Horse Show Shirts

Horse show shirts are only a piece of the horse show clothing pie. There are many details that come together to make the overall show picture.

There are different types of shirts for the different in-hand and riding diciplines.

If you have ever wondered about the unwritten rules for horse show clothing, you are definitely not alone. We will be taking a closer look at the types of shirts you will find in both english and western classes. Though style changes over time, there are a few basic timeless concepts to master.

In Hand Classes

The in-hand classes we are referring to include both showmanship and halter. If you have been to a horse show you may have realized that everyone appears to be dressed different, but similar.

In a halter class, exhibitors have a little more options to choose from when getting dressed. Some may opt to wear their showmanship outfit while others may choose a slightly different clothing combo.

If you decide not to wear a full showmanship outfit you can put together a jacket and shirt. Halter horse show shirts are generally button up shirts. We have seen them in many colors and placed with a pair of slacks or jeans.

This button up shirt may also be worn alone or under a clean jacket. Exhibitors want to make sure that whatever they choose are clean, well fitted, and pressed. Some judges don't care what the exhibitor wears, as long as it's neat and clean. After all this class is judged solely on the horse.

Showmanship horse show shirts are generally one part of a two part outfit that combines nicley with the pants. Showmanship is a class where the exhibitor is also taken into consideration in the judging.

The shirt portion of the outfit usually has a base color that can be virtually any color. At a show the most common color you will find is black with some sort of combination of colors and crystals forming a design over the base color.

No matter the color you choose, the shirt should blend in or match the pants. This matching between top and bottom allows for a neater appearance when performing a pattern. A showmanship shirt should cover an exhibitor through long sleeves and up to the neck. It is a traditional class with a traditional look to the clothing.

You may see some variation to the collar or neckline of the outfit but the general concept of the overall outfit has not changed much in recent years.

English Classes

English horse show shirts are very traditional. There have been some recent fads that some exhibitors to choose to where, but it is definitely your choice if you follow some of the trends or stick with tradition.

English classes consist of mostly riding, but there is the option to complete halter and sometimes even showmanship in your english attire. For both in-hand and riding classes you are wearing the same show clothing.

The english look consists of a button up, higher neckline shirt with breeches and tall boots matched to an english jacket. For this article we will be focusing on the button up shirt.

An english horse show shirt can be long or short sleeved. The shirt should only be visable near the chest and neckline under the jacket. The shirts are button up with a high collar that fastens securely in the back of your neck.

Traditionally this is a white shirt placed under a deep navy or black jacket. A recent trend taking over has been to switch to different color shirts under the jacket. The colors can range from soft pale colors to deeper and bolder shades.

Its becoming more of the norm to see these different colors under a jacket. We have even seen some shirts that have crystals or rhinestones placed over the front of the shirt where it remains visable with the jacket on.

This is a little less widely used because it may be too much for those that prefer a more traditional look.

English horse show shirts can also have shorter sleeves or, during warmer temperatures can be only the top chest portion of the shirt with the collar attaching around the neck (dickie).

Western Riding Classes

In the western discipline, bold colors and lots of sparkle dominate the majority of the clothing. Western horse show shirts do vary, but there are still some unwritten rules regarding this flashy attire.

Horsemanship is a pattern class and therefore the horse show shirts worn in this class tend to blend in with the chaps more than the pleasure shirts. Not everyone follows this rule of thought, though you may want to take it a little more seriously if you are planning on showing at a breed show.

Horsemanship is also about clean lines and therefore a shirt that blend into the chaps helps to maintain a clean straight line on the rider. I solid color shirt paired with black chaps cut the rider in half at the waist making a more interrupted picture that a straight line.

At open or local shows, exhibitors may opt to wear more of a western pleasure look in the ring for all riding classes which is ok. The higher the competitive bar, the more techinical and precise you may want to get with your clothing.

In western pleasure the look is slightly different. This is the class where design and creativity have no limit for exhibitors. This is also the class where you begin to see the largest shifts in fashion trends.

A western pleasure horse show shirt can be a blouse or jacket. The blouse shirts generally zip in the front and have high open collars with french style cuffs. This is typical, although there is another trend making its way on the western pleasure theme.

Pleasure jackets are slowly growing in popularity at horse shows. The jackets are generally worn untucked and zipped. They come in a variety of colors and sparkle.

No matter what your discipline or preference in style, you should find something that works well for both you and your horse. You have many options when choosing among the many horse show shirts that are out there. Always keep in mind what class you are planning on using the clothing for and make sure it fits with the unwritten rules regarding what is acceptable in horse show fashion.

Good luck with shopping and enjoy your journey!

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