Hunt coat vs. Dressage
Collen Cicarell
I need to buy a coat for show season this year. I'm looking for black,
but will settle for navy. I ride hunt seat, and will be showing over
fences. I need to know how to tell the difference between a hunt coat and
a dressage coat. Is it wrong to show hunt seat in a dressage coat and vice
versa? It seems like I have heard it has something to do with the number
of pleats in the back, but I keep getting different answers about which is
which. Help.
Thanks,
Colleen Cicarelli
cica...@hpspkla.spk.hp.com
Edward Paananen
you asked:
> I need to know how to tell the difference between a hunt coat and
>a dressage coat. Is it wrong to show hunt seat in a dressage coat and vice
>versa?
Coat, coat which coat to wear? I have been in your dilema
and for dressage in classes below 4th level, it is not
critical what type of coat you wear. Black with 2 vents
in back is a bit "classier" and would be the prefered
attire for larger sanctioned shows up to 4th level. However
a good quality hunt-coat (single vent) in either navy or black
will do just fine. The navy would probably be your choice as
you seem to want to have "one coat for all reasons". The double
vent in back for some reason seems _not_ to be the prefered attire
at AHSA rated hunt shows at least here in New England. Some people
are so stuffy about it, wearing the wrong coat can be like wearing
sneaks, tees and jeans to a black-tie dinner. (They need to get a
life.) :-)
Hunter coat color fashion is very fickle around here. It was
navy, then green, then navy and this year it seems like grey
is comming into style. Who knows. Navy however ALWAYS looks good
and will always be acceptable. Black, I've been told is good
for dressage but not so much for hunters. It's OK but...
The subject is not petty anoungst serious show-people, as
attire can mean that "extra-edge" in winning. Having "the look"
can sometimes (not always) help when things are close.
Judges like a well groomed rider. They will notice you more.
Ed
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Edward Paananen Open Software Foundation
(paan...@osf.org) 11 Cambridge Center
617.621.7306 Cambridge, MA 02142
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Nancy J. DeMarco
dressage or eventing, I suggest you buy a coat that will serve your
hunt seat need more than for other disciplines. On the other hand, a
good quality, well fitted hunt coat will certainly not look out of
place at a dressage show or event, whereas a coat suited for dressage
*will* get you some strange looks at hunter shows. Black isn't a good
color for the hunters...they tend to go for dark blues (maybe in a pin
stripe), dark green, or various shades of grey. As for style, you
definitely want a double vented back, with a short cut that ends just
above the bottom of your butt. For the dressage world, the d.q.'s
(dressage queens) mostly wear black, single vented coats in a cut
known as "Olympic style" - this features a princess seam-type
construction in the back, with a gold or black button on either side
of the vent. It's acceptable to have gold buttons on a dressage coat,
but hunt coat buttons should be of the same color as the coat fabric.
Have I confused you enough yet? If not, here's more...shadbellys are
for formal wear only, either for the upper levels of eventing
(Intermediate three days and Advanced horse trials and three days),
for the FEI levels of dressage (Prix St. Georges or above), or the
hunter classics at horse shows. For the hunter classics, the
shadbelly is of a shorter cut than for dressage shadbellys...a proper
length dressage shadbelly should end just at the crease of the knee.
I think I've probably told you more than you *ever* wanted to
know on this subject. Suffice it to say you should get yourself a
good quality hunt coat of a dark blue color...this will be more than
acceptable at horse shows, and while you won't look like everyone else
at dressage shows, you won't be out of place, either, especially at
the lower levels.
Jiffy Read
Audrey Prescott
was just thinking about asking a similar question. And now it
came up without me even asking!
Question: Color of hunt coats. I need a black hunt coat to fox hunt.
This I know! (or extremely dark navy) Anyways, I lucked out and
aquired my sister-in-law's black hunt coat that she had outgrown
so I am all set there. I had made myself a hunt coat and it looks
acceptable, but not spectacular. (dark grey with pinstripes)
Now this past weekend I am told I can't (shouldn't?) hunt in my black hunt
coat on weekdays because it is too formal and I am only suppose to
hunt on weekends in black. Also, I am not suppose to show in black.
Only hunt members can show in black. Say what??? (I'm going to be
a hunt member this fall so maybe it won't matter about showing.)
I feel like I'm suppose to own at least 15 different hunt coats to
cover all occasions! All my money is currently sunk into the horses,
not coats! (Sorry for my attitude, I just feel a little put out right
now!)
All this about what color coat to wear was told to be by one of the juniors
at our hunt barn. Now I'm not doubting her knowledge, but I've been
doing the horse scene for 15 years and some of this is new news to me.
We're talking IHJA (Illinois Hunter Jumper Assoc) A and B shows here.
I wore the coat last year to show and my trainer said, hey, that fits great.
No comment on the color of it - black. So I figure it couldn't have been
great of an etiquette error. She's a member of the hunt with her colors
after all.
So any net wisdom out there on when black is really appropriate, or
is it all kind of local preference? It's so confusing. Why did I
ever pick a hobby that can be so expensive? But, oh do I ever love
the horses!
Also, I finally broke down and bought a pair of Taylored Sportsman
Breeches. (2-way streach) They fit wonderfully! (just a note,
$117 mail order from Paul's Harness Shop, $160 all the tack stores
around here - the power of mail order when you know exactly what you
are looking for.) I wore them this weekend with my still new custom
dress boots. (the ones I dreamed about for 10 years and finally
broke down and bought) My trainer says, you look pretty sharp there!
I replied with, well I hope so, I only have $650 worth of stuff
on my legs! No wonder I can't afford all the hunt coats it seems that I need!
Audrey Carroll (e-mail: pres...@rtsg.mot.com)
Pat Wilson
>Now this past weekend I am told I can't (shouldn't?) hunt in my black hunt
>coat on weekdays because it is too formal and I am only suppose to
>hunt on weekends in black. Also, I am not suppose to show in black.
>Only hunt members can show in black. Say what??? (I'm going to be
>a hunt member this fall so maybe it won't matter about showing.)
>All this about what color coat to wear was told to be by one of the juniors
>at our hunt barn. Now I'm not doubting her knowledge, but I've been
>doing the horse scene for 15 years and some of this is new news to me.
I'd take the "advice" with a grain of salt - juniors rarely pay
their own bills, and tend to think money grows on trees. Black coats
are _always_ appropriate in the hunter ring - what would be incredibly
tacky would be to wear hunt colors/buttons before they were presented
you (generally after your first season?, but definitely "presented" by
the hunt, officially). Black might be a little formal for weekday hunts,
but better over- than under-dressed - see what the other members
(especially the adults) are wearing. Field etiquette varies alot
among hunts - ask the hunt secretary what's accepted if you can't
figure it out by observation.
But most of all - have fun! Hunting is a social occassion, more
than anything - if the people you're hunting with care more about
what they're wearing than the sport, perhaps they're not worth it...
--
Pat Wilson
Systems Manager, Project NORTHSTAR
p...@northstar.dartmouth.edu