Tack and Turnout for Arab and Part-Bred Arab Classes

RIDDEN

Rider

• • Blue jacket for partbreds, blue or tweed for pure Arabs. The majority of riders wear tweed for purebred horses at County level. Look at different colour tweed jackets here.

  • Shirt and tie. No stock. Shirt can be plain white although cream is more common, some wear coloured stripey ones. Wear whatever flatters your skin tone and makes you look less dead after the commonly very early starts.

  • Beige or canary jodhpurs or breeches.

  • Long boots if over 16, otherwise short boots and jodhpur clips.

  • Waistcoat is optional.

  • Black, brown or tan plain gloves.

  • Showing cane is optional, but correct and will finish off the picture well.

  • Should match gloves and tack - ie - all brown or all black. Black cane with brown tack is better than brown cane with black tack.

  • Hat - some shows specify current safety standards and chinstrap to be done up, others don't. Velvet hat or skull cap with velvet cover. You shouldn't be penalised for wearing a safer hat.

  • Hair in a hairnet if long enough. Should always be neat and tidy.

Horse

• • Coloured browbands.

  • No numnah, or a discreet one that matches the saddle and shows as little as possible.

  • No boots or bandages allowed. Remedial shoeing (i.e. eggbars) may be taken to mean the horse has a conformational problem, so may mark you down.

  • Brown or black tack. Brown is always correct in the show ring, black may not be.

  • Snaffle bit for novice classes, double bridle or pelham for open ones. If a rugby pelham is used, then a separate sliphead for the snaffle ring makes it look much better.

  • A straight cut or working hunter saddle will show off the horse's shoulders and movement, so is preferable to a GP. Leather girth, or a white one is acceptable if your horse is grey, as a dark girth can distract the eye.

  • Purebreds are shown unplaited, with long manes and unpulled or cut tails. Sometimes the first few inches of the mane are shaved off behind the ears, to emphasise the 'mitbah' or arch of the neck at the poll.

  • Partbreds should be plaited and have pulled or plaited tails. Heels trimmed.

  • Quartermarkers are correct for part bred arabs.

INHAND

Handler

• • Trousers are better than jodhpurs or breeches. Black or dark if your horse has light legs, and beige or light if your horse has dark legs. This means the judge can see the horse's legs move without getting them mixed up with yours.

  • Shirt and tie - as ridden class.

  • Waistcoat and/or blue jacket.

  • Hat. A velvet hat without straps looks neat and tidy, but of course offers less protection than a normal riding hat, which must be done up if worn. You should never be penalised for putting safety first and wearing a proper hat.

  • Hair as for a ridden class - neat and tidy.

  • Jodhpur boots or discreet running shoes of a similar colour to the trousers. You need to be able to run in them!

  • Gloves as for ridden classes.

  • Show cane as for ridden classes.

Horse

• • Purebreds should wear a rolled bridle to be strictly correct. These do not normally have bits, although bitted versions are available for stallions. This is more important at higher level and county shows; you won't be laughed out of the ring at a large local show in a normal riding bridle.

  • Partbreds are shown in normal bridles, or inhand bridles. If a riding bridle is used, it should be with reins, not a coupling and leather lead.

Useful Links

The Arab Horse Society UK