Hi everyone! Just looking for some quick help here.
I have a rated show coming up next week, and there appears to be a 90% chance of rain…
Does anyone have any tips or tricks for showing in a rainstorm? Also, what are the rules for A rated shows? (Can we show with a saddle cover on or in a rain jacket?)
Thank you so much, I appreciate your time. 
I’ve never seen anyone ride in a saddle cover although I don’t know if it’s explicitly against the rules. Your saddle will be fine, just let it dry naturally then condition it. Same with boots, bridle, etc. Rain coats are always allowed in the jumpers and occasionally allowed in the hunters. If you’re in the hunters put it over your show coat and just take it off at the gate.
There are rain pants specifically for riders here: https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/gr…kaAqDUEALw_wcB They are tan and don’t cover your boots, so they are appropriate to show in and they snap on an off if you choose to take them off before you go into the ring. You can also just get regular outdoor brand rain pants to school in.
I bring 2 - 3 full sets of show clothes depending on the schedule and how many times I will be riding. If you don’t have extra sets of show clothes you can wear a schooling outfit in the morning and keep your show clothes dry for later. If you get caught out in the worst of it you will be SOAKED so bring extra socks, bras, underwear, etc. If you have extra helmet, pair of boots, or gloves, bring them. Wet clothes can be dried out in your car with the heat cranked up. I also bring an extra set of comfy clothes for the drive home in the case I run out of dry clothes.
Bring a sweater. It’s summer and you probably won’t need it but if you are wet you will get cold much faster. The only thing worse than being soaked is being cold and soaked.
Wear contacts instead of glasses if needed and possible. Glasses are impossible to see through in the rain.
Be careful of the footing and make sure it’s still safe before you go. Make sure you wash your horses legs with soap and water when you’re done as dried out footing is not good for their skin. Consider not braiding the tail as it may be a yellow heavy mess by the end.
Good luck and have fun!
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Thank you so much! This was extremely helpful!
A lot of good advice from the poster above.
We showed all the time in rain when I was growing up 70’s/80’s (A circuit h/j/eq). The only time shows were stopped was if it was thundering/lightning. You learned to deal with it and understood getting drenched was all part of it especially when you’re chasing points. Sometimes we wore those clear plastic jackets and helmet covers until right before we went in the ring. Thankfully we had a motorhome we took to shows so changing into dry stuff was a lot easier and made the ride home more bearable. I had a couple greys and the tack would tend to bleed when soaked since it was cleaned the day before - always was noticeable especially on their faces - didn’t look good!
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It may be location-dependent, but I have seen people wear the clear plastic jackets over their hunt coats in the hunter ring; or a black or navy rain jacket that is fitted and somewhat looks like a hunt coat. I’d check with your show office and ask what their rules will be. It is not illegal, as far as I can tell.
HU107 Attire
- Protective headgear. All riders must wear protective headgear. See GR801.2. While competing in a jumping class, if a rider’s chin strap becomes unfastened, the rider may stop, re-fasten the chin strap and continue his/ her round without penalty or elimination. A judge may, but is not required, to stop a rider and ask them to refasten a chin strap which has become unfastened, again without penalty to the rider.
2.Conventional attire following the tradition of fox hunting is encouraged and preferred. It is further recommended that the rider’s attire does not distract from the performance of the horse and rider. Judges shall 846 © USEF 2020 not eliminate a rider for inappropriate attire except for safety (see GR801). Shirts must have a choker, similar collar or tie. Breeches may be buff, canary, tan, rust or white. BOD 1/12/19 Effective 12/1/19 - Formal Attire. Riders are required to wear scarlet or dark coats; white shirts with white stock; white, buff or canary breeches. Members of the Armed Services or the Police may wear the Service Dress Uniform.
- Inappropriate attire. When management permits Hunter or Hunter Seat Equitation riders to ride without jackets, riders must wear traditional, short, or long-sleeved riding shirts with chokers or ties. Polo shirts and full chaps are not permitted except in unjudged warm-up classes. Management or Judge may eliminate an exhibitor who is inappropriately attired.
I also agree with having a couple outfit changes if there will be significant time between your rides. Personally, if my rides are close together, I’m just going to ride through soaking wet.
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A lot of good advice here, and I only skimmed so I’m sorry if this is a repeat. But technically HOODS are not allowed (which are why many horsey rain and cold weather coats have zip on hoods or fold in hoods). Some judges are awful about it. Some stewards won’t even let you in. Others don’t care. I always say it’s safer to make sure you have something that you can tuck in or roll the hood on. Or no hood at all.
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This is really only applicable if you’re doing the jumpers, but if you’re anticipating getting soaked that day, make sure you’re not wearing a white shirt with a colorful sports bra under it. Even if it’s not see-through when it’s dry, it WILL be when it’s wet. Not that this is something I have personal experience with, I don’t know why you’d think that.
The other thing to keep in mind is that your reins will be much more slippery than you expect. You might find that you can keep a better grip on them without gloves. I never did, but I was always the odd one out.
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:lol::lol::lol:
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Depending on footing, your horse may need his shoes drilled and tapped for studs.
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They changed the rule about hoods on the jumper side recently:
“In extreme weather conditions, the use of jackets, sweaters or raincoats with or without hoods can be allowed by management and/or permission from the Jumper Judge/s. Permission must be granted before entering the competition ring.”
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Most judges I know still say no, even if it’s down pouring 
But I’m glad it’s a rule change now. I get it in an indoor setting that you don’t really need a hood. But outside in a down pour? Can I please keep my hood. :lol:
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I came here to say this. Also, great tip for a jump-off in sand, if it’s a classic or money class.
