Proper Attire for Young Boys

[GrumpyMare]

My son went fox hunting for the first time yesterday and loved it. Thankfully he has a very cooperative pony who has done a lot of trail riding and cross country schooling, so Hunting was just a faster trail ride for her. Now he wants to do it more and I’m thinking this might be a good alternative to showing hunters where he constantly struggles as a boy rider against girls in pigtails with much prettier equitation.

My question is, what all do I need to outfit him properly for hunting both cubbing and formal? He has both a tweed and black coat. He has tan and white breeches, though will need new ones courtesy of a growth spurt. He has collared dress shirts and ties but I’m confused as to whether he should wear a stock tie. And he has black field boots, but does he need a pair of dress boots? I’m thinking he needs a vest but should he bother if he will be wearing a cross country vest?

Also where are some good places to find everything?

Thank you you in advance for helping a clueless pony mom. I rode saddleseat as a teen and now trail ride so the hunter world is rather foreign to me.

https://imgur.com/a/Kd9x1ph

[jawa]

How old is he?

Generally speaking juniors wear ratcatcher, tweed, for every hunt. Paddock boots are also proper for juniors.

Most juniors by the the age of 15/16 ( that I’ve seen hunting, are graduating to y’all boots and a black hunt coat with stock tie for formal days.

Keep it it simple until he’s truly committed.

[TheBigEasy]

Not much useful feedback here, but I wanted to comment on how positively adorable and proud he looks.

Your son son looks very well turned out. And I’m sure your hunt club would be very tolerant of any minor deviation - since clearly otherwise he looks the part.

And who can’t resist the adorable child who tries?

[GrumpyMare]

I forgot to mention he is 11. Thank you for the compliment. I was so impressed by how welcoming the hunt members were.

[Rackonteur]

He and his pony look so great!

[jawa]

So the easiest turnout would most likely be: Collared shirt, neck tie that coordinates with his tweed coat and tan jobs or breeches depending on whether he has tall boots or paddocks.

The tweed doesn’t have to be a true hacking jacket. It could be something he’d wear to any special function. That way he would/could get more than one type of use from the garment.

Happy Hunting!!

[rose_097]

he looks great, nice to see young people

[Equibrit]

Tons of kiddie pics; https://www.nicomorgan.com/-/galleries/hunting-photography/wilton-hunt/season-2016-17/wilton-hunt-south-allenford-farm-4mar17

[PalmPony]

Very cute pony and well turned out rider! I would stick with the tall boots with the growth spurt and he looks older than 11 in the pics. Usually, even if they’re only 11 or 12, I swap the kids to tall boots if they’re tall and look more mature for their age. I would think for formal days youd want dress boots, but fields for cubbing. Are there any consignment shops in your area? Are you in hunt country? Ebay is also great for kids items as well as some of the tack swap groups on Facebook.

[Wanderosa]

He looks great!

[Rackonteur]

@Equibrit

Tons of kiddie pics; https://www.nicomorgan.com/-/galleries/hunting-photography/wilton-hunt/season-2016-17/wilton-hunt-south-allenford-farm-4mar17

Lovely pics but that is in England. Might be a bit different than Kentucky turnout.

[Wanderosa]

@Rackonteur

Lovely pics but that is in England. Might be a bit different than Kentucky turnout.

I was surprised at how many horses had figure 8 nosebands in those pics. You see a smattering of them here and there, but they are not generally favored here in VA.

OP - I looked at some pics of juniors at Middleburg, Piedmont, and Orange hunts’ meets; they’re generally the most formal. Formal attire isn’t required for juniors but it is never considered incorrect. Most of the kids wear ratcatcher attire. (Tweed coat, shirt with tie for boys, tan or buff breeches and brown or black paddock boots.) Technically, tall boots should be black. But I’ve noticed a lot of juniors
in brown field boots. Most kids wear half chaps if they wear paddock boots. They don’t have to wear a canary or tattersale vest under their jacket. More and more wear a crash vest and or air vest. I think it’s nice to have a purpose-made hunting coat because they’re warm and cut with more room. Show coats work fine, though. And if your kid is like mine, they run much hotter than us adults and complain that they’re sweating!