In-hand showing outfits.....Why so frumpy and 80s??!

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So I'm showing in-hand at Ashby show and need a suitable outfit. BUT WHY is the equestrian world stuck in an 80's Sloaney time warp???

Dowdy suits and hats along with sodding scrunchies seem to be what everyone is wearing (including the judges). Oh and people seem to be dressing for the winter too - saw a judge wearing a fur hat at a show last weekend and someone showing in-hand in a heavy tweed skirt suit!!!!!!

I know that Ill have to conform but not sure I'm ready for the dreadful get-ups that everyone is wearing. Anyone got any suggestions for something nice that won't make me look like a dowdy, post-menopausal farmers wife?
 
I've only ever done unaffiliated but wore shirt and tie, waistcoat and smart navy trousers with my riding hat. I suppose as it's all meant to be about tradition we're stuck in a time warp, the lead rein outfits are the worst by far though.
 
Couldn’t agree more, dreadful. It actually puts me off doing lead rein classes with my kids, I’m not prepared to buy some hideous tweed outfit, don’t care if it means we won’t win.
Last time I did one, I wore smart trousers, long boots, shirt, tie, hacking jacket and a trilby type hat. We won. So there.
Re. post menopausal comment, it’s going to happen to us all, but no need to advertise it by wearing frumpy tweed suits and growing a beard 😂
 
In-hand classes are all about the horse - that's who's being judged so you will need to wear something that will complement and 'frame' the horse. There's a degree of practicality about the outfit too - you need to be able to run the horse hence appropriate footwear, you are out in all kinds of weather and quite frankly you want colours that don't show dirt too badly. It's also a formal occasion so there is a uniform same as in ridden classes.
 
Ah yes, I well remember the hilarity of one of my boyfriends in years gone by seeing me trussed up in a very sexy hairnet for some form of horsey competition. Pretty sure there was a scrunchie involved too. As someone else has said, tradition still seems to be the order of the day in showing, although some other equestrian disciplines are gradually adopting more modern looks/technical fabrics etc etc.

Maybe a more fitted / flattering tweed waistcoat with smart fitted trousers would work?? Something a bit along these lines? (disclaimer: I know precisely F all about showing so no idea if you’d get marked down or whatever):
 

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Jellymoon said:
Couldn’t agree more, dreadful. It actually puts me off doing lead rein classes with my kids, I’m not prepared to buy some hideous tweed outfit, don’t care if it means we won’t win.
Last time I did one, I wore smart trousers, long boots, shirt, tie, hacking jacket and a trilby type hat. We won. So there.
Re. post menopausal comment, it’s going to happen to us all, but no need to advertise it by wearing frumpy tweed suits and growing a beard 😂
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It certainly will happen to us all and we dont all dress in tweeds etc. Just makes me angry that racism and sexism etc are all jumped on but ageism is rife.
 
I have wine/burgundy trousers and flat (as in zero drop) brown Chelsea boots. Tweed jacket tho, albeit a nice fitted curvy one. And sadly cant get away without a shirt and tie. Not a fan...I'm not a bloke, why do I have to dress like one? I think at local level type stuff there's more leeway.
 
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G&T said:
Ah yes, I well remember the hilarity of one of my boyfriends in years gone by seeing me trussed up in a very sexy hairnet for some form of horsey competition. Pretty sure there was a scrunchie involved too. As someone else has said, tradition still seems to be the order of the day in showing, although some other equestrian disciplines are gradually adopting more modern looks/technical fabrics etc etc.

Maybe a more fitted / flattering tweed waistcoat with smart fitted trousers would work?? Something a bit along these lines? (disclaimer: I know precisely F all about showing so no idea if you’d get marked down or whatever):
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Thanks yeah I think Ill go for a waistcoat rather than a jacket if I can get one cheap on eBay - its July after all and Ill roast in a jacket. The Badminton Trot up outfits were nice - stylish and a bit traditional, but of course not showing attire.
 
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Nudibranch said:
I have wine/burgundy trousers and flat (as in zero drop) brown Chelsea boots. Tweed jacket tho, albeit a nice fitted curvy one. And sadly cant get away without a shirt and tie. Not a fan...I'm not a bloke, why do I have to dress like one? I think at local level type stuff there's more leeway.
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Yeah I wish I could wear a summer dress and flat shoes or something less blokey! Burgundy sounds nice - will consider that if I see anything. Off to a carrot tomorrow so hoping to find something there!
 
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cobgoblin said:
Ah, but some of them have had their outfits since the 80s and see no reason to buy new ones!
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yep, that's me ;) My ponies spend all my money so nothing left for new clothes.

I'm an 80s gal so I feel the love for scrunchies ;) - and I can assure any younger readers that in the 80s the gear in the showring was considered fuddy-duddy even way back then in ancient times......
(my black riding coat is actually a family hand-me-down from 1950s)
 
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for in hand... native I wear fawn trousers ( stretchy enough to run in) shirt & tie, tweed jacket & riding hat ( no chin strap ) the reason for the jacket is often I am showing foals to it protects against nibbling teeth. Arialt boots on feet, stable for running.
If in the future I get the granchild I am after & end up doing lead rein, I think I would just wear a summer dress or my judging outfit. I find all the matchy matchy child & handler too much
 
I agree that inhand is all about the horse, but a neat handler sets off the whole picture well.
At riding club level I often saw handlers dressed in literally anything, from the 80’s get up to a scrappy vest and shorts with trainers and a fag hanging out of the mouth!!!
 
letitia7778 said:
So I'm showing in-hand at Ashby show and need a suitable outfit. BUT WHY is the equestrian world stuck in an 80's Sloaney time warp???

