Has anyone seen the horse at the Horse Show???????

Show Ring Outfitting

Has anyone seen the horse at the Horse Show???????
Excess seems to have replaced excellence, both in judging the horse and rider. This seems ironic since the heritage of the western breeds is anything but glamorous.
Submitted by A. E. Lowe, 2/1/2009

A friend of mine that is a well respected member of the horse industry in several disciplines decided to
accept her friend’s invitation to go to the All American Quarter Horse Show last year. The purpose of the trip was
to satisfy her own curiosity about the show as well as show support for her friend’s daughter who was showing in
several classes.

As a respected judge, trainer, and winner of several national championships, as well as serving as an
official for several international competitions, “Abby” as I will call her thought she has seen everything as far as
equine competition. Seeing her a few weeks after her visit to Columbus, I asked Abby what she thought of the
Congress. Usually quick to respond, I could tell that Abby was giving a great deal of thought to her response. A
former Junior Miss and beauty pageant competitor as well as accomplished equestrian, Abby replied: “Columbus
had even more sequins and sparkles than the pageants in Atlantic City. I guess it keeps the officials from having to
evaluate the horses and riders.” I laughed as I replied “they do put the show in horse show”. Abby quickly replied,
“Maybe they need to get the horse back into it.” I didn’t even try to respond: she was right and there was no
rebuttal.

At one of the youth world shows a few years ago there was a great deal of talk about the western pleasure
class. It wasn’t about any of the horses that made the finals, but about the fact that one of the exhibitors had spent
more than $5,000 on their outfit. The crowd seemed focused solely on the outfit, and the comments ran the gamut
from “beautiful” to “why would you spend that much”. Either way, it worked as they won. While they had one of
the top horses in the pen, many of the men in the crowd seemed to think they did not have the winning horse that
day.

The trend the last ten years at many of the major breed shows appears to be that it is more important to focus
on the “show and showy” than the performance and ability of the competitors either horse or human. It seems that
“glamour and glitz” supersedes “ability and excellence”. Maybe we should consider the necessity of having the
horses there at all. Why can’t the competitors just go in the ring with their best attire, and have someone roll their
saddles in behind them. While this is not true in some equine disciplines, i.e. contest, and most cattle events, it
seems in all other western events if you can’t dress like you are going to a pageant you don’t need to go in at all.
Excess seems to have replaced excellence, both in judging the horse and rider. This seems ironic since the heritage
of the western breeds is anything but glamorous.

To consider how the Quarter Horse, Paint Horse, and Appaloosa originated in the early days of this country,
it was far from being glitzy. Harsh terrain and sometimes even harsher conditions led to breeding horses that were
athletic and intelligent. Over centuries this has been refined through selective breeding with aesthetic qualities such
as beauty and size becoming equally important. As horses became less of a necessity for living, they became more
of an option for recreation and competition. And like everything else in society, horse shows have evolved. But it
seems somewhere in the last twenty years this evolution may have taken a wrong turn, or at least wandered off the
path of what horse shows were intended for. It seems that there is almost no interest in the horse’s ability, though
most classes have clearly defined guidelines for this in their rule book, and most of the competitors and spectators
interest lies in the attire of the exhibitors. While this has certainly provided a lucrative market for all the tack and
clothing companies, what has this done to the industry as a whole?

It seems that the message that is being sent to most competitors is “if you can’t afford to dress like Paris
Hilton don’t come play in our ring.” With many parents feeling the pressure to find the money to spend $1,000 or
more for a showmanship or horsemanship outfit, what does this do for the parents who have a great horse, a child
with exceptional talent and ability, and pockets that are only as deep as a five foot well? Not too long ago, a child
with a great horse and exceptional ability would at least have a fair chance with attire that erred on the side of well
fitting and freshly pressed. To put a child (or amateur for that matter) in this type of situation today, they would
stand as good a chance of winning as a Clydesdale would running a match race against Curlin.

Embellishment is showing up everywhere; even in the English events the trend is going towards silver overlay stirrups
often with stones. What is next laying rhinestones in the browband or reins? I remember less than a decade ago when a judge
walked up to me in an equitation class at a Quarter Horse show and scolded me for wearing hoop earrings. As he
said, “those would not be appropriate in the hunt field so why are you wearing them here?” While this may have
been a little extreme, his point was justified and well taken.

Maybe the direction we need to be taking at horse shows it getting back to what horse shows are supposed to
be about: Showing a horse. Obviously this is a trend that will not be popular with most exhibitors, especially for
those with bigger bank accounts. However, maybe the breed associations need to set down some guidelines to give
all exhibitors a more “even” playing field and get the emphasis back on judging ability rather than apparel. Rather
than taking this to the extreme, since we are already there, let’s consider just taking three classes; equitation,
horsemanship, and showmanship. Would it really kill any exhibitor to enter the ring with no “embellishments” on
their clothing at all? Take it one step further and demand plain leather halters and headstalls. Keep the saddles as
they are as some parents and spouses had to get a home equity loan just to pay for them and don’t need the burden of
having to go buy another one. At least a plain shirt, halter and/or headstall should run under $250. This is much
less expensive than spending $1,200 on a showmanship outfit for a twelve year old. Just like putting uniforms in the
schools, maybe establishing such guidelines would steer us back to what we need to be focusing on. And maybe it
will save us from some of the fashion ‘faux pas” we have seen in the past. (Remember how low cut that one dress
was in a particular pleasure driving class a few years ago?) I am not recommending that we take all of the “human show”
out of the horse show, but like anything in excess; it eventually ends up causing more harm than good.

