Tail ribbons and dressage

[taffydales]

I know its traditional to use tail ribbons when showing, but what about dressage, Merls has his first ever test twomorow, so just wondered what everyone does.

[laura]

I never bother for dressage - I worry that outside showing people not in the know about Dales would assume they meant that my pony kicked!

[harveydales]

No, I never use tail ribbons either for dressage. I don't think it would be considered correct anyway and, as Laura says, would probably lead people to believe Merlin is a kicker!

Good luck for tomorrow!

[PonyGirl]

Good luck.

[clara]

In response to shiatsu dales post. There is quite a considerable difference in the marks/placing I get when I do driven dressage and showing, if I cut off all his feather and plait!! It can't be because they can't see the movment, I never heard such rubbish. It comes down to the fact that hairless horses present well and look more 'classy'. In driving Trials we have a presentation phase where our turnout and safety standards are judged. When I turned him out au naturel I came last, I was told he should be plaited. then I plaited him but left his legs and was told you shouldn't plait a feathered horse. I was told the feathers look 'untidy' let this read 'common'. Then I cut off his feathers as they interfere with the boots I use anyway and I came first! Perhaps that is why the Welshies are now bred virtually featherless. Such a shame.
So probably best to leave the tail ribbons but experiment with plaiting/trimming instead.

[harveydales]

Good grief, Clara, that is rediculously unfair! I have to say I never found it a problem with ridden dressage. The opposite, if anything. I found when judges see a hairy coming into the arena, you can almost feel them thinking "Oh no, here we go" and then when they see your pony executing a reasonable test they are so suprised they mark you higher than you would expect.

[clara]

I love your ponies paces in the pic you put on your comments. I think he probably has better paces than Sport and I have never tried ridden dressage although I may next winter. They will have to take him hairy in the winter as I refuse on welfare grounds to clip legs in winter. I think the driving crowd are in denial over the hairy thing and they like to distance themselves from the hairy driving pony steretype. I was warned before I started this whole game that hairy is not the best. I am competing au naturel this weekend so we will see. The other thing that drives me slightly bannanas is the prejudice against the high stepping action too. Sport is never going t have an extravagant floating extended trot but he does lengthen quite well. However the times judges say no extended trot on a test that says a few lengthened strides is almost every time. perhaps I should file an anti discrimination suit!!! LOL

[Debbie]

It does sound like a discrimination suit! Showing at any point in time seems to be whatever flavors popular

[SuzieP]

This stuff makes me so CROSS!! Whatever a native is doing it should be allowed to be true to type without losing marks shouldn't it? Grrrrrrrr.......

[greydales]

Well IMO the whole dressage thing (esp. at higher levels) is biased towards warmbloods anyway, no matter how well your horse or pony moves. Dressage to me just means 'training', so if your horse's characteristics are high stepping, or short striding, then this shouldn't go against it if it's doing a good test but then we are into the realms of knowing all the breed standards. This doesn't even happen in showing!

Dressage judges are so used to seeing the huge moving warmbloods (who are mainly born with the floating action) I suppose anything that moves differently will have a hard time making it to the top. However I've not come across that much bias at the lower levels - don't know about driving though.

In answer to your question Van (although you've already done the test!) I've never used ribbons or plaited for dressage - both Saturn and Dan have done quite well at prelim.