Conference noted::equitation

    Is this like what we know of as a "Costume" class -- where entrants
    think up any sort of costume -- the crazier the better?  I entered
    quite a few of these when I was a kid going to 4-H shows.  One of the
    most successful was a "horse fly" costume.  Black tights and leotard
    with pinned-on yellow cloth stripes, etc.

    
    
    Thanks for those great ideas, I'll pass them on to Niccy to see
    what she thinks. 
    
    By the way, we do have Halloween, remember we had the Witch Finder 
    General long before you had Salem! And it is still celebrated here 
    with pumpkins and parties and bobbing for apples etc. Although we
    don't really celebrate it to the extent that the US seems to.
     

    Some of the cute ideas I have seen.....
    
    Rider dresses as a bride, horse is dressed as the groom,
    w/ tophat and tails!
    
    Dress up the rider as a hunter, and dress up the horse
    as a rabbit w/the bunny ears, white cotton tail and
    pink (use Swat) nose,  or a deer, w/antlers and white tail.
    
    Dress the horse up as a clown, and the rider up as a ringmaster....
    
    Dress the pair up as ballet dancers.....nothing funnier than seeing
    a tutu around the horse's middle!
    
    Or dress up as santa and an elf, the horse being santa!
    
    
    
    

    
    My niece once dressed as an indian squaw, and her pony as an indian
    pony - complete with two poles and a blanket to make a ????? (you
    know, that thing that looks like a stretcher that Indians dragged
    behind their horses to carry the kids and baggage).
    
    It was a terrific costume, and easy because all the blankets, beads,
    etc. can be made from stuff around the house.
    
    (Be careful if the pony is not broke to drive!)
    
    Diana
    

>    My niece once dressed as an indian squaw, and her pony as an indian
>    pony - complete with two poles and a blanket to make a ????? (you
>    know, that thing that looks like a stretcher that Indians dragged
>    behind their horses to carry the kids and baggage).
  


	Travois.

    I thought fancy dress was not costume class but dress up. Fancy frilly
    dresses reminisent of days gone by. A side-saddle would make it even
    better. Might want to check with the organisers to see if this is what
    it is.
    

    
    	I have found that when they say Costume, they mean funny
    	costume (as I show up in full 1890 period clothing on a	
    	sidesaddle...).
    
    	Sherry
    

    when we say fancy dress we mean anything that isn't everyday attire,
    be it funny, strange or period! So really anything goes...
    and often does!
    

    Karen,
    
    Here a couple of things that my friends or I have done:
    
    Humpty Dumpty - child dressed as Humpty Dumpty (with lots of padding)
    and horse as the wall (red rug or piece of material with bricks painted
    on it).
    
    Bumble Bee on a flower bush - child as the bee, and horse as bush
    (green rug with paper flowers sown on it, paper flowers tied into mane
    and tail).
    
    Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - variation on the bride and groom
    mentioned earlier (horse in top hat and tails, rider in a long dress -
    best if the rider is female!!!) plus cane, white boots etc.
    
    Christmas tree and fairy - child as the fairy, horse as Christmas tree
    (I've done this with green material made up like a rug, lots of green
    netting sown on, and decorated with tinsel and other christmas
    decorations. You can even buy battery operated flashing LED lights
    now.)
    
    Rider as arab shiekh, horse as a camel
    
    Police horse and rider - using lots of flourescent tape
    
    
    Hope this helps. Good luck!
    
    Alison