear jeans while riding in these saddles, the leather is so fragile it will tear apart. Heck, we used to go swimming in our saddles to break them in.

[MHM]

@2bayboys

Saddles cost more than my first (or second) car and if you wear jeans while riding in these saddles, the leather is so fragile it will tear apart.

That part makes me crazy.

[MHM]

Let’s just say I don’t see many people pulling on their boots these days.

[ZuzusPetals]

Oh, gosh. I’m going to look like such an oldster. For kicks I checked out boot prices. They’re FOUR TIMES the price of my customs 25 years ago. Man, I hope they still fit.