What did you wear to ride "back then"?

Jeans anorak and wellies! Had some awful jods and jod boots for competing which was also the only time I ever wore a hat! Do remember getting one of those awful riding macs eventually - they were so useless. Having spent most of my youth and quite a lot of my adulthood riding half broken ponies bareback Im impressed I survived. To date have never had one if those body protectors. Used to back ponies in the field, and then go straight out hacking, only riding schools had those weird sand yards where you ride around in circles!!!!
 
Kirstineridesagain said:
I wear wool jumpers all the time - but then I love to knit and also love wool, and have Icelandics and love Icelandic jumpers. Wool is a biodegradable, breathable and natural material and I think more people should consider using it! Sadly it’s not windproof.
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Thats a beautiful jumper and I love that you are completely matching your Icelandic!
 
I started riding lessons as a child in the mid 80s. I had a pair of cream jodhpurs (hand me downs from a cousin), a velvet hat with a chin strap and a pair of poshish lined long rubber boots. As I grew out of things, I got a cheaper pair of unlined long rubber boots, some navy jodhpurs and a skull cap with a chin cup. I had a check shirt because one of the helpers on the yard wore one (although mum hadn't got the style right) and a black body warmer for winter. I always wanted (but never got) a Puffa jacket like those advertised in Pony magazine.
 
Kirstineridesagain said:
I wear wool jumpers all the time - but then I love to knit and also love wool, and have Icelandics and love Icelandic jumpers. Wool is a biodegradable, breathable and natural material and I think more people should consider using it! Sadly it’s not windproof.
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I also do in the winter on the coldest days. We get -20 to -30 Celsius on the coldest days. Only way to stay warm.
 
gallopingby said:
In the 60s we were very ‘up market’ either Moss Bros or Harry Hall were the main suppliers of riding wear. There was also a firm called Jacatex that advertised in ‘Pony’ magazine. Most of my riding things came from Moss Bros. Bedford cord jods with ‘wings’ were becoming less popular and we usually had beige jods which weren’t very stretchy, made out of a cotton/ nylon material, usually with elastic sewn on the bottom to go under your brown jodhpur boots, or if older the trendy black rubber boots. Proper leather long boots were for 21st birthdays. Short boots had elastic inserts or leather straps which wrapped round the boots. Always a shirt and tie, either a PC one or a yellow cotton type with horses heads on or crossed riding whips. Hats - which were velvet covered and usually came in navy, black or brown had elastic chin straps, sometimes sewn on - later on they came with a harness type fitting which had a very uncomfortable plastic chin cup. Hairnets were mandatory and the hat ribbons had to be sewn up at the back. Gloves were usually string type, frequently given as Christmas presents in yellow - which usually washed out becoming lighter after each wash, or sometimes beige. It was common practice to wear a tweed riding jacket when hacking out unless it was raining when the cream coloured macs came out. Modern macs were sometimes a bit shorter than the traditional double breasted ones which usually had a belt. Nearing the 70s riding clothes started to become a little more user friendly and nylon jods appeared in navy.
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Oh I remember all this so well!
 
Has no-one remembered the absolute style icons of the 80s, the reversible Puffa bodywarmer with stripes on one side, plain on other with zip in sleeves, and the chestnut brown suede Gibbins full length chaps?

we thought we were the bee's knees 😁I put it down to all the childhood hand-me-downs of the 60s/70s so well described on this thread..

I remember my hat had a yellow lining with a drawstring at the top so it could sort of fit your head. Had beige twill jods followed by new-fangled yellow nylon ones once the others were outgrown. Every riding school and tack shop seemed to have a rail of second-hand riding gear.
 
periwinkle china said:
I also do in the winter on the coldest days. We get -20 to -30 Celsius on the coldest days. Only way to stay warm.
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Wool plus goosedown coat, even better if your wool is thick ply cashmere with a silk t shirt beneath!
I can never get over pictures of early mountaineers heading up the Alps /Himalayas etc, in their tweedy jackets, plus fours and brogues…..
Clearly made from sterner stuff
 
A black hat, that literally looked like an egg perched on top, came with the chin guard too, which always slipped up over my mouth. A thin 'body protector' that wouldn't of ever saved a single organ, riding in wellies and my multi coloured ski trousers, that I could of took part in the crystal maze with.
 
