what apparell is appropriate for dressage competitions in your country?

A

aniukas

tHe dReSsAgE wAnNa-bE
Oct 16, 2000
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Vilnius, Lithuania
www.vu.lt
i recently came across one tread on another message board. it was about wearing a top hat at levels lover than prix st. georges (FEI).

it turns out that it is considered rude and inappropriate to wear a top hat and a tail coat at the lower level competitions. you're supposed to 'earn' a right to wear one by reaching the higher levels. :confused:

it sounds like a total nonsense to me! dressage riders here wear whatever we want to - a hunt cap, a bowler or a top hat - whatever looks good! isn't dressage all about looking good? ;) kidding...

am i missing something here? what is appropriate at your country's dressage competitions? do you have similar 'unwritten' rules?
it'd be great to hear your opinion!


[Edited by aniukas on 7th May 2001 at 04:56 PM]
 
In GB there are a million rules about dress code throughout the whole of the riding and driving world. The more modern sports like endurance have no codes, but when I first started endurance it was polite to wear "rat catcher" now anything practical goes, thank God!

In a driving class you cannot wear a black top hat unless you own at least one of the horses you are driving, If you are driving them on behalf of the owner you have to wear grey. That's why you rarly see HRH Prince Phillip wearing a black top hat as mostly he drives the Queen's horses.

All these silly dress codes hark back to the days of the "Big Houses" it is all to do with that thing the Brits are obsessed with...Class! Sadly the riding world in GB still holds on to it's traditions for no good reason.
 
In Austria people would probably give you funny looks if you wore a top hat and/or tailcoat in the lower dressage classes. I don't think it is against the rules,but it would be somewhat unusual.
 
We start wearint top hats in Prelim (well, top hat and tails actually), but in the lower levels we usually wear hunt caps. In the show im taking Nana in we have to wear a black coat and white breeches, and dress boots are optional (meaning you can ride in field boots). But at the A shows we had to wear top hat tails dress boots the works... So I think it varies from show to show...
 
Wally said:
"All these silly dress codes hark back to the days of the "Big Houses" it is all to do with that thing the Brits are obsessed with...Class! Sadly the riding world in GB still holds on to it's traditions for no good reason."

I think dress code is very important for shows. Imagine what it would look like to have gormless looking oiks turning up in all sorts of scruffy clothes to ride a dressage test! Elegance in rider is maintained partly to honour the horse, and so it should be.

As for Class - if lower classes want to ride, they should raise themselves up to the level of riding, not make the sport of dressage lower itself to suit the lower classes!

I don't know why it is that everyone thinks it is good to be scruffy and casual and bad to be smart and elegant. Why should the whole world look as though they have been dragged through a hedge backwards, or be on their way to a football match? It seems ridiculous

At least at shows you see people dressed as they should be for riding! At least there is some place that tradition is kept up - it isn't anywhere else. And as for Class, the whole class system has been destroyed, hasn't anyone worked that out yet? On TV the presenters are all oiks, the weather reporters are all regional, and even the announcers at airports are cockneys. Class? Forget it, class died thirty years ago.
 
Oik Oik

Cas
I agree that people should look smart and elegant but some rules can be a little over the top.

Can I say I think that by referring to anyone as a "scruffy oik", shows yourself to be a very class act indeed!

Harriet
 
i dunno i think its nice to see people look 'elegant' for shows..i mean they spruce the the horse up too so the poor horse would probably be embarased with a scruffy rider onboard for a show..but i think they should save the real 'posh' outfits for the bigger competitions because its alot fo money to have to invest in just having the right outfit..............
as for endurance i dont think people shoudl have to worry too much abotua dress code because htey are riding for miles and miles - hours and hours and by the end of the ride both the hrose and rider are gonna be hot and sweat and really you need to wear whats comfortable for you..not the spectators!
 
A bit of class distinction would be a good thing, part of the problem with modern Britain is the lack of it!

