What to wear for Novice dressage?

[Miss MoneyPenny]

Well, as some of you may know from my recent posts, Penny and I are working towards completing a basic novice dressage test in the autumn. Now, I have NO clothing suitable for showing, and so I am having to plan ahead and budget for what I am going to need, and now I need your help!;)

What will I need for a novice dressage class?

I am presuming:

Cream/White jods/breeches
Long riding boots - (This may be my biggest hurdle - I am not a 'slim jim' and so my calves are 40cm, I have seen the nice Mountain Horse Sportive Riders, and look longingly at them....could these be worn for dressage?)
Show Jacket (Again I presume black)
Shirt & Stock?

:D

[RachelEvent]

Novice dressage is great fun (and penny looks like a sweetie from the photos in the other thread :D )

Anyway.. as regards what to wear for dressage

Go for beige or cream jodphurs. White is worn by some people showjumping, but it's not really correct, imho looks tacky and is hard to keep clean. Full seat leather jods are great for confidence and stickability, but if you are working on a very tight budget, you can pick up beige jods for about £15. Breeches are just as good, if not better with long boots, but they often cost more.

Long riding boots are correct, best to go for plain black. The sportives are nice, I would personally find them not plain enough for competing, but thats just fussiness on my part. Most boot makers to a wide fit on boots, and it may help to get boots with a zip up the back. Dublin make quite a cheap zip-up long leather boot which looks nice.

With jackets, you can either go for tweed or black/blue show jacket. I am personally keen on tweed for lower levels.. tweed is more correct for lower levels, but those are just guidelines. In my opinion tweed looks nicest on browns/fleabittens/coloureds and black jackets look smartest on blacks/white-greys/piebalds/bays. Always go for a jacket which really fits nicely, and flares out enough at the back - it just looks much smarter and can hide a few sins in bad positions :eek: :D Black jackets are cheaper if you buy a polyester version, caldene do the nicest budget black jacket, I think it's called the 'Essen.' Caldene also do nice tweeds starting at about £60 upwards.

For dressage I prefer to wear a stock - its my personal opinion that they look nicer. Don't go for a ready tied one - they don't tend to look right. With tweed jackets you should wear a coloured stock (not white) and with a black jacket I *think* you can wear a white stock, but I am not quite sure. A tie and shirt collar is also fine.. just go for a sensible blue tie, nothing too intrusive looking.

Go for brown or black gloves NOT white - white gloves only hilight any mistakes in the rider's contact. Riding hats with black or blue velvet are correct, as are skull caps with a black or blue velvet cover :)

I think that pretty much covers rider-wear. Just remember the main idea is to look smart and sensible, and not to detract from the horse.

[RachelEvent]

Photo of sensible outfit for prelim/novice dressage:

http://img53.photobucket.com/albums/v162/RachelEvent/Larkhill%20ODE%2017th%20April%202004%20Pre-Novice/larkhilld10.jpg

[Alibi]

Don't forget your hat!

The mountain horse sportives can be used in competition. Also you don't have to have a black jacket, i used to use my hacking jacket for dressage, which was brown tweed, with a cream shirt / stock.

Good luck, with all the improvements you both have been making recently you'll do great!

[Gemma16]

Everything above is right. As long as you are smart most types of turnout is fine.

[Lgd]

Short boots and plain matching gaiters are acceptable for dressage in the UK. (I'm competing at Inter I level with short boots and gaiters - nobody ever notices!)

Jodhpur boots are also acceptable, although it is mainly the kiddies who wear them.

Jacket - navy, black or tweed

Dark tie or light coloured stock

White, cream, beige or canary breeches/jodhs

Gloves must be worn.

Navy or black hat (or jockey skull with navy or black cover)

[DITZ]

sportives are fine. i woudnt wear the normal high riders as they are alot more chunky. the sportives are quite elegant.

[Miss MoneyPenny]

Thanks everyone!

Lgd - what type of gaiters and boots do you have?

If I were to show in ridden coloured cob classes at local shows, what should I be wearing then??? She would be a 'traditional' cob though...never hogging that beautiful mane!

[LynneAC]

Joddy boots and gaiters can be worn if the gaiters are the identical leather/colour as the boots and they don't have any decoration on them (does that mean baubles? flashing lights?). The boots/gaiters can be brown or black.

I've got Tredstep joddy boots and gaiters (the gaiter bottoms fit inside a velcro strap on the boot so they look like full boots! I've also got Ariat boots and leather chaps but I'm not sure if they would be acceptable as they've got a padded suede bit on the inside ..... mind you, they would only see it I suppose if I'd got my toes turned out :rolleyes:

DID YOU KNOW that you can also wear a dressage topper if you're so inclined? Mind you, I've never seen anyone wear one at the lower levels.

[Lgd]

I've got the Tredstep gaiters and boots - the original version which tuck inside the boot. The newer version goes over the top.

[Tor&Warrior]

If you get beige jods, long boots, tweed jacket, shirt & tie, not white gloves & plain tack this will be what you'd need to show in too.

I think cobs look nicer turned out for dressage how they would for showing rather than in black jacket & white gloves, jods etc.

Dressage at this level isn't really fussy as long as you look smart.

This is what Flyte & me wear........................

[LynneAC]

Originally posted by Lgd
I've got the Tredstep gaiters and boots - the original version which tuck inside the boot. The newer version goes over the top.

You can still get the 'old' version though! I got a 'chocolate' (coloured ;) ) set from RideAway the other week VERY cheaply! I like the way that the old ones look and don't particularly like the look of their new boot :( which is why I've gone over to Ariat now.

[DITZ]

Sorry to hijack your thread but can I just ask something? What do you do when you are doing both dressage and a working hunter class at the same time? I dont own a tweed jacket and I'd have thought that black jacket white stock would look wrong for WH.

[RachelEvent]

I'm afraid Working Hunters always wear tweed... so if I were doing both, I'd have the tweed jacket for both!

Lol, I'm a bit of a tweed fan though... wear my tweed for nearly everything. I picked it up second hand, and it suits my horses colour, it's comfy, it's a lovely fit and tweeds are suitable for all events at a lower level (unless you are showing show ponies or hacks etc.)

You should be able to find tweed second hand in a local tack shop somewhere. If you can't, the nicest cheap tweeds IMHO are the Caldene ones starting at £60.

Rachel xx

[DITZ]

bummer!