Are you a horse lover who’s ready to hop on to take your first riding lesson? Are you anticipating what it will feel like up on the back of that horse for the first time?
If you are like most first time riders, your excitement is also twinged with a little nervousness. And that is normal. You’ve seen plenty of experienced riders who not only have great moves on the back of a horse but they look good too.
Are you wondering what to wear for your first lesson? Wearing the right clothes isn’t only about looking good, it’s also about safety.
Read on to learn how to put together your horse riding outfit that’ll make you a bona fide horse person.
English Riding Outfits
English horseback riding looks fancy but coming up with the right thing to wear doesn’t have to be complicated.
The first thing to consider is safety. You will need a properly fitting helmet. This is an important safety precaution. It’s smart to visit a tack shop that can make sure the helmet fits properly and the chin strap is secure.
Next, you need a pair of boots. Now, paddock boots are best. But if you want to be sure you like it and don’t want to immediately make the investment, a pair of dress boots will work. The boot needs to have some kind of small block heel. This prevents the foot from sliding through the stirrup and getting caught.
Then an experienced rider will want breeches that fit snugly to the leg. Younger riders often wear jodhpurs which have a stirrup that wraps under the foot. Again, you can start in a pair of snugly fitting jeans. The sleeves of your shirt don’t matter, you want a shirt that is snugly fit so it doesn’t interfere with your equipment.
If you wear paddock boots that only come to the ankle, you will want to invest in a pair of half chaps. These are made of leather. They wrap around the leg and zip up to just below the knee. They protect the leg (and your riding pants) from the motions when you are on the horse.
Western Riding Gear
While western riding gear looks a little different the basic premise remains the same from English riding.
The rider must have some type of well-fitting safety helmet. They must also have a pair of boots. The boots for western riding often resemble the cowboy image you likely know in your head. The key element in the boot is the heel to keep the foot from sliding through the stirrup.
