If you’ve set your sights on horse riding as your new hobby and you’re wondering what to wear, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve been advising equestrians on what to buy for the last decade, and I’ve helped kit out friends for horse riding, too.
Whether you’re shopping for a child who is learning to ride or you are learning to ride as an adult, I’ve put together this simple guide to essential clothing and equipment to make sure you’ll be safe and comfortable in the saddle, but look the part, too. I’ve explained what you need, why you need it and have suggested some budget-friendly options that are perfect if you’re testing the water with your new hobby.
What to wear horse riding: the essentials
The two non-negotiable items you will need are a well-fitting riding hat that carries the correct safety standards and a pair of boots with a smooth sole and a small heel. I would also recommend investing in a pair of riding gloves and a body protector in order for you to have a comfortable and safe experience.
You will also find you are more comfortable in the saddle if you’re wearing a pair of jodhpurs, breeches or riding tights – these are all types of riding trousers – rather than jeans or tracksuit bottoms.
There is no need to go for the most expensive and technical products out there immediately, as long as the items fit well and meet all the safety requirements. Here are some tips to you get started…
Riding hats should be fitted by a trained professional
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Riding hats
You should not get on board a horse without wearing a correctly fitting riding hat that meets the current safety standards. Most riding schools will provide hats for beginners to use – although there may be a hire free – but if you’re going to ride regularly it’s better to have your own.
We recommend visiting a tack shop that has a professional BETA-trained hat fitter, who can advise you on which hat is best suited to your needs, but I’ve included a few suggestions of hats that might suit the beginner rider to point you in the right direction. Plus, we’ve put together even more information about choosing a riding hat in our guide to the best riding hats, too.
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As a beginner, it doesn’t matter which style of riding hat you choose – jockey skulls and peaked helmets are equally suitable. The main thing is that it fits your head and some styles are more suited to particular head shapes. Adjustable riding hats have the benefit of fitting for longer if you’re buying for a growing child.
Many beginner riders find short boots more comfortable to begin with
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Footwear
A horse standing on your toe is painful and can cause significant damage if you aren’t wearing suitable boots. It’s also really important that your boots don’t have too much grip, but do have a small heel to prevent your foot slipping through the stirrup.
There are two main types of horse riding boots – long boots or short (jodhpur) boots. A long riding boot prevents rubbing on your inside leg, but new riders can find long boots quite restrictive – plus they tend to be more expensive. Ankle-length jodhpur boots allow more flexibility at the ankle and are commonly worn with soft half chaps or gaiters to prevent rubbing on the inside of the calf.
Riding tights are similar in style to gym leggings, so are a comfortable option
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Riding trousers
When choosing the right pair of jodhpurs, breeches or riding tights, you should prioritise how they are going to feel sitting in a saddle – how they look walking around should come second. Breeches are normally worn with long boots, while jodhpurs have a slightly different cut and are better with short boots. Riding tights are similar to gym leggings. I would recommend going for a pair of riding tights with a grippy seat, but for your first lesson the everyday leggings you’ve got at home will do the job.
Whichever style or riding trouser you choose, look for a pair that are made of a stretchy fabric with added grip in the relevant places like the knee and under your bottom. When starting out you can choose any colour, but I recommend avoiding white, beige or cream as these are normally worn for competitions and harder to keep clean.
Gloves protect your hands, rather than just keep them warm
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Riding gloves
Seasoned riders often end up with callous hand, particularly between the little and ring finger, which is where the rein passes. To avoid blisters and to keep your hands clean, soft and warm in the winter, I recommend you wear a pair of riding gloves (but not mittens).
If you would like to take this option, it’s definitely worth investing in a pair of gloves that are manufactured specifically for horse riding – you can get summer riding gloves and winter riding gloves. They will be stretchy, grippy and reinforced in the areas where you hold the reins, but thin enough that you’ll be able to have a good feel of what you’re doing.
Body protectors are not required for beginner riders, but can make you feel more secure
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Body protectors
The best body protectors are designed to absorb the impact from a fall or kick from a horse and often makes an inexperienced rider feel more confident, too. Just as with riding hats, this type of safety equipment needs to be fitted by a BETA-trained retailer. Look out for the BETA level 3 (2018) standard – this shows that your body protector meets all the requirements of the European standard and if riding schools stipulate that you wear one, it will need to be up to this standard.
We advise you get one professionally fitted, but here are a couple of suggestions to point you in the right direction – or check out our guide to the best children’s body protectors if you’re shopping for a younger rider.
Other things to consider
Along side the essential horse riding kit, there are a few other things I’d recommend considering before you go for your lesson.
1. Long sleeves are recommended – wearing long sleeves gives you an extra layer of protection if you fall even if they’re lightweight, but sleeves will also help protect you from the sun.
2. You are likely to be outside at some point – even if your lesson is in an indoor (covered) arena, if the weather is bad you’re likely to feel the cold. If your lesson is in an outdoor arena, I’d definitely recommend wearing a light coat – you can always take it off. Avoid long coats unless they have a two-way zip as it will bunch up uncomfortably when you sit in the saddle.
3. Comfortable socks – if you’ve got long riding boots or are wearing short boots with chaps, choose thin socks that won’t bunch up under your boots as this will be really uncomfortable.
Georgia is Horse & Hound’s deputy website editor and equestrian products expert. She curates content across the website with a particular focus on upcoming equestrian events horse care and buying advice. She also manages all the ecommerce opportunities that allow us to give you easy access to the best products at the lowest prices via our buying guides. Georgia has first-hand knowledge of all the equestrian brands and their ever-evolving product lines, having been working with them closely since she started in equestrian media in 2015.
