When you are riding, there are a few things that you SHOULD wear because of safety reasons. I will include these points here as well but I want to focus on what I wear for riding, and why. My personal suggestions for appropriate riding keep modesty, comfort, and safety in mind. The points that are based on personal opinion are obviously up to how comfortable you are in what you wear. I personally enjoy feeling put together with a more professional look. To accomplish this, here is what I wear to ride every time!
Modest weather appropriate shirt. Tank tops during the summer are usually fine for me but some I prefer a shirt with sleeves personally. The reason why, is because I find that I feel sweatier in a tank top, so I save those for the hottest of rides. My personal preference for shirts to ride in are a tighter fit polo or T-shirt that I can tuck in. This ensures that my shirt doesn't accidentally come up or catch on things.
Girls you need a sports bra. This is a must especially for larger chested girls. Not only does it look unprofessional to not have one, the bouncing and movement involved in riding can cause a lot of discomfort. Its best and easiest to make sure you have an adequate amount of support.
Long pants for me are a must. Even bareback for a quick spin I always wear long pants! Who wants dirty sweaty horse crud all over their bare legs? And riding in shorts can cause some nasty saddle rubs on legs. Jeans are perfectly acceptable. Even better, if you can get jeans that don’t have a bulky inner seam, that is much more comfortable. I try to avoid jeans with large holes for riding though. If something gets caught on that hole, it could end up in a trip to the ER. If you are wanting to ride English, I suggest investing in a nice pair of sturdy riding tights or breeches. These come in a large variety of waist and length sizes and lots of fabrics and colors! Personally I always wear a belt as well for two reasons. One, it keeps my pants from drifting down while riding. Second, it prevents my tucked in shirt from coming loose.
Good foot wear. If you have nothing else, a good sturdy pair of tennis shoes works ok but are not exactly the safest option. Even better, a work boot without large tread and with a slight heel. If you plan to make riding a regular thing for the foreseeable future, you should go ahead and invest in a good pair of paddock/riding/cowboy boots. For English, a pair of paddock boots with half-chaps will be the most economical and most comfortable. If you are really serious you can invest in a pair of tall boot. No open toed and no steel toed shoes. You can lose toes with either one.
Gloves. I always wear nice pair of gloves will help prevent blisters on your hands. I personally prefer to invest in a nice pair of gloves made specifically for riding. There are many brands and styles and they also come in lots of fun and exciting color combinations! My personal favorite glove that I have found in the Noble Equestrian Perfect Fit Glove. I have longer thinner fingers and they fit me perfectly, as well as being very supple but also durable. If you don't wish to invest in the cost of a riding glove, a thinner leather work glove or a softball/baseball glove work great too! Your gloves need to be a decently snug fit that allows you to feel the reins and grip them comfortably. Bulky winter gloves (like thick snow gloves) are a no go.
HELMET! I will always and forever require my own students, my children, and myself to wear a helmet! Horses are unpredictable prey animals, and because of this even the most seasoned children's mount can spook or jump when something startles it. If you fall off and get stepped on, kicked, or hit your head on the ground, your helmet can save your life! For more helmet facts, you can jump to my blog about helmets!
No matter who you are, your personal style will dominate what you wear when you ride. My style is based on my own comfort as well as my wish to look tidy and professional and to be safe. However, even I will wear ratty jeans and a t-shirt to the barn if in only doing ground work or if I'm mucking stalls. This post is simply explaining my personal preferences and offering suggestions for where to start if you are new to the world of horses.
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