Over on the eventing forum, Jswan brought up the salt sack jacket. Anyone able to find a description and picture of one? Are they still in existance?
Hum… google didn’t pull up anything, but I know there is a picture of my godo friend showing in the early 80’s in her mother’s old hunt coat… it was off white!
Basically an off white linnen looking material (of course it was paired with rust breeches :winkgrin: )
From what I could find on the net, it was an off white coat worn durning cubbing season that kept one cool, while still protecting from the brambles.
I think there are different names for it. It’s like a tow linen. Not a fine linen, but a bit looser or coarser weave. Natural color.
Horse country had a reasonable facsimile a while back. You can also buy the fabric and make it yourself. There is a site that sells patterns for hunt coats.
Beverley will know more. She knows everything. Really.
Photo… I remember seeing a gentleman wearing a derby, salt sack and Newmarkets. Well known Va rider and I know his name but it has escaped me. Now it’s going too keep me up all night… What was his name??? The photo was in a magazine or exhibit… Argh!!
HR might know too.
Appsolute, yup, that was a salt sack. Any chance you can post a photo? They are so sensible for hot weather riding when you still need to be turned out well. Not the most practical of fabrics, I guess.
Mine was the Horse Country version. I found it and checked the contents label… wool!
So now I’m realllly interested in the fabric. It would be so cool to have a jacket that was, um, cool.:lol:
Check out Fabric.com - and I know a seamstress in Warrenton who would make one for you. I’ll help you pick out the fabric.
I think a conference with you is in order. We will write it off as research for the coth hunt. Bwaaa-haaa-haa!
We do need to catch up! 
And I’m planning to join y’all for the fall COTH hunt - and I’m coming to the clinic too.
Suppose to be Beautiful ~
Suppose to be beautiful jackets ! 
:yes:
Used to be standard horse show attire in the summer. That and seersucker. You never see anything but dark colors now. Are we getting dumber?
Oh, sadly, I have searched in vain for one and can’t find them anywhere. Yes, ‘salt sack’ because, way back when, that was the source of the material. As has been noted you could make one unless you are like me and have neither the talent nor the time nor the sewing equipment.
Next time I have a while I shall peruse the ‘Equestrians Back In The Day’ page on Facebook, I expect one could find a photo there.
I just saw an ad today for the place you can get patterns for different riding attire and horse clothing- Suitability.com If you all make or have made a hunt coat we need pictures.
Ah. I just scrolled through a few hundred of the thousands of pics at ‘Equestrians Back in the Day’ on Facebook and here are some salt sacks (or pretty darn close):
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1618078616278&set=o.116299805373&type=1&theater
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=392597620797&set=o.116299805373&type=1&theater
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=45233710797&set=o.116299805373&type=1&theater
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=107470569294035&set=o.116299805373&type=1&theater
This one is not. But if necessary, it might be worth joining Facebook to have a look:cool::
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=104680346239724&set=o.116299805373&type=1&theater
The links let me ‘peak’ at these without having to log on, hope that works for everyone.
Worked for me, Beverley. Those are terrific photos!!!
The poor eventers were complaining so about their jackets - methinks they might be more comfortable in a light linen jacket. They don’t have to be off white - linen comes in all kinds of colors.
They did seem to disappear in the late 70’s/early 80’s. I wonder if they truly became unfashionable, or did they just become less available because of mass production? I know fashions changes… but heavy jackets in hot weather just makes no sense. I don’t see seersucker anymore, either.
But I attended the induction at Morven and I did see a few older gents in seersucker. And while the rest of the gents were silently sweating and miserable, these older guys were kicked back enjoying the evening.
Maybe it’s time I dusted off my sewing machine and started making custom salt sack jackets!!!
ETA - I think I remember the name of the man I mentioned in an earlier post. George Ohrstrom. Pretty sure I saw a wonderful wonderful photo of him, back in the day, turned out impeccably in salt sack, Newmarkets, and of course on a very fine hunter. Great photo.
Thanks, Beverley!
If we can conjure up some and get the photos placed, we could start a new fashion trend ourselves. Use some technical fabrics and some nano-technology to have the dirt and rain slide off. How about a cooling effect and hiding the sweat, while we are at it. We would still want a chiller pocket for the flask. Margaritas?
Southern women don’t sweat.
We glisten.
Where would the showgrounds with the palm trees be - third down in Beverly’s post? What a blast !
The caption says, “Old Indio”. In the comments below, they talk about the palms being date trees, picking grapefruit from the nearby groves and avoiding the ostriches… :eek:
It was a fairgrounds, so maybe the ostriches were part of that? There were camel races and arabian costume classes too.
They jumped in the aisles between the shed rows. Sometimes in the mud…
Yup, there are pics on the facebook site of horses schooling 6 feet in the shed rows, and I saw at least one wild shot of the camel races. A great shot of Jimmy Williams jumping a big fence while sticking his tongue out at the camera- well, really literally thousands of fun pics, including a few hunting pics.
J Swan, let me know when you fire up your business, I’ll order one!
I think when I was last at the MD Hunt Cup I did see ‘some’ of the younger (below 50!) set in seersucker. It ought to come back, these things are cyclical. I remember buying saddle shoes in 3rd grade when they were all the rage and my mother saying oh, those went so out of style in the 30’s or so…
Re Mr. Ohrstrom, I think I have a book somewhere that may be his family all similarly attired in the family class at Upperville. Now I’m gonna have to root around for that…but first must go make ceviche…
