Hello, For those of us who care about what color (or not) a hunt coat is, USEF/USHJA is changing the rules to enforce a color code of black, grey, brown and green. Comments are encouraged.
This one? https://prc.usef.org/documents/ruleChanges/2018/Proposals/174-18.pdf
Not really changing them, just rewording what already exists. It also looks like it makes this specific to hunters… I’m not sure what all it applied to before. I believe the member comment period has ended as well.
Yes, I think it ended last week.
And blue. Don’t forget blue.
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Sorry, I forgot about blue. Too bad if the comment period has passed. 
So a man who has won his hunt colors cannot wear Pink ( scarlet) ?
Who wears brown these days?
I am against the rule change. I purchased a burgundy Allesandro Albanese jacket last fall and emailed USEF prior to making the purchase just to confirm the color is permitted in the hunters. I wore my jacket a lot this season and absolutely love the way it looks on my dark bey. The proposed rule change will prohibit me from wearing my burgundy jacket. There are two great articles on the Plaid Horse on this issue, and the rebuttal by Carie Antonelli (here: https://theplaidhorse.com/2018/11/12/in-defense-of-the-burgundy-coat-lets-honor-tradition-where-it-matters/) is very thoughtfully written. #letthemwearburgundy
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Plus they’re also saying no trim! Today’s hunters are so far away from traditional hunters, this is ridiculous plus try to find plain jackets anyway…guess I’m heading back to jumperland as I’m not buying more new jackets!
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Heck I’d be fine if it was just black and navy, so this sounds perfectly reasonable to me :o
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Waay back they rode in crazy jacket colors - A friend of mine had some Madras plaid jacket she showed in… some wore linen jackets - in hot summer months which were light in color both these styles were more about keeping rider cooler as the lighter wool blends were not yet discovered. If the argument is truly about sticking to tradition, stick to tradition across the board. You would never see a Jr. rider out hunting in a shadbelly and certainly not a child wearing garters and jods with a shad but this is the norm today. And while Im on the topic of shadbellys, you also would not see them with contrasting colored lining. You would see your black and navy jackets in the formal classes and tweed jackets in less formal classes along with brown boots. Speaking of boots, dress boots would be the boot that was always acceptable for informal and formal classes, with field boots for informal classes and worn with that tweed. Now all you see is field boots - even with fake laces which is just weird to me - the laces had a function once upon a time. Breeches - what happened to rust and canary?
If you’re going by tradition, a running martingale would be allowed vs. standing - not too many people hunt in standing martingales if any.
So if the argument for no burgundy jackets is “tradition” go back to the true roots of that tradition across the board. On the other hand, I can see where if its not ironed out it could lead to bright colored jackets. But then again that was Ok once upon a time.
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Scarlet is still allowed in classes that call for formal attire. Note that shadbellies are not required.
HU 128.3 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
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I think running martingales are “conventional” again…you just don’t see them much.
The Hunters has long been- it’s not in the rulebook so you gotta guess, or - it’s who you know/ask if you figure out how to do it really right. I am a traditionalist, but for those I see coming along, it would be great if the rulebook were more detailed. If I were a judge, I would really support a small number of traditional, undistracting coat colors.
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I don’t understand why this rule change seems to be aimed directly at burgundy - it’s dark and conservative. I think the AA Motionlite coat is beautiful and not at all distracting. Didn’t various subtle plaids used to be permitted, ages ago? The last time I was competing in the hunters (I was a teenager), everyone was trying to (quietly) be individual by wearing a pastel colored shirt under a navy coat. This sort of rule makes me want to bypass the hunters with my lovely horse, and do something less fussy.
When will we know if the proposed change is accepted?
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“which in the judge’s eyes are overly distracting”. Any judges weigh in on this? No dog in this fight, I think the burgundy jackets are not attractive (nope, not even the lovely pictures posted on FB do I think it is attractive), personal opinion, but doesn’t offend me- a long time traditionalist. (and why isn’t grey in the “breeches may be” section? I know they are not common but I remember rocking my grey Harry Halls 
(yup- just dated myself).
I don’t care if a purple looking jacket rides in a class with me. It will make it more memorable if they eat
Yeah- let’s go after the purple/burgundy jackets and let the druggers go. Sounds like a solid plan to weed out the bad apples :rolleyes:
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LOL!!! ME!!! But I don’t do those “big important” hunter shows. Personally, I really like a very dark seal brown coat, I think it looks classy. I’ve had a series of them for the last 40 years. One had a very faint pinstripe, quite lovely. And I’d still wear it today, at any horse show. Because I am a bit of a rebel. Just a bit of a rebel, that sometimes does the hunter division and doesn’t care what anyone else thinks!!! ROTFLMAO!
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A man would wear scarlet in the same classes as a woman when she wore her shadbelly - for formal classes. and if they really wanted to jazz it up both would wear their topped boots - brown leather (men or women if they are hunt staff)or patent leather (women) LOL
And Top Hats!
@gottagrey & @Pennywell Bay - I too am a Hunter Dinosaur. I remember longing for a madras plaid huntcoat (like the Kewl Kids) & Newmarket boots, instead of the dowdy (to me) black wool I inherited from my Aunt & Dehner dress boots.
And nobody but NOBODY in any Junior class wore a shadbelly. E.V.E.R!
Only tradition I am glad seems to have died is ratcatcher shirts with chokers.
Now there’s an aptly-named piece of dress!
They may have been less of a PITA than stock ties, but the new snapcollars look might comfy in comparison.
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Hunter rule change proposals will be discussed at the USHJA annual meeting in December. If a rule change gets the thumbs up there, it goes on to a vote at the USEF annual meeting in January.
There are many, many, many rule change proposals every year. They don’t all get passed.
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