Your Finishing Touches

Start at the top with your hat. You should have a hat that not only color coordinates with your outfit but is clean and properly shaped to fit your face. Take your hat to a tack store and have a professional shape it so that it is stylish and flattering for you. When you aren't showing, keep your hat in a protective case so that it doesn't collect dust that is everywhere at shows.

Makeup should be appropriate to the age and face of the showman. Young girls should not be caked with makeup, but a little bit of blush or slightly darker than natural lip color is fine, since the judge is looking at people from a distance. Teens and Adults should only wear normal street makeup (this isn't the theatre) in order to enhance their features and look like they took the time to care for their appearance. The key here is to look classy, not trashy.

Having neat, pulled back hair is also crucial! Do NOT skip this step when getting ready. If your hair is short, at least keep it pinned back out of your face and neatly styled so it stays put. For longer hair I suggest several things. If your hair is not long enough to cover a back number then you can leave it in a neat pony tail or braid in the back. If your hair is mid-back or longer you should put it in a bun or net to keep it up and from swinging around (which is very distracting). For anyone with shoulder length or longer hair, you may want to put all your hair up under your hat. A tucked up french braid is one way to do this, but just make sure that none of your hair will fall out from under the hat. You may also want to consider if it's windy how it would look if your hat got blown off.

Especially important for showmanship and horsemanship is a head to toe color. If you regularly show these classes you probably will want to have pants and chaps that are the same color as the prominent color in your shirt. This gives a great line and a together look that is very professional in appearance.

At the bottom, but not to be forgotten, are your boots. With all the colors of boots (and the option of dye to match) you should have boots in the same color as your chaps/pants. Keep in mind that some organizations do not allow crepe sole boots, so check the rules before investing your money. If you can't match your boots to your outfit, use the closest neuteral color you can (black, tan, or brown usually). But most importantly, make sure they are clean! Dirty boots with a great outfit ruin your package look, so take the time before you enter the ring to wipe off the dust (especially if it's really dry and dusty, or if you had to walk through mud before mounting).

If you take the time and effort to pull your appearance together, following these basic guidlines, you will have a neat and professional look that screams "WINNER!" to the judge. All you have to do is follow it up with riding to match!

~Connie Colvin