why are horseback riding trainers picky about clothes?
i am riding at a new barn and today was my first lesson. when i got into the ring the first thing she said to me was, you need to come in a polo tucked into my riding tights with a belt…
why does she care?
does it make a difference in my riding?
OR does it just look better???
Yes, it DOES make a difference.
You need to wear a tighter shirt (like a polo) so that she can see your back and tell it’s straight. If you’re wearing a baggy shirt, she won’t be able to tell if you’re hunched over or if you’re sitting up straight.
You can ride perfectly fine in baggy clothes, but nobody can tell what your position is like if you’re wearing a loose shirt or something. So your trainer wants you in tighter clothes for your lesson so she can better see and evaluate your position.
She wants you to wear a belt so the shirt doesn’t come out of the tights and start flapping around.
The tights are because she wants you to wear tallboots. They improve your leg and are easier to ride in than paddock boots.
o, snooty people. it does not effect your riding. you probably take english, right? well, switch to western. that way you can trail ride and not be stuck in some arena and you can wear whatever you want. well, actually there are some events that make you dress all cowboy/girl ish which is actually kind of fun.
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Umm that must just be your trainer because I’ve never known anyone else like that… maybe she just wants you to get used to wearing that kind of outfit and be comfortable in it because that’s pretty much show gear. She just must be picky like that, because I don’t think it makes a difference in your riding…
good luck anyways
xox
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i ride
mine never cared, as long as i had the right boots, and they liked if i wore a helmet. your trainer is english right? well, they tend to be more picky in the clothing department, and im sure she just wants you to look more turned out, but it really doesn’t matter while you train. they must have an apperence to keep up at that barn
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Yes, it DOES make a difference.
You need to wear a tighter shirt (like a polo) so that she can see your back and tell it’s straight. If you’re wearing a baggy shirt, she won’t be able to tell if you’re hunched over or if you’re sitting up straight.
You can ride perfectly fine in baggy clothes, but nobody can tell what your position is like if you’re wearing a loose shirt or something. So your trainer wants you in tighter clothes for your lesson so she can better see and evaluate your position.
She wants you to wear a belt so the shirt doesn’t come out of the tights and start flapping around.
The tights are because she wants you to wear tallboots. They improve your leg and are easier to ride in than paddock boots.
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It just looks better. Maybe your trainer feels that it is more respectful to come well dressed and tidy. Maybe if you are jumping She wants you to tuck it in so that your back doesn’t come out or whatever.
I know, I like to ride comfortably too, but just listen to your trainer, its not that hard to tuck it in, right?
If you really cant stand it I guess you could switch trainers, but honestly its not that big of a deal.
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Paging Mr. Morris… Mr George Morris.. Is Mr. George Morris listening?
Form follows function. Your instructor wants you to dress appropriately for several reasons; Being dressed properly demonstrates respect for the sport. Anybody can throw a leg over in torn Levi’s with flip-flops. Keep yourself (and your horse and tack) neat and tidy, and it lays the foundation for good horsemanship.
Also, she probably wants you to be safe. Wearing spaghetti strap or tank tops isn’t safe. If you fall, you’ll abrade your skin. Not to mention a tucked – in shirt can help block any ring dirt from creeping into your nether regions if you hit the dirt. It’s also distracting to wear improper attire, IMHO. The last thing I want to be worrying about is if my whale-tail is showing as I sail over fences.
Lastly, it’s much less distracting to train someone who’s dressed appropriately. Hoodies, oversized shirts flopping and other improper attire make it virtually impossible to ascess equitation. Good equitation will help you become a stronger, more effective rider.
I will say the belt is probably overkill, but the rest I can totally sympathize. Get a belt to humor her and pay closer attention to your details. They’ll serve you well in the future.
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I do agree with julie in some ways but in pothers my opinion does differ. All the things she said were true, those slothes do help. But I do think that you don’t have to wear a polo. Those can be expensive and hot. Just get a few tank tops. Also half chaps and tight jeans work just as well for me as riding tights.
She probably just wants you to look better. I agree, that outfit will help with your riding. But I don’t think you should have to wear this everytime you ride. It can be uncomfterble. I know I would be. Plus, I wouldn’t want to wear my tall boots when I ride and I don’t want to have to go buy ANOTHER pair of tall boots jusr for regular riding. Unless I was planning to go do A shows all the time I feel it’s a waste.
Sorry for all this contradicting info. Hope I helped a little. I know moving barns can be stressful and confusing (I’m in the process myself) But I wish you the best of luck
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As an instructor, there could be several reasons why (and why not)!
