Find Useful Clothes that Match Your Personal Style
I’ve always been a jeans and T-shirt girl, with maybe a turtleneck and a fleece to top my jeans when it’s cold. I don’t mind sitting in the dirt (except in tick season), and I generally only notice the dirt under my fingernails when I’ve arrived at a nice restaurant or when the physical therapist was manipulating my fingers after my wrist injury. I was lucky that when I was working, I had a career where casual-nice was appropriate in the office and I could wear black jeans with a nice shirt and a jacket.
When riding, I tend toward breeches instead of jeans since I am usually on an English style saddle. I typically tend toward the unkempt side of clothes; a hole in the knee, or some saddle-oil stains just don’t bother me.
Yet I have found that there is this dressing philosophy in the horse world. It goes by the highly technical term of “matchy-matchy”. In almost every horse event, in ways subtle and bold, your clothes and tack must match. In barrel racing, you might see bright painted sunflowers on a leather breast collar and bridle, and you can bet those colors will also be picked up in the saddle blanket and shirt and maybe even on the horse’s protective leg wraps. In a Western rail class, the silver conchos might be heart shaped and match the bridle conchos, while the saddle blanket, hat, clothes, and boots will be color coordinated and in a shade that compliments the color of the horse. Not to mention the glittery bling that is added to many show clothes.
You will see matchy-matchy in some English events, too. Eventers riding a cross-country jump course especially will be bright and matchy, maybe in a burnt orange shirt, helmet cover, and matching English pad. Even the dressage world, previously a sober world of white saddle pads, black tack, and white shirts, allows more subdued colors and a bit of sparkly bling on the bridle browband, and maybe even on the back of the saddle cantle—just a bit.
I love to ride with workmanlike gear. I love Western saddles with more leather than silver and I’m fine with conservative black and white in a dressage class (especially since I rarely show dressage). But for trail riding, I often depart from dull T-shirts and boring black. I prefer not so much match-matchy as contrasty-contrasty. I don’t mean just wearing hunter orange during hunting season but wearing purple riding tights with a bright blue cowboy shirt. I’m also fond of mixing an English saddle with a Western bridle, or vice versa. Those of us in the know call this “Wenglish”.
You might see me with a bright orange and purple saddle pad mixed with a black and red tie-dyed shirt and a maroon riding helmet. If I could find bright tie-dyed half-chaps, I would wear them over my short boots. In the meantime, I might wear knitted leg warmers over my boots, or in the summer heat I might wear bright knee socks pulled high over the outside of my riding tights—in a contrasting color, of course.
My photographer friends love riding with me because I stand out in the scenery. Or possibly because my horse is cute and photogenic. My classically dressed Western friends in their chinks, jeans, and boots laugh at my attire. I think they are laughing with me, not at me, but I’m not really sure. Anyhow, it’s fun, it’s unique, and it’s me.
It’s good to shake up the horse style world a bit with mixing, matching, and contrasting. If you see me on the trail (and you will definitely notice me) say hello! And if I see you on the trail, and you are wearing bright contrasting clothes, I’ll be sure to stop and chat about the world of trail riding fashion.
See this article in the August 2024 online edition:
August 2024
Michelle Eames’ first book, Riding Lessons: Things I Learned While Horsing Around, is a mostly humorous memoir that tells the story of Michelle’s journey with horses, and the numerous lessons the horses taught her. She describes her horsemanship adventures, mistakes, and mishaps with humor, humility, and even a bit of poetry.
Michelle lives on a hobby farm near Spokane, Washington. The farm includes two horses, two barn cats who want to be house cats, a few chickens, and a husband. When she isn’t writing, riding, or shoveling manure, Michelle spends her time gardening and repairing vintage sewing machines to keep them out of landfills.
Michelle writes about a broad range of topics, from biology to horsemanship to wildfires. Visit her blog and learn more about her writing at MichelleEames.com.