In mid 90s I was a 'helper' at my riding school, working 2 days for a free ride and I remember vividly that the 'cool' things to wear were NAF NAF jackets, from the market! and everyone that helped on the yard had beanie hats with different mr men characters on them, which we bought from Scats (now mole valley)
 
No idea what i was wearing in the late 80's, but 90's was black, navy or beige jods with Caldene jod boots. i had some god awful rubber long boots for a while but they gave me athletes foot!!
I remember going to Stow horse fair and there being a jodphur market stall, they had some forest green colour jods my mum bought me for my birthday and i loved them!! Everyone was envious at the yard that i wasnt in basic colours 🤣i can remember the day my mum bought me a red headcollar and leadrope and matching red numnah after a lifetime of using a rope halter and white tea towel style saddle cloth. I was so fashionable!!
 
feesh said:
For competing, but also for hacking and schooling. What was "correct," but also what did you actually wear? What was trendy and de rigeur? What was embarrassing? What was your era's equivalent of matchy-matchy or rust breeches? What did your mum wear? Other than basic black, what boots did people wear?

For my part, in rural Ontario in the 90s, I had one (1) pair of beige cotton jodhpurs that I tucked into one (1) pair of black rubber tall boots, black leather gloves, and my mum's old harnessless black velvet helmet with a nylon harness that slid over top. I eventually upgraded to a helmet with an integrated harness (and rubber chin cup!). Plus my one (1) pair of black leather gloves, and my own plastic-and-nylon crop. And a tshirt or tshirt and sweatshirt for schooling and hacking. For competing (at tiny local schooling shows), I had a hand-me-down white button-up shirt and whatever was the cheapest jacket that fit me from the local tack shop's used section.

(For context, I am hoping to enter some virtual low-level dressage this summer, and the turnout rules are essentially "full show wear, or just tidy, up to you." I absolutely cannot justify the budget to buy actual show clothes for this, but as I was scrounging at the local thrift store for a good-enough blazer, I realized there's no reason I can't entertain myself by putting together a few Vintage-Inspired-But-Mostly-Correct outfits for cheap. Plus I find historical clothing fascinating, and I've been enjoying Tamarack Farm's guess-the-era posts on Facebook.)
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I was scratching for rides, as no money for lessons or anything like that. I used to walk round my friend's house in her old rubber boots (she outgrew them) and leggings from the market. She teased me about it years later as I have high hips, so apparently always had a camel toe. Thanks, for that... On top it was just old sweatshirts or t shirts. The hat was her cast-off, too. I didn't get my own until I went to uni and had to have regulation safety wear to go for riding lessons, there.
 
catkin said:
Has no-one remembered the absolute style icons of the 80s, the reversible Puffa bodywarmer with stripes on one side, plain on other with zip in sleeves, and the chestnut brown suede Gibbins full length chaps?

we thought we were the bee's knees 😁I put it down to all the childhood hand-me-downs of the 60s/70s so well described on this thread..

I remember my hat had a yellow lining with a drawstring at the top so it could sort of fit your head. Had beige twill jods followed by new-fangled yellow nylon ones once the others were outgrown. Every riding school and tack shop seemed to have a rail of second-hand riding gear.
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I always wanted one of those reversible puffs jackets but never got one!
 
I only ever had a hat, rode in jeans and boots with a heel. Working with horse in the 70's it was jeans, wool leg warmers an an oiled wool jumper for winter riding. Later when I had a job that paid good money I treated my self to dark grey cord jodhpurs and a Barbour jacket, but the majority of the time I rode in jeans.
I think I only ever bought one jacket new for showing, I am the queen of second hand. Now tack it has to be English leather, good quality, that lasts a life time.
 
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