Okay guys.. I need opinions!

Alright, this is mostly for AQHA competitors, not so much USEF competitors (sorry!)

So, over the past few years I've seen black stirrup irons become more and more popular. I was thinking about getting them until I read an article in the AQHA Journal on the AQHA World Show. It was asking one of the judges about the Amateur Equitation Over Fences winner for 2009. The judge (I believe it to be Gary Duffy? I'm not sure...) said that he did not like th black stirrups because they hid your heel, and he'd prefer to see regular silver stirrups because they show your heel more, which is part of your equitation. I showed to him last weekend and got 1st in the equitation under him. I have these kind of stirrups:
Dover Saddlery | Horse-S Jointed Stirrup Irons.
(it relieves the pressure off of my knees, I cannot ride in regular fillis stirrups even though I wish I could..)

What are your opinions on this? I was thinking about getting them, but if it honestly doesn't make a huge difference, I'll save myself the 200$+ and keep my stirrup irons.

Another opinion:

Shadbellies? I LOVE the look. You see it all the time at the major AQHA shows like the Congress and the World show. I have never made it to the finals of the AQHYA show, but this will be my 3rd year. Do you think I should get one? I'm becoming a hunter fanatic and just love all the hunter traditions.

Thank you for your opinions!

If what you have is working and there's no problem with it, I'd stick to it...don't fix what isn't broke!

hmm.. good point!

I have only ever seen shadbellies at championship type events, not a regular show.

That's what I mean, and at hunter classics at some (very VERY few) AQHA shows. At the Gold Coast, they had the Collection hunter Classic where they wore shadbellies.

Why get one just yet? Unless you are going to be showing in something like that, then stay with your regular jacket. Going to be a small downer for a second, but you don't know for sure if you will qualify for the finals, correct?

A shadbelly is a formal look, just like a top hat and tails for dressage.

Okay! I doubt my parents would ever go for it anyway.. It would be something I would pay for myself. We never do the classics anyway, and even if I do make it back to the finals, I don't think wearing it would make me or break me.

If you were regularly competing in classics and the like, then I would say go for it. If not, its a pretty big expense, unless you could find one that was used, for to be used just once or twice.

And if you were the only person in a class of 30 without a shadbelly, it would be noticeable! But for one class....I would try to see if one was available to borrow.

In the finals, theres only 15. And probably 3 wore shadbellies, and placed in the top ten. One won the whole thing. But, she won it 2 times before too, lovely horse and a great rider. I don't think I'll get one, thanks for the input!

I thought shadbellies were worn in dressage?