Are you a smart or a scruffy rider?

I start the day looking fairly smart - bright coloured t-shirt (long or short sleeved depending on the weather), usually a fitted zip up hoodie & again weather depending a gilet or jacket on top, this is worn with dark jods - mainly navy or black and short jod boots (which I try to keep clean-ish). However at this time of year with a pony who lives out 24/7 staying clean & mud free for more than the first 5 mins on the yard doesn't really happen, so despite all my best intentions I tend to end up looking a bit of a state - I seem to attract mud :)
 
Scruffy. I used to fantasise about having the perfect stunning horsey wardrobe and go over the catalogues dreaming about what I'd wear.

That's all over now ;)

At some point I realised that most of the horsey clothes I was wearing, like jods and long boots, were just plain uncomfortable. I was riding 10-12 odd mile every other day and my jods were giving me seam burn, and because I'm a short legged midget long boots cut into my knees and ankle boots never fit right.

Now I wear running leggings and trail running shoes with a pair of chaps, and on top it's thermals and layered fleeces, one of which is high vis. Stopped getting those little burns on my thighs where the jodphur seams were rubbing and I'm happy :) Though I look like a jogger who kidnapped a horse.
 
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Lolo said:
You can look very smart on a very low budget. If you have 3 or 4 pairs of jods in dark colours, then from Primark get a load of long sleeved t-shirts and polo shirts, a gilet in brown, and a dark blouson coat you're pretty much set up to always look neat... Al does this and manages to look pretty much tidy at her scruffiest- she just has cheapy joddy boots and long socks for hacking/ home schooling but for lessons and comps she has some £15 leather gaiters.

Trick is in having lots of dark colours, with a few brighter tops to make it nicer on the eye apparently :D
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So I need to exchange light for dark when I read this, have a grey pony, so no one can tell I am covered in hair lol ;)
 
it really depends...
if I go to the yard straight from the gym then it's running tights, a baggy tee and dubarries.
If I go to the yard from home then it's JW breeches, a smart polo and long boots. I always make sure I'm tidy for lessons and the horses are always smart - one of the yard rules is that poo stains have to be washed off before riding.

the majority of people on my yard look immaculate.
I end up covered in shavings and slobber no matter what I'm wearing. :tongue3.
 
Smart definitely. Not expensive clothes though. I ride for my YO who owns a stud so people locally tend to know her horses. Tbh I'm the same with my horse when she was ridden.
 
Brightbay said:
I am a scruff. I blame the fact horse lives out, we have no hardstanding or shelter. So tacking up involves scraping off the horse, and what gets scraped off inevitably adheres to me. Then horse has to be got out of field, and this involves my boots getting muddy. At this point, I have mud on my face, dust up my nose, my hands are filthy, my boots are muddy... and I'm all ready to mount up and go!
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Lol. This is me - except that in the worst of winter, I cut my losses by just scraping the mud off the key areas (saddle, girth, poll), and riding out looking like a creature from the swamp.

Horses aren't rugged and go to great lengths to deliberately add that thick 'protective layer' of crusted mud - who am I to remove it?
 
Ooh..I was pondering this from the other side of the fence recently.
I have to admit to being a smart rider. I have jackets I ride in but don't muck out in...I change into my Bromonts for riding and keep them nice and clean....mostly to look after them, I've had them years.
I do look an utter tramp for yard work, but the way I see it....my horses are beautiful, I take the time to groom them and choose nice tack that fits well....why not complete the picture with a smartly turned out rider? Clean boots, dark breeches and a smart polo, fleece or jacket...it's not exactly hard.
 
My yard is the scruffiest you can imagine. The stables have been knocked up temporarily in a barn & are a bit 'Heath Robinson' & they're in the middle of a building site.
That said I don't feel that is a reason to let standards drop. I keep my horses as well turned out as possible, tack is quickly cleaned after every use & a clean saddlecloth/bandages/boots for every ride.
When I ride I tend to always wear breeches & long boots (I change into these just for riding & they get cleaned with the tack)
Top wise a base layer type, slim fitting polo neck with either a padded gilet or a slim fitting shell jacket. Like a previous poster I have good riding clothes that I don't muck out in if I can help it.
Obviously if I'm doing messy, grubby jobs I might wear tackies/old jeans so I don't filthy up my good breeches. All my yard work is done in wellies to save my riding boots & yard work is done in warm gardening gloves....but even this scruffiest stuff is kept as clean as possible.