Watching reruns of the Westminster Dog Show, I wonder how all the exhibitors and handlers managed to get
in the ring without $10,000 in sequins and someone’s logo not emblazoned on their back or better yet tattooed on the
dog’s hip. The handler for the overall winner didn’t even wear a tux-just a well tailored suit with a nice dog that
won as much on presence and heart, as he did on conformation and movement. While I still have a hard time
accepting that one of my favorite breeds did not win, I love what the “best dog in the world” epitomized. Uno was
nothing exotic, fashionable, or “in style”. He is just a great dog that walked in and owned the ring better than his
fellow competitors. As several of my friends have left the horse show industry over the last couple of years and still
wanting to compete have gotten into the dog show world I better understand why. There are still politics, hours of
preparation, and lots of travel. But the dog show world and its official seem to have managed to keep their
competition focused on what it should be; the dog. Having attended a dog show recently with one of my friends
who showed Walking Horses for years and left it for the dog show world, I ran into several friends that used to show
horses. One trains and shows two of the top Weimereiners in the world. Another has the number one dog of their
breed in the nation. And another still splits their time showing dogs and horses. And I didn’t see a single sequin or
custom made outfit-I wonder how they got to that level of success without it?

I would have to say that I have to agree with Abby’s assessment of the western breed shows. I have watched
her show and judge at several national and international dressage shows over the years, and I don’t ever remember
seeing a designer logo, rhinestone, or sequin at anytime. I remember as a child seeing some of the beautiful tuxedo
coats that the riders wore showing Saddlebreds, but when I showed in saddle seat equitation we were only allowed
to wear plain black, blue, or brown, and the only adornment either our horses or ourselves could have was a patent
leather browband. Though it has been a decade since I have been to the World Championships in Louisville, a
friend of mine whose niece won the UPHA medal a few years ago said it has not changed. I wonder how those
equitation riders feel about not being able to wear all the fancy clothes and bright colors. Maybe these exhibitors
have to still focus on their riding ability since decision about their attire is limited and does not require spending
hours on design and hand sewing. This is not to say that these riders take their appearance any less seriously, they
do, and their turnout is impeccable. But is sure doesn’t look like they are going to a costume party or getting ready
to walk down the red carpet at the Kodak theatre. They look like they are there to do what they are suppose to.

I hope the horse shows start to get back on track. I guess I never paid too much attention to this trend when I
was showing. However, in the short amount of time since I have retired it seems like the “fashion frenzy” can only
be matched by the feeding frenzy of great white sharks in blood filled waters off the Australian coast. If it does not
turn at some point are we going to see diamonds put in the headstalls or sewn into the outfits? Maybe someone will
contact Donatella Versace and suggest that she bring some of her creativity to this end of the fashion world. What if
the trend in horse show attire steers toward the gothic or punk look? How would the judges react to the Marilyn
Manson look? Would we see exhibitors putting fake piercing in their horse’s nostrils or dying their hair the same
color fuchsia as their outfit. I truly hope not. As competitors seem compelled to try to outdress each other each year,
it won’t be long before we reach that end of the spectrum. When we reach that point I can only hope I am dead.

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By Camille at 2/4/2009 9:24:05 AM
fashion at the horse shows
Amen and well said. How can the judges even see the horses amid all the bling? Camille

By Leslie at 2/8/2009 4:43:19 PM
putting the HORSE back into SHOW
You bring up true-factual points, and it is bling-bling-glitz! Whereas, the competitors have over emphasized their "dress code" and most rule books state what is desirable attire. I too, remember when earrings were not fashionable in a class, and I certainly agree with that - as I am sure no one wears their earrings in the practice pen. If more people come into the show ring with the "nice and normal" attire, (that doesn't shock the eye) and perform without the distraction of glitz, maybe the trend will change. I still keep the basic attire, and never believed that my (normal cost and normal look) wardrobe was to cost more than the cost of the dry cleaning bill. (obviously one good outfit was used back in those days). Let your feelings be known to the breed associations you belong to. As I too feel that the bling-glitz is discouraging more youth and more adult participation. Horse shows are supposed to be fun, and even though we vye for points, to me, showing horses is like a school test...if you win or do well, you know you practiced hard, if you lose, you ask why and try again. It's unfortunate that we are seeing trends that...distract from the real reason why we are showing and taking the fun out of it. Some people might ask, "why should it be fun, it's something that has to be done to get a better value on my horse." We are supposed to "enjoy" showing, and "be happy" to get to that show ring...and be "proud" of our efforts in training, grooming, horsemanship and equitation. We have a wonderful sport that tends to get too fierce in the show arena. And that's when the good memories of showing become bad ones. You bring up a very important point-because it's this sort of thing that discourages newcomers. And without newcomers, (of all ages, shapes and sizes, including their checkbooks) our industry will become a clique of certain people. Let's all remind ourselves that it's supposed to be a big family of horse loving people, who want to show because it gives a sense of pride coming from their effort. Maybe with a little luck, the economic downslide will force the bling-back on the rack, and keep it on the runway for models and celebrities.

By Donna Westmoreland at 5/14/2009 3:48:15 PM
Get rid of the bling
All I can say is AMEN to this..............but I don't look for this to happen anytime soon...

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