Your show-ring apparel can make or break your score.

Make the best impression in the show ring.

By Jody Reynolds of The American Quarter Horse Journal

Whether consciously or subconsciously, judges are influenced by your “whole image,” which includes your color, fabric and design choices. If your show outfit clashes with your horse, you’re probably putting your total image at a big disadvantage.

Work of Art

While no outfit or color combination will compensate for a lack of preparation and practice, a perfectly planned outfit gives you the extra edge you need in difficult competition.

So you’ve got the clothes. Now what? Learn all about the class in the AQHA “Selecting and Showing Hunter Under Saddle Horses” DVD.

What’s Your Message

Consider what you want your outfit to convey to the judge. The more bold a color, the more aggressive you will look.The color’s intensity also should be considered. Intense or strong colors look best on people with a darker complexion, while those with a fair complexion tend to look better in less intense colors.

Now the Horse

Here are guidelines for colors to wear based on the color of your horse:

Chestnut

Go with: blue, blue-green, deep purple with blue undertones, light sand, dark green, black or white. Rust can work if it has a significantly red undertone and matches closely with your horse’s red undertones.

Buckskin
Go with: Black, dark green, teal green and some rusts.

Red and Blue Roan
Go with: Rust red for red roans and blues for blue roans. Be careful to meticulously match your horse’s undertone or your outfit will clash.

Dun and Brown
Go with: Deep blue, purple, blue-green, black or bone on most duns.

Sorrel
Go with: Royal blue, dark green, emerald green and black.

Gray
Go with: Dusty rose, mint green, green, cornflower blue or pale purple with light gray horses. Choose red, royal blue and purple with dark gray horses.

Bay and Black
Go with: Red, royal blue and purple.

Palomino
Go with: Sage green, royal blue, chocolate, rust, most pastels and cream.

Be in-the-know when you watch AQHA’s “Selecting and Showing Hunter Under Saddle Horses” DVD. It’s packed full of great tips about how to succeed in hunter under saddle classes.

Final Answer

Once you know your own ideal colors, choose one you have in common with your horse, and voila! You’ve got your perfect outfit color. Can’t find a color that looks fantastic on both you and your horse? Go with blue. Blue looks good with many different horse colors, and a great match can be formed by ensuring the best shade is used.

More Tips:

• Amateurs and professionals usually choose more conservative colors than youth riders.
• The brightest and most contrasting areas of your outfit will draw the greatest attention.
• Darker colors hide or diminish; lighter colors attract or emphasize.
• Using the same color top and chaps makes you appear taller and thinner, as well as more noticeable from a distance.
• Select an attractive color to wear near your face, to bring out your face from beneath your hat. Wear makeup tailored toward your personal coloring.
• Use your hat color somewhere within the outfit so it appears to be part of the outfit, not just an afterthought.
• Boots should match or blend with your outfit. Never draw attention to your feet, so stick with plain boots whenever possible.

Vesicular Stomatitis

Something else important to keep in mind for those showing this summer are the recent outbreaks of Vesicular stomatitis (VS) in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. The Oklahoma State Veterinarian has instituted new regulations for horses entering Oklahoma from the three affected states. All horses attending the 2009 Ford AQHYA World Championship Show must have a health certificate from their veterinarian. Horses from Arizona, New Mexico or Texas must have this additional statement on their health certificate:

The stock listed on this health certificate did not come from an area with cases of vesicular stomatitis (VS), and the animals listed do not exhibit any signs of the disease.

At this time, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas are the only states that need this statement on their health certificates. AQHA will continue to check with the Oklahoma State Veterinarian and post updates on the Ford AQHYA Ford World Championship Show page. For more information on the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture’s policies, visit their website. On July 27, AQHA staff will be leaving for Oklahoma City. If you have questions, please check the Web sites listed above for the most up-to-date information.