January 10th, 2008
What do you ride in? Tall riding boots, work boots, winter boots? Do you like jeans or breeches? Are you a glove wearer or do you go barehanded?
I remember a time, in the good old days, where I would ride in sneakers and sweatpants and didn’t think anything of it! But times have changed, and as I transitioned from being a student to an instructor, I realized that by wearing inappropriate riding apparel, I was inhibiting the success I could achieve as a rider and also creating a dangerous situation.
Helmets
Proper riding attire always begins with a helmet. No matter what, this is the bread and butter of all riding attire. Helmets can range in price from $50.00 to upwards of $400.00 (my dream helmet is a whopping $469.00 http://www.doversaddlery.com/gpa-professional-riding-helmet/p/X1-36252/cn/39/). If you are a recreational rider, and just plan on riding and competing at Pal-O-Mine Horse shows, the helmets that we sell at Pal-O-Mine are perfect. They are adjustable (to fit growing head sizes) and lightweight and keep heads cool in the heat, and warm in the cold. If your aspirations are to compete, velvet covered helmets are advised (as they are a part of more formal attire). It is NOT recommended at Pal-O-Mine to wear bicycle helmets, ski helmets, or any other helmet designed for other use besides riding.
Riding Pants
I recommend for all my English riders to invest in a pair of riding pants, commonly known as breeches or “britches” or jodphurs. Breeches are designed to fit under tall boots and jodphurs are designed to fit over small paddock boots (see below for boot explanation and examples). They provide protection for saddle sores on your inner knee (where the leg comes into most contact with the saddle) and have an appropriate fit for the rider. While many of my colleagues are jeans fans, I am not a jeans fan. I find jeans ride up on my leg, the seam rubs against my knee (especially when I don’t have my stirrups), and are just not comfortable for me to ride in. However, as I said, many of my fellow riders are huge fans of jeans so you if you like jeans and they are comfortable, keep wearing them! Also, if you are a western rider, jeans are proper riding attire (and if you really want to get serious, full chaps over your jeans).
This rider is wearing full riding chaps.
Footwear
Depending on what kind of pants you wear will also influence what kind of footwear you choose. First, let me talk about the DON’Ts of footwear. 1. Do not wear sneakers, dress shoes, or shoes without a heel. They do not provide the proper support for your ankle and are very dangerous, as the shoe could slip through the stirrup and get caught. 2. While Pal-O-Mine encourages sturdy boots, the more advanced your student gets, the more appropriate it would be to purchase actual riding boots for your student. Actual riding boots (whether tall english boots, short paddock boots, or REAL western cowboy boots) provide the appropriate support for the foot and the ankle, are narrow enough to fit in all of our stirrups, and encourage the proper placement of the foot, heel, and ankle, encouraging good equitation and balance. 3. Boots that look like riding boots are also just as detrimental as sneakers because they focus on fashion and not the position the rider needs to be in.
As an instructor, I will sight some of the problems I have with footwear. I have many students who wear sneakers to their riding lessons and their sneaker’s tongue gets caught on the top of the stirrup, causing the foot to get stuck in the stirrup, being dangerous, but also not allowing the student to have a proper foot, ankle, and heel placement, which also greatly affects the student’s balance. Another big problem I have is with work boots or Timberlands. The tread on these boots is so thick that when the stirrup gets stuck on the arch of the boot, the student has a difficult time moving the stirrup back to the ball of his or her foot (which is the proper position of the boot in the stirrup). The tread causes the stirrup to get stuck, also being dangerous and being detrimental to the balance of the rider. Additionally, these work boots are traditionally very wide and can get stuck into the stirrup or not fit at all. Finally, if a student wears a shoe without a heel, the foot can slip through the stirrup, causing the foot to get ca
My best recommendations for footwear include the following:
For riders riding in breeches, I recommend tall english riding boots. The support of these boots cause for optimal leg placement and encourage appropriate positioning and balance. This is also proper riding show attire for individuals over 10 years old for horse shows.
This rider is wearing riding gloves, tall English riding boots, and breeches or “britches”.
For riders in jodphurs, I recommend short paddock boots. These boots are convenient to put on (as opposed to the tall boots) and jodphurs come with elastics that go right over the boot. This is also proper riding show attire for individuals under 10 years old for horse shows. The zipper kind are even more convenient than the laces, and can encourage children who have trouble tying their shoes to be responsible for their own footwear.
This rider is wearing jodphurs and paddock boots (what you can’t see is the elastic attached from the pant to under the boot, preventing the pant from riding up). For show attire, garters, gloves, and a proper riding jacket and shirt would be necessary.
For riders in jeans, I recommend half chaps and paddock boots (see below). These provide the feel and look of the tall boot without the hassle of putting on a tall boot. They can also be worn under breeches (I wear half chaps and breeches with my paddock boots in the warmer weather). However, they cannot be used for a larger show (are acceptable for Pal-O-Mine Shows). OR, if you are a western rider, REAL western boots! I love western cowgirl boots. I just got a pair for Christmas 
These are half chaps and paddock boots.
This rider is wearing proper western attire, with jeans and real western boots.
Gloves
While gloves are pretty much mandatory in the winter, it is up to the rider whether they wear gloves in the other seasons. I always wear leather or cotton riding gloves because it allows me to better grip the reins and also protects my hands from the chafing of the reins. Riding gloves are fairly inexpensive and are designed specifically for riding. Gloves are optional, but I recommend them fully.
Ultimately, it is up to you and your instructor to discuss apparel, helmets, and footwear, as there may be special considerations to the situation that cause accommodations and adaptations to proper apparel. Especially if you are interested in competing, it is important to get proper riding apparel that can be used in your weekly lessons and for shows. These are just some tips to keep in mind when purchasing apparel for the rider in order to maximize the success and safety of the rider.
Pal-O-Mine Equestrian has a strong relationship with The Rider’s Choice, a tack store that you can purchase and/or order all of the above apparel from. The Rider’s Choice is located at 3333 Veterans Highway in Ronkonkoma, NY (631)471-5050.
It is located close to Pal-O-Mine (take a left out of the POM driveway, follow Old Nichols Road past the LIE and down a while until you hit Veterans Highway. Take a Left and the Rider’s Choice is on your left down a ways.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask your instructor!
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