Ridingwarehouse has a 20% off sale, including helmets and show clothes 
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One K makes a helmet in both round and oval. I love the fit of my oval, and the detachable washable liner. I like it better then my Charles Owen. When it “times out” I think I will just stick with the One K.
We have a winter schooling show at our barn this coming Saturday, and it looks like the high "might " make it to 36. I am going to show in my formal hunting clothes. I will stand out as I am the only one in the barn who hunts, but I will be warm while everyone is shivering in their summer tech fabrics.
Plus, while I am waiting for my class I can have a wee nip of port from my sandwich case flask. I won’t be so crass, as to imbibe in the line up, but hmmm, maybe it would be just polite to share with the judge. Might cover a multitude of sins, just sayin …:lol::lol:
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As an ex-event rider, I realized that white shirts were worn briefly for dressage and stadium. In both cases the judge was supposed to be looking at the horse.
I also realized that decent quality men’s shirts were longer waisted, quite comfortable, and with the collar removed, seam restitiched, were suitable for a stock tie or a choker. and a whole lot less expensive than “show” shirts. I used them for fox hunting too. :winkgrin:
Call me economy minded.
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I just wanted to add… you are bringing your own photographer to this schooling show, right? Because we are gonna need pictures. Posted here. Please.
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I just bought a One K , very nice helmet, didn’t break the bank and fits as good my old GPA speed air. There are consignment tack shops where you might find a nice jacket that’s more up to date, check eBay too.
:lol:
If I was, er, more “secure” in my overall impression under saddle, I would totally bust out the green breeches, the wool coat, the outdated ratcatchers, and maybe even a show bow just for giggles.
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I think you’ll be fine with what you have plus a new helmet. I dug out my wool hunter green coat a few years ago for a local show. That color was just starting to reappear. I got so many ooohs and ahhhs lol!!! A junior asked where I’d gotten that great coat. I said, it was probably The Tack Room in 1995. I have a taller torso and wouldn’t wear one of those short new jumpery looking coats anyway. The old style is more flattering on me regardless—if I got a new tech fabric, it would probably be in the older Grand Prix 3 button style just like the wool ones anyway.
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I will be cheering for you across the internet!!
If you are wearing a pair of tan pants and a white shirt and a black helmet, no one is going to notice that your black or navy blue jacket is “dated.” 1) It probably isn’t as terribly dated as you think, 2) Black or navy jackets don’t stand out at all anyway, even if they are dated in style, and 3) You way overestimate how much anyone is going to be looking at you. Most people are to obsessed with their own horse (or their own outfit, or whatever) to notice the jacket on someone else.
My advice: Get a new helmet, Charles Owen is great quality for the $. Nowadays they say to buy a new helmet every 5 or so years no matter what as the shock absorbing materials could degrade over time, so you gotta bite the bullet here. Get a new pair of tan pants, there are many suitable brands all in exactly the same color. Get a white wrap collar shirt–whatever is on sale. These new shirts are great, you’ll never regret switching from chokers.
Since you aren’t 15 years old and presumably aren’t surrounded by a gaggle of judgmental 15 year old friends who are inspecting you and judging you based on what brands your parents chose to buy for you, I don’t think you need to worry over much about brands–choose what fits you well and what is comfortable and in your price range.
The secrets to looking good:
-Have your horse spotlessly clean, trimmed, and/or clipped and turned out perfectly. I mean perfectly, not sort of perfectly. While no one is looking at you, they will be looking at your horse.
-Clean, brown, traditional tack. Old is fine. Make sure that all tack (including your bit) is “conventional.”
-Properly fitting saddle pad.
-Snug, properly fitting hairnet with appropriate “hunter hair.” Having a pony tail or a braid sagging in an old style hairnet is a huge NO.
There’s actually a lot of street cred associated with having been doing this long enough to own show clothes that can vote and buy liquor, so DO NOT be embarrassed to mix in pieces of vintage clothing as part of your showing ensemble. And, as IPEsq points out, the newer tech fabric coats are not always the most flattering. They are short and fitted and are awkward looking on certain figures.
