I am in looooove with this jacket.
But i’m not familiar with the brand. Anyone have one of their jackets?
I have that exact jacket in navy and love it, very comfortable to ride in and looks good. I’ve only worn it for 3 shows so far so can’t comment on durability yet.
The only issue I found was sizing runs very small - I normally wear a euro 36-38 but needed to go up to the 40 for this.
I have a bunch of Fair Play show shirts and I love them, but I agree their stuff runs super small. Normally I wear a Medium, but in Fair Play I can squeeze into a Large, but an Extra Large would probably be better.
I ordered it; a size larger than usual. I figure if it’s too small I’ll take it to a tailor and get it loosened or put two sport fabric slits in the sides or something. I’ve been looking for a brown jacket that is stylish and doesn’t look like I’m about to go out hunting or join the military for ages now. Fingers crossed!
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Not a jacket but I bought an AP Fair Play saddle pad from Dapper Horse and a PS of Sweden browband. Nice quality saddle pad that should be perfect for warmer weather ahead. Good transaction. They sent me a chocolate horse coin. That sealed the deal. I’ll be back.
I have the brown dressage coats and LOVE them. They look fantastic in my opinion, and I’m glad to see them on this side of the pond.
@StormyDay --do your tailor a kindness and order the jacket two sizes bigger --you will have a better result if the tailor has to take the jacket in rather than try to let out a small jacket. I have been taking riding/hunt coats to tailors for 55 years --easiest is bigger. Most recently I had my lovely hunt coat let out to accommodate a safety vest under it (I think that looks better on the hunt field than a safety vest over the jacket). There was little seam fabric to work with --tailor said that “these days” manufacturers do a 1/4 seam allowance rather than the traditional 5/8 --much has to do with the stability of the modern fabrics (stretch and don’t fray). The tailor was able to let my coat out enough --a $100 alteration – taking in a couple of seams would have been 1/2 that price.
Are the newer close fitting shorter washable riding coats popular out in the hunt field?
I thought it was the traditional tweed or heavier wool Melton coats? I don’t participate but that’s my understanding. I have seen photos of safety vests worn over coats. Some are barely discernible.
@Moneypitt – (short answer) The young members, both men and women seem to wear shorter coats in the new high tech fabrics on the hunt field. No one cares as long as the coat is black. When it is beastly cold, those folks wear a Mountain Horse type riding coat over the hunt attire. Not ideal --but in MI where hounds can and do go out in single digit weather, it is nice to see the field out in any attire.
(long answer) Your question about the newer close fitting shorter washable riding coats popular at my hunt club made me think --there are three hunts that I know well --my own and the two others in MI that host joint meets. In MI, we hunt September to April. Weather can be beastly hot to artic cold --at my hunt club, Battle Creek, most hard core hunters who attend weekly or twice a week have three or four different weight coats. Personally, I have a light weight coat, a medium weight coat, and a heavy weight coat, as well as two tweeds, one cotton and one light weight wool.
As an “older” fox hunter (been hunting 55 years), I wear traditional frock style coat. My coat (waist seam) extends to mid thigh. This isn’t so much for fashion as it is to shed rain/snow off my thighs when I hunt. Mounted, there is maybe 3" of proper canary (not buff) breeches between top of patent leather boot top and bottom of coat. Back of coat rests on either side of the the horse and does have buttons and button holes at the vent so I can, if horse is hot, button those up to cool him off. Interestingly, my coat also has a separate piece buttoned inside that goes over the collar on the outside to completely close the neck area --never used it, but it is there.
Young men and women who ride out with BCH seem to prefer the shorter coats --however, as long as the coat is black --any suitable coat can be worn. No one is assigned to check coat cuts and material. One long time member has always worn a rather thin suit coat (I think) when it is very, very warm. He has a heavy coat, but not a light one, I guess.
It was my light coat of which I wrote. My heavy and medium coats come from many years of hunting and have thick seams --1" or more where coats are adjusted. Both are tailor made (gift from my dad in the early 80s). When I cracked some ribs two seasons ago riding my young horse, my DR’s advice was “don’t crack them again.” My kids bought me a safety vest. As they are 3-Day riders, their opinion was to buy one and wear it, “As close to the skin as possible,” That meant remaking all my hunt clothes (except shirt and stock tie). In short order I had my vest and two coats done, but my light coat was the problem. I’d bought it only a couple of years ago. That one, though wool (very, very light wool), had 1/4 inch seams that were serged to prevent fray. The tailor struggled to find enough material in the back and arms to let the coat out. She did have to “patch in” one place using material from the hem of the coat. Done now. It was she who said that “modern” riding coats have little seam to work with --her opinion being that the stretchy fabric that doesn’t fray, allows for a closer cut seam.
As to safety vests over or under clothes --I’ve seen both. As I have only one safety vest (hard kind, not one that uses compressed air), I wear it summer and winter when doing O/F (I’m almost 70). To wear it over my hunt clothes, I would have needed two vests -one large enough to go over the top, one small to wear over a t shirt in the summer --BUT mainly, for me, it is the view. One of our whips wears an “exploding” safety vest over the top of his red coat --the vest is black. While I agree that safety is #1, if I could control the world, I’d give him a red vest to wear over that coat.
Although I know my inside safety vest adds inches to my profile (and I’ve worked my whole life to maintain a slim figure), I wear it. I have seen photos and video of me with the vest and honestly, no one can tell I have it on except me.
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Thank you Foxglove. 
I had no idea until I read this article from a few years ago that they made/make riding jackets with built in safety vests.
‘Tally ho’. 
So, I got it. Shipping was super quick and the company is great to work with.
But. It was way, way too small. Like, short. I’m not a tall person, but the jacket didn’t even hit the top of my bum. I actually double checked to make sure it wasn’t a child’s size. I could have worn it as a crop top.
So, back it goes. And the search for a cute brown jacket continues.
