What do you need to show a standardbred in hand and ridden in nz?

Answer 1

Depends on what class you are entering it in! If you are entering your Standardbred in a hunter class, for example, you will need a very plain hunter bridle- no flashy browbands! In most English classes it is considered standard to braid the mane, and either pull or braid the tail. If you are showing the horse in a Western class though, you will probably want to leave the mane unbraided, but its a good idea to pull it just to make it look neater.

In terms of tack, I would really go by what class you are entering. For most English classes, a basic snaffle bridle, all-purpose saddle and clean, nice looking saddleblanket are common. Check with the show organiser whether breastplates and martingales are allowed for the class you want to enter.

In-hand English is a bit of a grey area, it really depends on your horses look. For a Standardbred with a very fine, thoroughbred type head, a rolled leather show halter can look very appealing, but for a Standardbred with a heavy head or 'Roman' nose, a thicker halter (an undecorated western for example) will look better. Once again, check with the show organiser if there is particular tack you need for your breed class.

If you are showing in Western classes then I would recommend buying a western halter. For events under saddle, you will need a Western or Australian saddle. A Navajo saddleblanket can look very nice in Western classes, and you can get different colours to match to your tack. the grooming standards for Western are quite different from English. The mane is generally left unbraided, but pulled and smoothed down with hair gel, and the tail is usually pulled but unbraided. I would recommend trimming the tail to just under the hocks, for a neater line, but it really depends on what will flatter your individual horse.

I cannot stress enough though, that it depends on what class you want to go into! Generally speaking you will need to clip a bridle path, but I'm unsure whether this is needed for all Western classes. If you put effort into washing your horse, braiding/pulling and helping him look his smartest with hoof lacquer and a little gloss, then you will be well on your way to having a show winner!