Now I am not the guru when it comes to showmanship, but the “posture” (especially hands) has been going a little bit more relaxed than what it used to be, just FYI. I would encourage you to take a few refresher lessons from a trainer, to get all the new details on what’s trending.
Also, dark leather is still “in”. The photo you posted for your combo has a light leather halter. Look at the halter you posted later from the equinechronicle ---- dark leather!!!
And yes to a BLACK felt hat, if you plan on wearing that type of show jacket.
(Or the teal colored hat if you feel bold … yes, color can be worn in the arena and it’s trending right now.)
Your turnout just really, really depends on where you are showing. We even have a very, very large AQHA show in my area that is outdoors and folks where jeans and straw hats. Yes, even for the showmanship portion. But for the indoor shows, they get fancier. But not the outdoor show! So I guess you kind of have to know your crowd. Of course, it never hurts to be overdressed. Remember - while you do want to look nice, if you out-perform someone dressed better, you will still beat them!
At my local shows where I do showmanship, I am usually too lazy to change clothes, so I just wear my jeans and shirt.
My horse and I took 2nd place on this day with this getup. Plain cotton pattern shirt. No sparkle. Jeans.
I did at least put on my nice hat ($800 beaver 20x) although it has more of a rodeo style shape and I ain’t changing it to the show pen taco!
But my horse did a really nice pattern, and so we placed appropriately. Even thought I wasn’t dressed up and my hat wasn’t shaped to the current showmanship trend.
