Honestly, I’m over 40 with a desk job. I am not as trim as I would like, and no, some of the technical fabrics don’t look as great on me as they do on the rail-thin kiddos I sometimes ride against. I DO NOT CARE. They are comfortable, and when I ride, they do not restrict me. I remember even when I was much slimmer, that when my horse jumped big, my arms would strain to follow him because my coat, which fit beautifully, didn’t give that much. So, while some people may think that I cannot/should not wear the technical fabrics, unless they are paying all of my horse bills, their opinion of my coat means very little. I recently wore a very fitted stretch coat in an equitation class where I beat a group of juniors who DO look good in the fitted tech fabrics.
I bought a mesh coat both despite and because of what several posters have said upthread. Besides, I’m now wearing a vest over it anyway. When I even wear the coat. I wore the coat in not quite half my jumper classes over the last two weeks, meaning that I had sleeves of various colors hanging out, as shown in post 12-ish upthread. I purchased a black Kerrits ice-fil shirt (the horror!!) to wear under the vest.
Photo of coat with vest.
I love the short coats! I have a very short torso and they are the only ones that don’t make me look like I’m wearing a dress. Same with the low rise breeches. I can do mid rise but they come up a bit far. Low rise fit me like mid rise fit most other people.
For those looking for longer coats: my trainer has a long torso and she was in despair of finding a new coat that didn’t look stupid on her. She just ordered two RJ Classics in the long size and they are gorgeous and fit her perfectly.
Also, I’m a jumper so I can wear whatever, although I tend to be pretty non-flashy because I am a recovering HP. However, I pulled out two of my old (old!) ratcatchers with the monogrammed collars and I’ve decided that I will ditch the collars and wear just the shirts because they are lovely: one is light and the other a deeper blue.
Amen! Now, I am not tiny but I almost exclusively wear mesh coats. I personally don’t feel that squeezed into mine nor do I notice other riders looking that way. Ladies, I think we need to be less critical of ourselves. Embrace the mesh.
I embrace the mesh!
I do love the look of the wool coats, but most of the time they just are not the practical choice. Not to mention, wool coats need to be dry cleaned, and often. I can wipe my tech fabric coats off easily, OR I can throw them in the washer. Win-win-win.
I have come to deal with my body in all sizes, if someone doesn’t like it, i would direct them to look at my lovely horse and focus on him instead, as that is the point of our discipline.
Okay, I feel appropriately chastised. 
I totally understand the need for mesh coats. The stretchiness for jumping must be fabulous. And I get the heat factor. No one should have to choose between being dressed appropriately and heat stroke.
But nowadays I only do under saddle and horsemanship (pattern) classes on the Paint circuit. The vast majority of hunt coats we wear are wool fabrics embellished with piping, velvet collars, covered buttons, paisley lining, etc. If I were to wear a mesh coat it’d have to fit me, and look very similar, to what everyone else is wearing. So far, I can’t find any that do. But I’ll keep looking!
Edited to add: This is where I got my current hunt coat. And yes, it’s friggin’ hot to wear, especially showing in Phoenix or Las Vegas. The same place does make custom colored and patterned show shirts, too, but I am not paying $250 for one.
Honestly, I was quite surprised to find out how much the mesh coats can look like a regular coat until you get within just a few feet of the person.
I do have one that’s a unlined navy soft shell, which is kind of stretchy, with mesh panels. It’s not expensive. It’s from Ovation. But it fits me well and it’s not nearly as hot as a traditional coat.
But I wore it to my young horse’s first show, down at West World. Let’s just say that when I rode out to the show arena (or “pen” as the Paint folks say) and got ready to ride my horsemanship pattern, my trainer looked at me with a weird expression and said, “Is that your show coat?”
So I haven’t worn that one again. 
I would like it on record that I have seen @Pokerface in her tech fabric hunt coat and she looks great. Maybe with some rust breeches next time though.
Suffering for the sake of beauty went out with Scarlett O’Hara. Wool hunt coats are great. In winter.
I have the Irideon Kismet show coat and recommend it to the broad-shouldered among us. It is lightweight, washable, drapes nicely, and is great in the rain. I must have had it for going on 8 years at this point. Not that I show very often, but I’ve certainly gotten fair use out of it. The only thing it could do better for me is come in green.
Just be glad if your Paint trainer doesn’t require Spanx and/or a water bra. Two friends’ paint trainers required both, along with full make up. They graciously waived the undergarment requirements at at August show at LA Equestrian Center when it was well over 100°F.
I would be finding a new trainer. That is ridiculous.
I am afraid to google it. What is a water bra?
If my memory/imagination serves, it is literally a bra padded with water “pockets” to enhance cleavage while attempting to look “natural”.
In other words, taking a bad situation and making it worse…
Same.
Plus if they’re doing that to the riders, what are they doing to the horses?
Well, I can only speak for my small show barn: the horses are treated great. Otherwise I wouldn’t be there. (We even have irrigated grass pastures for turnout, which is a rarity in Arizona).
Ha! Nope, none of that in my barn! But I know stuff like that happens. My sister’s friend, who rides in one of the top Paint barns (in another state) cut her hair short. Her trainer made her wear a wig with a fake ponytail for her western classes until her hair grew out. 
Educate me on this style of coat please. I “rescued” it from a non-horsey secondhand shop; it seems aged but not sure to which geological era 
How would one wear/style this?
My sister had one like that in the mid-2000’s. Hers had a peach and blue windowpane pattern and she wore it with peach and blue ratcatchers. She rode a fat black pony and we called it the “toothpick and olive show” because she, a tall and slender child wearing a taupe coat and tan breeches, looked like a toothpick sticking out of a kalamata olive.
Lol!
I remember another pony kid from that era who had a similar jacket and look.
I also remember back in the day when some of the older amateurs would pull out the occasional very plaid/borderline Madras jacket at Devon. I can only imagine those were their old, lucky jackets that they saved for special occasions. Lol.
I like the lighter colored jackets for summer! I love the tan with a very light blue shirt.
This whole thread inspired me to get myself a gray mesh jacket this morning 
If I’m wearing mesh, it’s probably hot out, and if it’s hot out I may as well go with a lighter color!
Me too! I celebrated by wearing a dark espresso (mesh) jacket that matches my dark espresso PSoS pad with medium brown breeches (and a cocoa/cream blingy browband) on my brown dun Fjord.
DEATH TO WHITE BREECHES!
Also I really love the mesh jackets, but I think the key is to go up a size so they can lay properly. I had to try a few brands to find the one that was sized smaller if that makes sense? Meaning when I tried on my regular size it was just a smidge too tight but workable, so when I went up a size it was a little bit more like going up half a size than a full size. The other brand in my regular size fit but it would have had that lumpy bumpy look, and when I went up a size, well I just swam in it. It goes without saying that the one that ended up fitting better was twice the price of course. But they are great for dressage and h/j (that ship has sailed) AND bonus, they look fantastic with my plaid aprons on my presentation vehicle, so they are in the show rotation year 'round.