I can understand the tucking your polo in, this allows your instructor to see clearly how your back and seat are working, if they are tense etc, On the other hand, if you are riding in 40 degrees of heat, it is difficult to ride in restrictive clothes – there has to be allowances made! as for the belt – that I cannot explain, unless she thought your trousers would fall down without them !
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so she can see your form, the best way i can think to explain it is what my dance teacher used to say (before i quit dance to compete horses lol) when you wear baggy clothes, that’s how you look baggy,and when you wear clothes and tuck your shirt in and such it is easier to see your form. Also when you look more put together you tend to act more put together. When i ride in show clothes or something nicer i always unconsciously think more about my position, but when i ride in a baggy t-shirt i tend to slouch and not care as much
oh and to that person who said it was an english thing, the one time i took western lessons the trainer was the biggest snob, she was rude and just horrid, she had no room to talk either her riding ring was literally a circle a foot deep mud, that she was trying to teach barrels in can you say broken leg?
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This is so that she can better evaluate your position so that she can see what you are doing wrong. It is also respectful to your trainer. If they are taking the time to teach you then you can take the time to put on a belt. Also in horse shows the judge can mark you down and sometimes disqualify you if you are wearing improper equipment or apparel so she wants you to be comfortable wearing that type of clothing while riding.
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I have been riding for a very long time haha
Hm. That is a bit odd. I would imagine that a flapping shirt would not do anything for your horse’s nerves, but to be specific about what kind of shirt and a belt? I do not know.
I would insist on riding boots or sturdy shoes with a small heel, and a hard hat, but I would not go so far as to tell you what kind of shirt to wear.
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Riding Instructor, UK
Julie nailed the answer, but I want to add a couple of things:
First off, the obvious: you (or more likely your parents) are paying the trainer for her expert advice and teaching. When you hire an expert, it is extremely foolish to not follow their advice. That’s what you’re paying them for.
Second, not so obvious: when you hire a trainer, you and the trainer should be on the same page and in agreement about what your goals and expectations are and how the trainer is going to help you with those goals and expectations. If your trainer thinks your goals and expectations are to show in as many important horse shows as possible and win as many classes that you enter into as possible, but your actual goals are to improve your horsemanship and have a good time riding, and maybe pick up a few ribbons at shows, you have a disconnect.
It sounds like your trainer wants you to have the mindframe right from the start of someone who is very serious about showing horses to win, and she’s going to expect you to be a soldier to her drill sergeant in accomplishing that. If you do not want to deal with your riding that way, you need to tell her that and to expect that she might prefer that you go somewhere else.
That does not make her a bad trainer or you a bad student. You need to be honest about what you want from your trainer and she needs to be honest about what she expects from her students. And if what you want and what she wants don’t align, you are probably wasting your money and her time.
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why does she care?
You are paying her to care.
does it make a difference in my riding?
yes it does, it makes sure that she can see you correctly and tell you how to do something if she sees you doing it wrong.
OR does it just look better???
Yes it makes you look better, why would you want to do anything half way? if you’re going to pay someone to teach you to ride you’d better at least respect their opinion rather then complain about it.
safety is the number one reason most trainers are picky. The next reason is if you can’t even bother to "turn out" yourself what gives them any reason you’re going to bother cleaning up the horse and other things that are linked to this area. It really goes down to how much self respect you have and if you’re the type of person who bothers to get them selfs done up properly and safely or if you’re just going to not bother doing the extra steps.
edit: the belt can be used incase of an accident to apply pressure on an open bleeding wound, that is the main reason some riders will use them, it’s a very useful tool to have handly and it keeps you looking neat, and your pants up.
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~mah own 2 twisted cents on the matter~
It does make a difference. She wants to wear a polo because it’s a "tight" shirt. She’ll be able to see if your back is straight or not. The belt is supposed to keep the polo from coming out of your riding tights. My instructor just told me to wear a shirt and jeans. Boots are best, but if you don’t have them, then wear tennis shoes. I’m planning on getting boots later. I just wear a tank top or a tight shirt and skinny jeans to my lessons.
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well, no you do not need to switch to western just because of that . and no it has nothing to do with your riding its just some stables, especially big city prestigious stables have a dress code or team shirt or whatever. its just like how some schools have uniforms
hope that helps!
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My trainer never did that. She only requires us to wear jods or tights. She just doesn’t want us wearing jeans. Other than that she could care less. She prefers for us to wear tank tops or just tuck in our t shirt, only so that she can see what our posture looks like, because if we are wearing baggy t shirts its hard for her to see. You should tell your trainer that you are riding for fun, and one day you would like to do it as a sport but for now its just fun and you want to be comfortable. If she has a problem with you wearing tees then she is too snooty. She has no right to tell you what to wear, in my opinion.
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