I think that one should look elegant at shows, show jackets are not very expensive, I picked one up second hand for 10pounds. If you can afford to go to a show, I am sure you can afford a decent jacket.

Endurance riders should be able to wear what they like and that includes hard hats. I dont' think anything should be compulsory for them as they spend far too long in the saddle and comfort should be a priority. But for dressage riders spend a few minutes in the ring and to honour the horse, if for no other reason, should make the riders look elegant.

As for referring to someone as a scruffy oik - far too many people *are* scruffy oiks. I am not afraid of a bit of class distinction! And no, I am not from the upper classes, but there was a time when the lower classes tried to better themselves, now they expect the better classes to lower themselves to oik level.
 
I agree that you should not look scruffy for a show. BUT the judges are supposed to judge the horse and the way you ride, not your outfit. Often good riders are marked down just because they don't stick to some ridiculous tradition - and that's unfair.
At one show I got a remark in my report about my not wearing a hairnet. O.k. - I don't like hairnets. So what! It won't change my riding. (and my hair was tied back and tidy!) Things like that really make me mad!
 
I know aht you all mean... My parents have spent a couple thousand dollars on my dressage outfit alone- especially b/c I am growing still and grow out of my boots and breeches like theres no tomarrow...The way you look does sometimes get in the way of the judging, which is why the riders always try to have their horses looking all sparkly and everything for dressage, but for show jumping it is ok if the hooves have a little dirt, or the boots have a bit of mud on the bottom...
 
Hi all. I think that it is nice to dress up for shows, it adds a sense of occasion. But I do think that the classic 'show dress' of jackets, white breeches and polished boots, super smart ponies, etc, does make riding look rather an 'elite' sport - this may perhaps discourage potential riders from having a go. No, a riding jacket doesn't cost much second hand but the whole combination of show wear does look expensive; this in turn may cause people to shy away.
Cas, your comment, "At least at shows you see people dressed as they should be for riding!" - how and why is show dress how you 'should' dress for riding? Surely you should ride in whatever is comfortable? Some people don't want to show, that’s fine. That doesn't mean, just because they don’t don a show jacket when they want to hack or just have fun with their horse, they are not 'dressed for riding'!

Fiona.
 
Fiona said:

"does make riding look rather an 'elite' sport - this may perhaps discourage potential riders from having a go. No, a riding jacket doesn't cost much second hand but the whole combination of show wear does look expensive; this in turn may cause people to shy away"

And why *shouldn't* riding look like an 'elite' sport? It *is* an elite sport, especially if it is done well. As I said before, anyone is "allowed" to take up riding, but they should understand that they *are* entering an elite - not every tom, **** and harry can look after a horse, let alone ride a horse well and effectively and kindly.

And as for show dress "looking expensive" - well, keeping horses *is* expensive and if "looking expensive" puts off a few people who would otherwise buy a horse and keep it in the appauling condition that so many hroses on DIY are found - more to the good!

I have been a helper on welfare inspections and let me tell you, there are many, many people who shouldn't even *think* of having horses. Horses are living, breathing animals, and it requires quite a special sort of person to care for their needs and ride them with tact and harmony. Not just everyone who sees the odd dressage test and thinks "oh good, that looks easy and obviously cheap as they are all nice and scruffy, let's go and buy a horse".
 
Not dressage riding, but

here in the U.S. young people join 4H (equivalent to pony club I suppose).In the last 20 years enrollment has dropped to one fourth of th membership. One of the reasons is the increasing use of fancy tack and dress, not to mention extremely expensive horses. In the "old days" 4H was a great place to learn horsemanship but it is turning into a place to learn "one-upmanship". Very difficult for most kids to come up with the money for silver studded bridles and saddles. Unfortunately, the judges do seem to be dazzled. A kid in nice jeans, a clean shirt and well kept plain tack could be the best rider but not stand a chance.

Riding is not for the "elite". Exactly who and what defines "elite" anyway??
 
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