butt checkers

I have never shown before but next week will be helping my riding instructor show a welsh pony and a standardbred. I would like to know how you get the checkers or stripes on their butts. I think they are called quarter markings.

We did this at work, but with maple leaves. Just get a stencil, wet the brush, and brush the hair the wrong way over the stencil. Easy as pie :)

Yeah you can use stencils, they come in heaps of different patterns. You can also use a small square fine toothed comb. Different patterns highlight different features and can either make the horses hindquarters look better or worse. I suggest playing around with different types at home to see what works best. Theres heaps of different patterns on google.

edit: spraying them with a spray used for plaiting will help keep them looking nice throughout the day

I have never heard of doing this but it sounds fun!!! Anyone have pics?? What kind of shows would you do this at?

Ive seen it done at hack shows, led classes and sometimes in dressage.

Here are a few pics, they arn't mine.

that's cute!

They were popular with hunters way way back in the day and I HEAR they're getting to be popular again in the A circuit (particularly in the derby field). They're supposed to accentuate a nice bottom. :) And if I remember correctly there are a few patterns that are "traditional"- checkers, triangles, and maybe stripes? And I THINK the different patterns were used for particular horses. Like the triangles were for green horses? checkers were for geldings or something? I don't remember the details! But there are some really cool designs out there these days!

Haha, when I first saw this thread, my first thought was " What are they checking the butts for? Are they checking people butts or horse butts? "

Forgive my blondeness. LOL. Learn something new every day.

I have always wondered what this was for. I went to an Arab show a few years back and a lot of the dressage competitors were doing this. I haven't seen it at any of the h/j shows yet but I heard it was making a comeback too.

They are popular at Events. I wouldn't use them in the Hunter Ring at all, nor Dressage. Jumpers is acceptable.

You can buy a package of them from your tack store. I have a package of 5. They are great fun.