Don't we look beautiful?
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (382104)
Rockingham, Australia
March 15, 2020 5:28pm CST
We took photos at a horse breed show on Saturday. If you read my other post, you might have noticed that riders go to a huge amount of trouble to have themselves and their horse looking as smart as possible. Fashions come and go in the show ring so I thought I’d highlight the lengths that some people go to to attract the attention of the judge.
In the collage, both horses have had patterns brushed into their coats on the hind quarters. In the top right you can see the whole horse and in the top left, you can see the squares on the rump. A template is used and the hair brushed against the natural grain. Some hair-spray might be added to keep the hair in place. The hairs on the side of the tail have been trimmed away too.
In the lower photos, the pattern is called a sharktooth pattern. The hair is brushed one way then swipes made across the coat to create the marks. The horse has also had make-up applied above the eyes and the tail is trimmed off square at the bottom.
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16 responses
@Alexandoy (65302)
• Cainta, Philippines
15 Mar 20
Thanks again for the picture of the horses. The thoroughbred is very popular here. When I was in college and had started watching horse races, more than half of the horses were native. They were small. The imported thoroughbred from Australia and the US were only in special races. But now a native horse in the race track is very rare. Almost all runners are thoroughbreds.
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@Alexandoy (65302)
• Cainta, Philippines
16 Mar 20
@JudyEv is that a horse show for retired racers?
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@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
16 Mar 20
@Alexandoy No, it was just the one class for retired racers. This is the winner. Retired thoroughbreds are often used for dressage, show-jumping or eventing.
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@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Mar 20
I love the patterns on the horses rumps, but I'm not a fan of the trimmed off square tails.
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@moffittjc (128835)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Mar 20
@JudyEv I understand how fashions change from season to season and year to year. I guess there's only so many things you can do to a horse to be different from the year before. Has anyone done polka dots yet on the horses?
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@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Mar 20
@moffittjc One of the endurance riders had sparkly sprinkles on their horse one ride but that's about it. No polka dots yet. 
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@averygirl72 (38848)
• Philippines
15 Mar 20
Is that hair on the top of the head all the way down to its back? I think they also do something to make it look great
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@averygirl72 (38848)
• Philippines
16 Mar 20
@JudyEv Is that the mane I see? It looks like braided
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@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
16 Mar 20
@averygirl72 Yes, the horses have a row of plaits along the neck. In this photo, you can see the plaits more clearly.
@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
16 Mar 20
The horse has a forelock, a piece of hair between the ears which falls forward over the face. Then there is the mane from the ears down the neck to just in front of the saddle. Then it has a tail.
@RebeccasFarm (91297)
• United States
16 Mar 20
My goodness such handiwork there Judy..lovely
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@RebeccasFarm (91297)
• United States
18 Mar 20
@JudyEv I could only dream of having horses
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@LindaOHio (222417)
• United States
16 Mar 20
Wow! That is a lot of work. I've never seen the patterns before. Thanks for posting.
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@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
16 Mar 20
I don't think the owners worry too much about the horse's dignity or street cred. More's the pity I guess.
@1creekgirl (44560)
• United States
16 Mar 20
I had no idea! My sister is the horse person in our family. I'm sure you and Vince enjoy doing all that.
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@JudyEv (382104)
• Rockingham, Australia
16 Mar 20
I've certainly always loved horses and was lucky to have one most of my life.
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
16 Mar 20
The horses are strutting their stuff.
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