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As has been mentioned, you can never have too many pairs of dry undergarments to change into!
You will look back on your day’s ride far more graciously during the drive home if you are dry than if you are wet. :winkgrin:
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If you don’t have a rain sheet for your horse, I would take a waterproof turnout sheet and have it on hand to throw over your saddle/horse if you have to be standing around. Also, make sure you have a dry towel up at the ring with you so you can dry your reins before you go in for your class.
And don’t forget horse and people bug spray. I don’t know where you’re located, but when the rain stops in my area the bugs come out!
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It POURED right before I went in the ring at Culpeper the other year. Being wet actually felt good, because it was so hot and humid, and no harm done to my coat, the newer coat materials really don’t get ruined by weather the way wool did. Be aware that saddles might bleed a bit, so I’d wear an old pair of breeches that day, if you know you’re likely to be rained on.
But big ditto on reins getting super slippery. I had already warmed up, so when I went in for my first course, I didn’t realize they were so awful until I was on my way to the first fence! :eek: So have something ringside to wipe down tack with, and perhaps some dry gloves, too!
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Be prepared- dry clothes, towels, rain gear. Some shows will let you show in rain jackets, many people suck it up, ride in their show clothes and get covered once out of the ring. The shows will hold/stop if there is lightening.
And then there is how much do you really want to show in the rain? It heavy rain is predicted, I personally wouldn’t want to trailer or ride in it but that’s me. I’ve ridden in rain sometimes on long trail rides where you don’t have a choice or sometimes the skies crack open just when you’re about to go in the ring. It’s doable, but again, if I woke up and it’s pouring and the forecast looks bleak for the rest of the day, I might just roll back over and cover my head.
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You also may want to think about shortening your stirrups a hole in the rain if your horse has a big jump and occasionally pops you loose. Again, not that I’m speaking from personal experience, but a slippery saddle and a back-cracking jump can get you some serious air time.
If you have a helmet that’s got some sort of fabric on the top (velvet, suede, etc.), don’t panic when it’s in the drying process and gets wrinkly. It’ll look fine when it’s all done.
Once your tack is fully dried, condition it really well!
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Living in Georgia, we show in the rain year round. It’s common to show in a hoodless raincoat when it’s really, really bad. Black and navy are acceptable.
I have a hunter green Kerrit’s Competitor Koat that I bought for rainy day shows. Sure, it only has a single vent in the back but it’s nicer than a raincoat. It’s kept me relatively dry and allowed me to still show in a show coat, and it looks a lot smarter than a raincoat. Still, here a raincoat will suffice even at a AA. Right now they are really just happy that you showed up.
I’ve got a pair of the Grand Prix rain pants, and I will tell you that while they keep you dry, they can get slick. If you haven’t ridden/jumped in them before, doing it at a show isn’t the right time to try it. You can wear them until you go in the ring, then unzip them and you will at least start off dry. I personally don’t like showing in them, but I wear Tailored Sportsman and they dry pretty quickly. Since my breeches tend to stain more from boot black/wet saddle leather/mud at rainy shows, I always use Folex on my breeches after the show to pre-treat them to remove stains. Works really well! I actually do this after all shows, but pay close attention to additional stains caused by wet equipment and tack. You can get it at Home Depot.
For your boots, be sure to prep your nice show boots for showing in the rain. I use Urad polish and then their waterproofing wax.
For helmets, the wide-brimmed lady helmets are REALLY helpful in the rain vs smaller brimmed helmets. The Miss Shield doesn’t just shield you from the sun, rather, it can help shield your eyes from pelting raindrops. I have the smaller brimmed Samshield and it’s just not as effective as my Miss Shield.
The Ariat women’s sunstopper show shirt dries faster than any other shirt I have ever worn, so that is my go-to for a rainy day.
For gloves, the Tredstep Summer Cool glove is awesome as it’s fabric and it has a terry cloth area on the thumb that you can use to wipe off rain or sweat. The palms are grippy. If you prefer a leather glove the SSG Hybrid is awesome, but your hands may turn a little black. It has a grippy material on the inside fingers and palm that is helpful to keep your reins from slipping. This is what I use as I prefer the look, but I do have the Trestep gloves for schooling and they work well, too. They can also be laundered overnight whereas the leather gloves cannot. Be sure to not overly clean or condition the laced part of your reins as they can get slick if it starts pouring.
Your saddle will get wet, so be sure to clean and condition it when you get off. The only person I’ve seen ride in their saddle cover in the past year is Andy Kocher, and that is not a lead I would want to follow. Perhaps others have done it, but I haven’t seen it. If it’s cool and raining, you can always wrap a cooler around you or put it below you to try to keep the saddle a little dry, or use the saddle cover - but warmup only. I honestly just ride in my wet saddle, but mine gets really grippy when it’s wet. Some get slick - know your tack before you go and prep accordingly.
We use synthetic girths as they can be cleaned easily. Also, we only use polo wraps for warm up at rainy shows and not our usual velcro boots. Some of the shows water the rings with non-potable water (from streams, lakes, etc…) and we’ve had some issues with scratched post-show. So we don’t use tack that can’t be completely cleaned since we’ve noticed an uptick in issues specific to rainy shows. We make sure to also clean the horses immediately after finishing and get them into dry bedded stalls. It’s important to get the mud and sand off them ASAP.
Hope this helps! Have fun!!
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I always pack an extra set of show clothes just in case I part ways with the horse.
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I can tell you the horse will be looking down to avoid rain in its face. Footing is usually pretty good unless its been raining enough to build an ark. You will get soaked and your horse will too and stink like an old horse blanket
