What to wear riding in the heat (well OK it is the UK-the warm!)

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TripleOG

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I have returned to riding recently, am now the wrong side of 40. Always been a true English woman, thriving in cold and wilting in the heat! I ride in a chunky body protector and am finding I am so hot and sweaty in this burst of heat we are having. Can anyone suggest what to wear, or a suitable lightweight breathable body protector to make the experience more comfortable? I know I am unfit which doesn't help but the fact I am wrapped in a tight chunk of foam, doing exercise in the heat is killing me! So much so that I am tempted to ditch the protector in "safe" environments (schooling etc) and just wear it hacking out and jumping. Which really I don't want to do as I don't bounce or recover as well as I used to...

Any advice from other Sweaty Betty's?!?:o
 
Is your horse close to your house? It is light at 4am (ride and then back to bed) or 8am (ride and then into bed ) -LOL
Seriously, used to ride early mornings (ok, more like 5- 5.30am start than 4) and it is much cooler then.
 
Merino base layers. Even if you do end up a sweaty mess they dry really quickly and don't smell. Have previously tried those synthetic "technical base layers" and found they're fine the first half dozen times you wear them but eventually the smell just doesn't go away with washing. Don't know why none of the riding brands sell merino, I always end up online or in outdoor shops. Worth waiting for the sales though!
 
From the sweatiest person in the world :) - I love my Ariat Sunstopper. Pricey but worth it, especially if you like to keep your arms covered where you can like me :) maybe try one of those underneath? And an air jacket as others have said.
 
All the stable staff have to wear body protectors when riding out so look for one of the makes aimed at that market.
 
I used to live in a hotter country and would regularly ride in temps up to 40 degrees, one thing that helps a lot is a well ventilated hat. I never wore a body protector so can't advise on that but perhaps look at online shops in Australia or somewhere hot see what they sell? Decathlon used to do a pair of really good summer jodhpurs (I still have them but not felt the need to wear them here yet!) very thin fabric but even so I never got bitten by the horse flies in them! I just found the ones I have online http://www.decathlon.co.uk/mesh-training-jodhpurs-grey-id_8299048.html I also had a pair of short boots by musto which were mostly fabric, they were good too but not sure if they still make them as have not seen them again.

If all else fails just wait a couple of weeks I'm sure we'll be back to winter temps!
 
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