Monday, October 5, 2009

Here's Your Sign!!



This is a post, I've been meaning to put out here but kept forgetting. I have seen several times, believe it or not, horses being shown with advertising on them. Once, when I called out a horse with a political candidates bumper sticker on it's flank, the mother of the rider told me her daughter recieved sponsor money in exchange for suiting her horse up with a bumper sticker. That is not acceptable 'equipment' for any ring. If you have a sponsor, let them know you cannot and should not do that. If you are lucky enough to get a sponsor of some sort, make sure you tell them you will pass out their business card, put a magnetic sign on your trailer, wear their t-shirt over your show shirt when NOT mounted, but no way will your horse wear a bumper sticker or the like. It's tacky, it's lame and I hope your candidates' sticker falls off and gets pooped on!
This is another one I've seen and although I've thought of it once in a while, I would never do it...... shaving or stenciling FOR SALE anywhere on your horse. Just don't. Ask the show to announce it when you go into the ring for your round; hang a sign on your trailer; post a flyer in the restroom of the show facility but don't humiliate your horse that way and draw attention you may NOT want.
Here's Your Sign...
FOR SALE, this horse that just swapped leads in front of fence 4 and cross fired his canter on the first change of direction.
FOR SALE, this lovely western pleasure horse with fantastic gaits, spooking at the garbage barrel.

4 comments:

  1. Tacky. I had no idea people did that.

    Then again, I hang out in the hunter/jumper/dressage rings most, and even the wrong colored tack is frowned upon.

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  2. OMG! That IS funny! I once saw a horse tied to a trailer at a show and there was a for sale sign taped to his hip but he was just between classes. They took it off when they tacked him up.

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  3. That's about as tactless as you can get. I've never seen it in our shows. I have heard the announcer tell which horse was for sale though. A Bumper Sticker though...?

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  4. That's CRAZY stuff!!!!!!!

    I thought a white ribbon in the horse's tail meant For Sale? Or is it yellow.... Heck, I haven't even seen a RED ribbon much lately, but then I haven't been to a hunter show in forever.

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I am just one judge with one judge's opinion. Almost all of the classes I judge are based on the rules of USEF & AQHA. Judging a horse show is very subjective to the interpretation of the rules. Please keep this in mind when commenting.