Dress for an English Horse Show

Anyone participating in an English horse show should be aware of the way they dress. So if you want to know how to dress correctly at your next horse show check out these instructions.

Steps

Boots

1. Wear the correct boots for your age group. Riders on larger animals should ideally wear long boots whereas riders of smaller animals should wear ankle length boots.
2. Find the correct colour. Short boots should be ox-blood or brown in colouring and co-ordinated with the rest of the leather on the outfit. Long boots are usually black.
3. Look clean. Ensure boots have been freshly cleaned before entering a showing ring.
   • Polish your boots for a better look.

Jacket, shirt and tie

1. Wear the correct jacket for your class and horse.
   • A show jacket should be navy, black or gray and can also be pinstriped in any of those colors.
   • For hunters, jackets must have only three buttons.
   • For jumpers, jackets can have four buttons, but most prefer three buttons.
   • Mountain and Moorland and hunter classes require a tweed jacket.
   • Riders in riding pony classes should wear a navy blue jacket.
2. Co-ordinate your shirt and tie with your riding jacket. Ensure that you have a shirt and tie that match your jacket e.g. red tie, white shirt, navy jacket.
   • A show shirt is worn sometimes with a white stock tie or ratcatcher, plus a pin.
   • A show shirt is usually white but can be light blue, light purple, light pink or peach.

Jodhpurs

1. Wear well fitting jodhpurs or breeches. Make sure you have jodhpurs you feel comfortable wearing because, depending on your chosen class, you'll be spending a lot of time in them.

Hair

1. Keep hair neat and tidy. Boys should keep their hair short enough to stay under a hat or long enough that it can be tied back easily. Girls should do the same but preferably have their hair long enough to be styled neatly under a hat, using a hairnet. Hair is worn up in a hairnet most of the time.
   • Ask someone how to put your hair in a hairnet if you don't know how to do it.
2. Braid hair correctly. A neat plait or bun can go a long way to making you look more polished in the ring so try to style hair neatly before going into the ring.

Hat

1. Wear a helmet. This is obligatory. Black is the preferred color. Some popular brands are Charles Owen, Samshield, and GPA. Some cheaper alternatives are Ovation or IRH.
2. Wear a suitable hat for the show ring. Your hat should always have a recognisable standard. Within a show ring you should wear a velvet hat with leather strap and the velvet of the hat should match the colour of your velvet jacket collar.

Accessories

1. Wear suitable gloves. Gloves you wear in the show ring should be comfortable enough to wear on a day to day basis but should look clean and not overly worn. They should match the colour of other leather accessories such as whip, boots and tack.
2. Carry a suitable whip. Your whip should once again match the leather colour of other items, also there are usually restrictions on whip length under certain show societies.

Age Appropriate Requirements

1. Follow these basics for under 12 riders (but always check with your club's requirements):
   • Riders 12 or under wear tan jodhpurs with brown paddock boots and garter straps (and a belt) that match
   • Riders 12 or under wear their hair in two braids with hair bows at the ends
   • If you are 12 or under but you are very tall, you can wear tall boots but it is not preferred
2. Follow these basics for 13 or older riders (but always check with your club's requirements):
   • Riders 13 or older wear breeches (usually tan) with black tall boots and a black belt.

Tips

• Keep all of your showing clothes clean. It doesn't matter if they look worn as long as they look well cared for.
• If you can't afford show attire ask a friend or mentor if you can borrow things.

Things You'll Need

• Clean canary, beige or white breeches/jodhpurs
• Navy or tweed showing jacket
• Clean white or pastel-colored show shirt
• Safety certified riding helmet
• Hairnet matching the color of your hair
• Leather or faux leather gloves
• Clean boots
• Leather whip
• Choker collar and collar pin

Related Articles

• Be a Courteous Spectator at a Hunter/Jumper Horse Show
• Perform a Dressage Test
• Get Ready to Do Superb in the English Show Ring
• Ride a Show Jumping Course

See also

• Dress for a Dressage Show
• Do Basic Dressage Successfully
• Wear Riding Boots
• Dress for a Riding Lesson