Hobby Horse Rosettes and Show Awards
The rosette is the part of a show that riders keep. Scores get forgotten, the ribbon goes on the bedroom wall and stays there. If you are running a club day, a school event or a garden competition, this is the piece that turns an afternoon of jumping into something that felt like a real class. Our hobby horse rosette comes in the three placings, sold individually.
What the Colours Mean
We use the American convention: blue for first, red for second, white for third. It is worth knowing that this is not universal — in the United Kingdom and Ireland the order is red for first, blue for second, yellow for third, which regularly confuses people watching results from both sides of the Atlantic. Pick whichever your riders will recognise and be consistent across the day.
Placings beyond third
Larger shows carry on: green, pink and so on, and many hand out a plain participation rosette to everyone who completes a round. For a first club day, first to third plus a participation ribbon for the rest is the shape that works.
Running a Hobby Horse Show at Home
Set the classes before anyone arrives
Split riders by age and by height, and publish both. Age groups typically break at under 10, 10–13, 14–17 and adult; jumping classes at 20–30 cm, 40–60 cm and upward. The conventions are in our competition rules, and using them means a rider who goes on to a real show already knows the format.
Write the rules down
Four faults for a knockdown, four for a first refusal, elimination on a second. A time allowed if you want a tiebreak. Riders accept almost any rule that was published before they rode and almost none that appears afterwards.
Judge one thing consistently
If you are alone, judge faults and time in jumping and leave dressage for another day — scoring movements out of ten needs a second pair of eyes and a written test. Consistency beats sophistication.
Hand the rosettes out properly
Line the placed riders up, read the names, pin the ribbons. It takes four minutes and it is the bit everyone remembers.
Other Uses for a Rosette
They pin to a hobby horse's bridle, which is what most riders do with the ones they win. They also work as a birthday-party prize, a classroom award or a stable-door decoration. The pin back goes through fabric, a browband or a cork board equally well.
Frequently Asked Questions
What colour rosette is first place?
Blue in the United States, red in the UK and Ireland. Ours follow the American order: blue first, red second, white third.
How big is a hobby horse rosette?
16.5 cm tall and 8 cm across including the tails — the standard small show size, large enough to read across an arena and small enough to pin to a bridle.
Can I attach a rosette to a hobby horse?
Yes. The pin back goes through a browband or a bridle strap easily. Take it off before a jumping round, though: competition rules at many shows ban loose attachments that could fall on the course.
Do I need rosettes to run a club day?
No, but they change how the day feels. A printed certificate works; a satin ribbon is what a rider photographs.
Are the rosettes sold as a set?
Individually, so you can order the placings you actually need — most club days need more thirds than firsts.
Making a Rosette Last
Satin creases and does not recover, so the way a rosette is stored decides whether it still looks like a prize in five years. Pin it to a board, a bridle or a ribbon rail rather than stacking ribbons in a drawer, and keep them out of direct sunlight — the dye in satin fades faster than the printing on the centre disc. If a tail creases, a warm iron on the lowest setting through a cloth will usually bring it back.
A Note on What These Are Not
These are blank placing rosettes: they say 1st, 2nd or 3rd and nothing else. They do not carry a federation logo, a show name or a date, and we do not print any. If you are running an event under a national association, ask that association what their rules say about awards before ordering anything with a name on it. A plain placing ribbon is safe everywhere and is what most club days actually use.