It doesn't have to cost a fortune to look smart. I scour sales/eBay for bargain breeches - being a slimmer size helps. Changing boots for riding boots & keeping them all clean means both my wellies & riding boots last much longer - my current long riding boots have been in use for over 3 years & they still look amazing.

Keeping tack, boots etc clean again means they last longer also if you want to sell them to replace you get a better price.

My tops etc come from Primark/Next etc. I tend to not buy 'horse brand' shell jackets/gilets. In fact sport brands of these tend to perform much better & have a smaller price tag.
Eg this gilet from H&M http://m.hm.com/gb/product/13256?article=13256-A#mediaType=FASHION_FRONT
Practically the same yet 1/3 of the price of the pikuer one :)
 
I'm scruffy, I ride in joggers or leggings with jumpers or long tee shirts depending on weather, in winter I wear a builder's hi viz coat, my hair is a mess, I think because I used to be quite large and now am just large I just assume jods and long boots won't fit me so I just don't buy them, I think if I were slimmer and had sleek rather than curly hair I would look neater!
 
I keep my horses at home so there's only me to please but I do try to hack out looking tidy, usually brown or navy jods and hats, brown jacket or blue gilet if dry or musto blue coat if wet, long black boots from Tuffa which are great and always clean when I leave the yard, bug bear of mine is dirty boots. My white pony is always as clean as I can get him and usually filthy by the time we get back and my coloured mare suffers from pooey legs which I really hate but short of plugging her bum there's not much I can do about that!
 
Scruffy! I've been trying to up my tidy levels but yeah, I suck at looking smart on a yard :(

We have a few at our yard who always look really well turned out, I never seem to quite get there.
 
I've done the same thing, moved from my own place to a new smart dressage yard and have definately upped my standards, I used to be a total scruff but am now really enjoying smartening up both me and pony and spending on matchy matchy, embrace your inner dressage diva :-) !!!
 
For general riding and hacking, I try to be clean and tidy and smart looking, allowing for the drowned rat in the rain look I've been rocking recently :rolleyes3:
I'm not too obsessed though, not a match my knickers to my numnah sort of person.
 
Janee said:
So I need to exchange light for dark when I read this, have a grey pony, so no one can tell I am covered in hair lol ;)
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We've got useless TBs who make a very poor effort towards a winter coat, and then even less effort towards losing it :D Dark hides mud!
 
I don't have time to get changed between uni and yard so tend to ride in whatever I have on. The other week I rode in a pink frilly skirt and a couple of days before in a dress. My poor pony hates me :p
 
I'm embarrassed when I look back two years ago getting back into riding at just how scruffy I looked. I upped my game about a year ago and generally look smart ish now :p

Being a guy I generally wear dark brown chinos tucked into boots (which have holes in) and mid week I wear a shirt :eek: But purely because I've come from work, lol. To ride I change into jod boots and half chaps.

Weekends im normally in a pair of dark blue jods and polo shirt or suitable primani jumper with either brown body warmer or Hurlingham polo jacket ;)

I like looking smart casual and I don't think its a bad thing. I take pride in my appearance for work and socializing so why wouldn't I do the same at the yard :p
 
Depends, i have my horses at home so whatever i roll out the house wearing. Anything from tracki bottoms, jeans, shorts even pj bottoms before now! I always look smart when i go to a show, it's ok for me to look like a bag of poo at home but i like to scrub up when i go public.:D:D
 
haha I am reading this and looked down .. I don't think I would ever pass for co-ordinated let alone smart. I have a massive hole in the knees of my very faded pink jods surrounded by the other holes I have attempted to sew up. I am covered in hair and hay, my hair is sticking out to one side under my ear warmer and I have a nightclub stamp on my hand that won't come off. I have never understood how people stay clean and tidy at the yard and I am well past making any sort of effort. When I was grooming for a comp in the past we had nice smart white polo shirts with the logo on and within 5 mins I was green from head to foot and had to be sent home to change really should have washed that tail the night before blooming greys.
 
