It really captures where I am at the moment as a re-rider: a happy, enthusiastic mess.
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I have three different photos of me showing three different horses in a navy coat and rust breeches. It was a classic look and a sharp color combination. * sigh *
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I swam upstream & wore the Navy huntcoat with charcoal breeches.
Pearls were clutched, but I ended up Reserve AA 
Note unsafe huntcap - cannot call it a helmet. 
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I’ll see that combination and give you rust breeches and a charcoal hunt coat, albeit in jumpers. Also no gloves and Hampa boots.
Jive at the Ventura County fairgrounds in 1985.
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Those are so awesome!
I rode in a Bruce Davidson clinic (that’s Buck’s father, for you younger riders) where he made that point. He had us jump a vertical from a walk, and each pass through the four riders he’d raise it. Finally he pointed out that we had all just jumped higher from a walk than any of the cross country jumps he would have us galloping over later that morning.
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Another new one: gastric ulcers. Had never heard about the condition decades ago and now they seem to be the cause of so many ills. Looking back I wonder how many cribbers, ear-pinners, casters, biters, poor-coaters, etc. had ulcers as an underlying cause.
Also wonder whether chemical contaminant traces in feed (glyphosphate, e.g.) are leading to a surge in ulcers/GI troubles in general — or are we simply better at diagnosing?
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Some blasts from the past: me on my 15’2” TB mare (circa 1973) at a hunter schooling show at Foxcroft school - jumps were 3 feet because it was a “Green Hunter class”; at rated shows, all Junior hunters jumped 3’6”. I was riding in a Prix De Saute! As others have said, we basically used the same saddle on different horses, there were no saddle fitters back then. I also evented up to Prelim, and was in Pony Club on the track to get my A - I did all 3 phases in a Stubben Sigfried!
The second picture is of me on a friend’s Appaloosa gelding circa 1975 – she was a timid amateur, I was 18 and feared nothing - so I would pop him over big fences for fun because he was a true natural - it was like riding a bouncing rubber ball. He was only 15’1” and short coupled, but boy, could he “ping” over big oxers 
Though he had a head only a mother could love, he was soft, supple, powerful, and had a great temperament. Note the rust chaps!
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Have to say, I never met an Appaloosa that couldn’t jump, and jump cute. Back in the day (like the 90s) my best friend had a black and white snowflake Appy mare— big with a long stride— that was not the prettiest thing. And this was before fake tails were in fashion, so the mare also had a tail that was a handful of nothingness. But she jumped beautifully with great expression. And won a lot, even against the more traditional looking hunters.
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I’ve known some great Appaloosas in both horse and pony sizes.
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The smile on your face says it all. Fantastic.
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You can definitely still do khaki/olive in the hunter ring! I bought one this summer and it looks great on my chestnut and my bay. I’ve gotten lots of compliments. I’ve started wearing my navy one on days that we’re only jumping, and I wear the green for the undersaddle. It stands out in a sea of navy and black.
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I rode one whose mane was a full-on Afro until a wise friend pulled it. This animal looked as though he was put together with stray bits of whatever was lying around the factory floor at the shift’s end. He was the sweetest darn thing, though. It occurs to me 40 years later that he probably would have been good-looking if he were in, you know, a program, rather than getting out only once or twice a week. Sigh.
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We’re definitely better at diagnosing, and better at treating them.
Equine veterinary medicine has really come a long way.
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OH! Brilliant!!!
This never occurred to me and I love it because it justifies a growing collection of jackets.
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Perfectly valid reason! Lol.
And it’s even true.
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I wonder if chemical contaminants such as glyphosate are contributing to the rash of diagnoses of neurological diseases such as EDM. It is a known neurotoxin and many pesticides/herbicides cause Parkinson’s etc in humans.
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With age comes the ability to justify the purchase of anything related to a horse.
We also become great enablers. So gone on, buy yourself another jacket! 
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You don’t have to tell me twice 
I love this scheme since, initially, I didn’t think I showed enough to justify a huge wardrobe… SOLD!!!
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THIS! But either they want to or they DON’T. They have to think it (or anything else) is a good idea bc you won’t make one do anything. And I say that as an App LOVER.
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