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I have some of that vintage old enough to vote and drink show clothing. I wore my very nice, but VERY heavy wool coat until I bought a new technical fabric one a couple of years ago. It cost a mint (for me, anyway) and my trainer never stopped complaining about it and how much nicer I looked in the old one. The new jackets just don’t hang and look as nice as the wool ones. I’m old and don’t care. The new one is cool, stretchy, and washable. I’m about comfort. Anyway, my wool one is probably from the early 90s and navy pinstripe and my trainer still loves it. I see plenty of older show shirts in pastel colors at local shows and even some at rated shows. As long as yours aren’t garish colors, just wear them. I have Ariat Sunshirts and got them pretty cheap, around $60. Again, light, comfy, and technical fabric for summer. No collars to try and attach. They are all hidden snaps. I’m now too lazy for buttons! At a schooling show, I’d rock the green beige, if you want to. It’s really not that noticeable. I was still wearing mine until a couple of years ago. I was wearing pull on Vogels from 1995 until this year! Unless your boots are really short or super loose fitting, no one will notice. As has been pointed out, just from age alone, your helmet should be replaced. I show in the Charles Owen JR8. I just can’t spend $400 or more on a helmet. The most important part is fit and knowing what fits your head shape. Charles Owen helmets generally fit an oval head, like mine. I can’t wear the round ones like OneK, GPA, or IRH. They just won’t fit. Good luck. Have fun and don’t be self conscious about your clothes, if they fit and are neat and clean. That’s the good part of not being a teenager, anymore! If you decide you want to keep showing, then look at slowly replacing things.
Just wanted to add - you can find much of what you’re looking to update at consignment shops (plus list your retro riding clothes!)
I have nothing but good things to say about www.triedequestrian.com and www.equusnow.com, to name a couple favorites. Both carry new and resale.
There are also also at least half a dozen or so Facebook groups dedicated to English tack and clothing resale.
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The most important piece of attire is the helmet, for safety, not looks. The ideal way to get the right helmet is to go into a local tack shop and try on a bunch of different ones to find the best fit, if that is an option.
Below the neck, if you’re wearing a navy coat, tan breeches, a white or light colored shirt, and tall black boots, you should be fine anywhere, from the smallest schooling show to the biggest USEF show. Just be sure everything fits and is clean.
Helmet wise, if the OneK doesn’t work out, you’d be totally fine with the CO that you mentioned - I think those are pretty classic and won’t really go out of style any time soon. I also would look at IRH or Ovation if you can find them in your area; they seem to specialize in making less expensive versions of whatever fancy helmets are on the market.
Well, unless the weather breaks soon, the prospects of the January show are looking slimmer and slimmer. So I think I’m going to have plenty of time to slowly replace my antiquing show clothes pieces at my own pace.
Plus, I found a “local” winter jumper show series… and I might just stick to that. That way, I won’t have to deal with my own personal hang-ups about my turn out not being up to standards.
Can my dark Madras Show Shirt, stickered helmet and Effingham tall boots hang out with your clothes? They are feeling a little lonely and could sure use a drink! They are also totally legal as well so no worries there
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This! I came her to say something along those lines 
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I just bought a One K helmet from RW for $165. They also have discounts on show clothes, etc if you want to update your wardrobe but I think it sounds fine other than the helmet. If you need a promo code, PM me Good luck!
Hey OP, don’t worry! I am a professional, and I still wear my beautiful, custom fitted Heythrop, Marigold, and Grand Prix light weight wool jackets. Personally, I loath the look of the new sport fabric. I think it’s ugly, and doesn’t fit most curvy women well. And they have those stupid tags on the left shoulder, ugly colors. Yuck. Just make sure your old stuff still fits.
You should probably invest in a new helmet, because the USEF helmet safety standards has changed in the last couple of years.
I still wear my beautiful, well cared for custom Vogel pull on boots. I get lots of compliments on them, and the nonexistent zipper has never broken on me, haha!
I do like the new shirts, they are beautiful and comfortable. Make sure they fit, as all that stretchy fabric doesn’t always compliment the curvy girl. I use my old, lovely and comfortable ratcatchers for schooling shirts.
As you can tell, I am very old school and traditional. But I have won a lot of classes in those clothes and never looked out of place or in correct. And if I lost, well, the clothes weren’t why I didn’t ride well or get a prize!
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For helmets I would suggest Troxel. They have some CO dupes that look pretty nice for a WAY lower price point.
Updating:
It’s been ridiculously cold and I’ve been snowed in, so I went through all of my show clothes one more time and tried everything on.
Blue wool coat fits perfectly, gray coat is a smidge tight, only because of the “girls,” which I usually tape down when showing (the joys of being well endowed with horses), the black coat is way too big on me. Funny, because they are all about the same size.
I knew the tan breeches & boots fit because I’ve been wearing them for schooling shows in other disciplines.
I found a plain white ratchcatcher show shirt in my closet with the tags still on it and no monogramming that I didn’t even know I owned! It’s a smidge too big, but no one will notice that with the coat over top. It’ll work until I can make it to a tack store and actually try on the new show shirts, since with the aforementioned “girls,” stuff often fits me funny.
I found a steal of a deal on a CO JR8 in my size, so I placed that order today. I hope it fits; I’ve never tried on the JR8, but the helmet I ordered is the same size as my previous velvet CO Hampton from waaaaaaay back in the day. It’s a good enough deal and I can probably rehome it easily if it doesn’t work.
I think I’m set to be socially acceptable!
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Yay! And the beauty of the navy/white/tan combo is that it will still fit right in twenty years from now.
