Showmanship Trends at the Western Paint World

October 15, 2010
Jennifer Barbee for The Equine Chronicle

Held each October in Bakersfield, CA, the Western Paint World Show is the last APHA approved show of the year in California. While known for its typically large class sizes and ability to earn final year-end points at the State level, the Western Paint World is also becoming an important show for exhibitors polishing their performance before the Fall World Championship Show in November.

I attended the Western Paint World Show on Friday, October 15th to watch the Halter and Showmanship Classes. I was especially interested in spotting trends and tips to enhance my own performance in Showmanship.

The patterns are attached for your review. As is often the case with “straight line” patterns, the patterns were deceptively simple on paper. I was impressed that all of the exhibitors I watched managed the jog around the “blind” right turn easily, with no one knocking over the cone.

In both the novice and regular patterns, the back up, set up and final ¾ turn were the elements where the winners distinguished themselves.

The back is a popular component of current patterns because it allows the judge to assess your control of your horse’s body and your ability to use invisible cues. If your horse doesn’t have a smooth flowing back up on curves and a straight line, now is the time to start practicing on that for next season. Some exhibitors had to tug on the lead for each backward step, but the horses that backed off of body language and hand position alone were the ones who earned the highest scores. This was especially apparent in the Classic and Masters divisions.

Also, the fast and accurate set up was rewarded. The winner of the Classic Amateur Showmanship had a beautiful go. When she asked for the halt at the judge to set up for inspection, the mare was already set behind. A quick move of the left front hoof and the set up was nailed – less than 3 seconds! Two Novice exhibitors put in smooth flowing patterns, but after the set up, their horses moved a front leg. Both appeared to notice, but did not attempt to reset the leg, costing both exhibitors ribbons.

Moving the pivot foot is considered a major fault in Showmanship and carries a hefty penalty. A handful of exhibitors had trouble keeping the foot planted in the final 270 turn, and more than a few failed to “complete” their turn before trotting away. The judges seemed to respond most favorably to the exhibitors that completed each movement, paused, and then went onto the next element.

Showmanship is an event where personality and style can help create a favorable impression in the judge’s mind. Most exhibitors were dressed tastefully, with monochromatic jackets and slacks. More than a few sported black, and asymmetrical patterns were abundant, especially with white and gold trim.

Some of the stand out designs included a Novice Amateur who wore a black jacket with shiny kelly green swirling around from the left shoulder to the right hip and a Novice Youth who displayed an Ed Hardy-tattoo-type design of a heart with wings on the back of her white jacket, above black slacks. The winner of the 14-18 wore an embellished-at-the-waist white jacket with burgundy slacks and topped it off with a burgundy hat. Yup, a burgundy hat! She looked spectacular, turned in a beautiful, floating pattern, and complimented her sorrel horse perfectly. And, I only saw one brocade jacket, signaling the end of that trend, perhaps.

While the Showmanship class sizes seemed down from the prior year, it was a great day to watch, observe, and learn!

A Special Report from Ms. Two-Bits

A special report from Ms. Two-Bits:

The rain poured from the foreboding sky, aided by swift winds and ominous clouds. On April 21st, the “Show of the Year” kicked off at Rancho Murieta, CA.

One of APHA’s Top Twenty Shows in the prior year, this event is jointly sponsored by two of the most active Paint Clubs in California, CPHA and 7CPHC, and draws a wide variety of exhibitors from across the Pacific Northwest, Southwest, and West Coast.

Veterans of this show know the mid-April weather in the Sacramento Valley is unpredictable. Each year, we’re presented with a combination of rain, wind, and baking sun, changing through out each day. To be prepared for just about every possible climate change, trailers & tack stalls are packed with heavy winter blankets, spring sheets, fans, and tarps; vendors have an assortment of hat covers, rain ponchos, and sun block to handle the variations, too.

Even while dressing for protection from the elements, the resilient equestrians at the 2010 Show of the Year managed to be fashionable. Would you consider matching your shoes to your horse’s? I was immediately drawn to brightly colored Wellington style, pull-on rain boots in the center of the expansive covered arena. Then I noticed the polo wraps on the horse being lunged coordinated with the boots on the handler. I began to realize that several ladies from different barns were wearing other colors and had matching wraps on their horses. Sure, it’s common to match your show outfit and saddle pad, but this trend takes coordination to a whole new level. Most of the handlers said they bought their rain boots at Wal-Mart or Target for less than $30. Pink and lime were popular colors, and preppy plaid was a dominant pattern.

Speaking of pink, it was everywhere! There were pink ready bags filled with grooming essentials, pink Pinto World logo’d windbreakers and hooded sweat shirts, pink ribbons in a Walk-Trot exhibitor’s pigtails, and pink Jelly Belly jellybeans in the exhibitor’s gift bag. A tiny pooch wore a pale, ballet slipper pink quilted coat with a faux fur border to keep warm. Hot pink polo wraps and bell boots were spotted on several horses. Iridescent fuchsia pink bugle beads made gorgeous short fringe on a Tinkerbell inspired youth outfit. One confident Amateur exhibitor even had a complete bubble gum pink ensemble!

Another color trend was navy. Attractive with almost any color of horse, navy may just be the new black. Go with everything, neutral, and flattering on most skin tones, I saw almost a dozen navy-based outfits in the Classic and Masters Amateur Trail. Several were navy head to toe, but a few went for bold blocks of color, like white across the shoulders or gold & red leather swirls from the waist up, all dripping with crystal adornment. Most paired navy chaps with solid colored navy show pads under their saddles for a really sleek, consistent look.

More classic and understated than the ladies, the male exhibitors wore solid colored tops. White and blue were the prevalent choices, all paired with black chaps. I was really pleased to see the return of patterned show pads. Last season, it seemed like you needed a solid color pad to match every outfit. At this show, I saw quite a few carefully coordinated pads with patterns. And, boy, did they pop! This looked especially sharp on the men’s horses. The patterned pad seemed to be a way for males to express personality and individuality in a way the female competitors typically do with over the top outfits.

California is a liberal state. Seeing statements in the ring, however, is a new trend. I saw considerably less bling on saddles. In fact, several top placing horses in the Senior Trail and Western Pleasure were ridden in saddles with virtually no silver. Were the exhibitors saying, “Enough is enough?” It certainly proves that you don’t need fancy tack to win! I also saw a couple of folks wearing pink Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon Pins. And one of the top trainers in the Industry wore a show top with bejeweled Peace Symbols. This is an iconic reminder of how lucky we are to live in a place where we can pursue “silly hobbies” like horse showing.

I do realize it’s way more than a hobby – it’s a passion. To see all of the photos Ms. Two-Bits took at the show, please visit The Equine Chronicle's Gallery for Around the Rings at the Show of the Year.