Dowdy suits and hats along with sodding scrunchies seem to be what everyone is wearing (including the judges). Oh and people seem to be dressing for the winter too - saw a judge wearing a fur hat at a show last weekend and someone showing in-hand in a heavy tweed skirt suit!!!!!!

I know that Ill have to conform but not sure I'm ready for the dreadful get-ups that everyone is wearing. Anyone got any suggestions for something nice that won't make me look like a dowdy, post-menopausal farmers wife?
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Nearly all showing get up is hideous and old fashioned-but then you get Arab showing at the other end of the scale and that is just horrid, people dressed like waiting staff in cheap polyester. And then there's the eventing trot up which is highly daft. I don't know why equestrianism just can't embrace more practical, sporty wear but every time someone tries it everyone cries and grabs their tweed.
 
MotherOfChickens said:
I don't know why equestrianism just can't embrace more practical, sporty wear but every time someone tries it everyone cries and grabs their tweed.
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Haha, but so true...

ETA Didn’t it once came up on HHO that if you were stewarding for a County level showing class (and are female) you would be expected to wear a skirt? Pfft to that.
 
Showing does seem to be incapable of moving with the times. One of my major gripe should is that comfort is always sacrificed for ‘tradition’. So we end up running in boiling hot weather in full tweed and velvet! Ditto showing saddle- uncomfortable as hell to ride in and with such flat thin panels that it does the horse’s back little good, bridles that don’t have comfort headpieces because they are ‘traditional’. Don’t get me wrong, I like my tweed jacket a lot, but showing does seem to be stuck in an 80s timewarp compared to the other sports!
 
It's absolutely ridiculous, now I love tweed, nothing smarter than a well cut, quality tweed shooting jacket BUT for running up a horse on a hot summer's day - NO WAY!! Showing is just so stuck in the past, I mean I do get tradition but surely having to have jackets on on a boiling day is a step too far? Other than that, buy a Welsh Cob, anything seems to go when showing them!!
 
MotherOfChickens said:
Nearly all showing get up is hideous and old fashioned-but then you get Arab showing at the other end of the scale and that is just horrid, people dressed like waiting staff in cheap polyester. And then there's the eventing trot up which is highly daft. I don't know why equestrianism just can't embrace more practical, sporty wear but every time someone tries it everyone cries and grabs their tweed.
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Have you seen what some of the miniature horse people wear ...
 
It depends what type of horse or pony you are showing as to what you wear as well.

Hunters/Riding Horses are always shown in tweed jackets. Show ponies/hacks are Navy jackets or dinner suits depending on time of day. Coloureds tend to be a bit of a mix and match due to the variations of type - but again usually always tweed or navy jackets. Native ponies is where things differ. Highlands and Shetlands tend to have tartan skirts with jumpers, tweed jackets or tweed waistcoats. Welsh A's, C's and D's are comfortable to run in trousers of various shades of loud with shirt, tie and waistcoat to match the trews. The rest are tweed jacket type styles. You don't need a garish hat, a neat trilby serves many purposes. Please don't wear a flat cap. Flat cap's are for men!

ETA Adults most certainly do NOT wear scrunchies! Hair tied neatly back in a low bun with a hairnet over top banded down.
 
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I feel I'm lacking in tweed now.

Tally ho chaps!... I'm orf to buy a GorRay skirt (do they still exist?).
 
Well I'm going to go against the grain and say I love tweed and my beau cheval tweed lead rein outfit was fabulous, I also had a lovely navy and red number for the RP LR. I can see why it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea though 😉
 
minesadouble said:
Well I'm going to go against the grain and say I love tweed and my beau cheval tweed lead rein outfit was fabulous, I also had a lovely navy and red number for the RP LR. I can see why it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea though 😉
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I love my Granny Suits! I have various incarnations of them! Though I did swop the skirt of one. Its a lovely navy blue with a yellow tartan band round the cuff of the jacket and band of the hat but have a band of it round the bottom of the skirt is where I drew the line so I subbed in my trusty navy wool skirt which i think looks so much nicer!

At least the fashion for Pink tweed in lead rein died out VERY quickly! That was hideous!

This is the one I used most recently. You can see why the yellow tartan round the bottom would be WAY too much!
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letitia7778 said:
I know that Ill have to conform but not sure I'm ready for the dreadful get-ups that everyone is wearing. Anyone got any suggestions for something nice that won't make me look like a dowdy, post-menopausal farmers wife?
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Well I am a very, very far past the menopause country woman, if not a farmer's wife. I actually thought that your comment was hilarious and it conjures up to me exactly the 'type' that I encountered back in the day showing - both competitors and judges. ;)I was actually fairly successful in my chosen field and not one half ounce of tweed was ever worn. I agree its high time all that old gumph was moved on and more wearable modern styles were used...I very much liked the look of the style G&T posted. Far more flattering and smart and practical too .
 
I find hairnets the most unpleasant, personally. I refuse to wear one, county level or not. I am perfectly capable of making a neat bun without one 🙄
 
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