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I think my problem is I save stuff that is worn out, too big, very cheap, warm for the yard and over the years I have amassed a collection of ill fitting mismatched items and I am too cheap to buy anything specifically for riding except the obvious. I don't stand a chance do I?!
 
Smart and co-ordinated always, although I won't wear any of my nice stuff for general yard duties.

Have dark base layers and breeches and will then add a coloured polo/jumper/scarf to match what the horse is wearing. Anything from grey to bright pink! :)
 
jl359 said:
Smart and co-ordinated always, although I won't wear any of my nice stuff for general yard duties.

Have dark base layers and breeches and will then add a coloured polo/jumper/scarf to match what the horse is wearing. Anything from grey to bright pink! :)
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I always admire people like you, I bet you look lovely. I always wear dark colours but the mud and straw stick to me anyway lol
 
skint1 said:
I always admire people like you, I bet you look lovely. I always wear dark colours but the mud and straw stick to me anyway lol
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It's really easy though- just buy all your breeches and coats in dark neutral colours (brown, black, navy etc) and then use cheaper items to add colour. I have tops from ebay, primark etc so it doesn't have to be expensive, I spend more money on quality items like coats.

And I never wear nice stuff for yard jobs, in the winter I wear an old warm coat that I don't mind getting muddy and will just swap for riding :)
 
jl359 said:
It's really easy though- just buy all your breeches and coats in dark neutral colours (brown, black, navy etc) and then use cheaper items to add colour. I have tops from ebay, primark etc so it doesn't have to be expensive, I spend more money on quality items like coats.

And I never wear nice stuff for yard jobs, in the winter I wear an old warm coat that I don't mind getting muddy and will just swap for riding :)
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This s exactly what Al does. And in the winter she wears her PJs with a smart coat and waterproof full chaps so no one knows :D
 
Ha ha!

No point wearing smart stuff!

At the end of the day all you need is decent underwear on! When the paramedic is cutting off all your smart clothes they do not give a hoot if you are in the latest joules or ariat!!!!

Their scissors cut as sharp on the rufty tufty stuff too!!!!

Don't care as long as I am warm and dry!

I am not a fashion model! I ride and I have to keep warm!
 
Lolo said:
This s exactly what Al does. And in the winter she wears her PJs with a smart coat and waterproof full chaps so no one knows :D
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Lol!

When not riding I wear anything around the yard from flip flops to Uggs (depending on the time of year!)......luckily it's our own yard so no one sees me!
 
foraday said:
At the end of the day all you need is decent underwear on! When the paramedic is cutting off all your smart clothes they do not give a hoot if you are in the latest joules or ariat!!!!

Their scissors cut as sharp on the rufty tufty stuff too!!!!

My granny always used to say "make sure you are wearing clean undies, you never know what you might get cartied away in an ambulance and wouldnt you be embarrassed if you didnt have clean undies on" Following a serious accident I had 7 years ago I was cut out of my joddies and my top and gillet by the a&e guys and when I saw my bag of cut clothes in the bag next to me the first thing that popped into my head was my granny saynig "well at least you were wearing clean knickers and a matching bra sweetie" lol

I wear what I am comfy in - I have a few pairs of comfy jods, a pair of Mountain Horse High Riders that are covered in mud and tops from ebay/Amazon or Primark - mostly in black and dark grey. Oh and clean undies everytime - although the bra doesnt always match....sorry gran lol
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Obsessively smart. Dark breeches ( brown, grey, black or navy) and accessorise to match pad and bandages with a gilet/ top in the same colour and everything else toning.


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He's plaited here for a clinic but this the norm smartness wise :)
 
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