The $125.00 Horse Show Outfit Challenge

I know, I know, I’m talking about shopping again. But hear me out. Right now a lot of equestrian retailers are having some fantastic sales. Which make this a wonderful time to get an outfit put together if you are planning on going to some horse shows in 2020.

As an example, Dover Saddlery is having a HUGE sale with up to 70% off. And Riding Warehouse is doing the same thing. It’s like they are clearing out in preparation for the new pieces that will inevitably be coming soon.

But if you are just looking to put together an outfit to show in, and don’t are about having the latest style, well this presents a great opportunity for you!

What Do You Really Need?

If this is your first season where you will be showing, you might need a complete outfit. But, you may not, depending on what you already have. And depending on what kind of show you are going too, you may be able to get some tall boots, and new breeches and call it good. Or if you are planning on going to a series of A rated hunter/jumper shows, your every day schooling breeches might not be fancy enough. Which means right now is a wonderful opportunity for you to get a new outfit or two for the horse shows this summer!

So take a look at what you have, and come up with a list of what you really need before you start shopping. This way you won’t be buying things you don’t necessarily need.

Myself for example, I have a huge collection of equestrian clothing.

My breeches collection rivals my saddle pad collection. And my show shirts…

Well, lets just say, I don’t need anymore show shirts. Although, I fell in love with a shirt that I have been trying to get without success.

I did find it at Farmhouse Tack, and I was able to order it. It was definitely a special purchase, and one I would not do again. But I justified it was my birthday present. So I ordered it. It was so cute! I saw a rider wearing it at a horse show this past summer, and I just loved it!

And a couple of days later, I got an email from Farmhouse Tack saying the one they had was sun damaged and it was on back order, but it should ship by mid November. Well here it is, the end of December and I still don’t have my beautiful shirt.

Oh well, I guess I should take that as a sign that I don’t need this shirt. Which is probably a smart decision because the price tag of the shirt… $125.00.

My $125.00 Challenge

And to truly see what I could get for that $125.00, I decided to see how much of a show outfit I could put together for $125.00. And this is the perfect time of year, with all of the sales going on, and a little bit of searching in places you may not have thought of.

Breeches

Ok, now I don’t need anymore breeches. But if I am looking for breeches, my favorite one of all the breeches I have worn are those made by Ariat. And I found a wonderful deal on Riding Warehouse for the Ariat Triumph knee patch breeches.

I absolutely love these breeches. They are so comfortable, and wash very well. For me this is so important. Because no matter how hard I try to stay clean, it never happens. So having breeches that look great, and show ring ready is really important. They are on clearance for around $75.00, but the sizes are pretty limited.

Another option of course is eBay. I found loads of Ariat breeches for around $22.00. And I even found new ones for $48.00 with free shipping.

Not too bad right?

Show Shirt

Every once in a while you can find some great deals on show shirts. Especially Noble Equestrian (AKA Noble Outfitters). But if there are no deals new that you can find, why not try eBay?

I found an Ariat Coolmax Victory show shirt new with tags for $14.99, and free shipping. It’s a little wrinkled, but nothing an iron couldn’t take care of.

I found another one for $17.99, and yet another one for $13.99. Some were new, some were used. It just depends. But if you know the name brand of what you are searching for, it will make searching MUCH easier.

I also found a sleeveless Ariat shirt on Amazon for $39.99.

It’s a little more expensive, but I really like sleeveless shirts, especially in the summertime.

Tall Boots

Ok, this is where you can spend some serious money. But, you can also save a lot of money if you do a little bit of research. For example I found these tall leather boots by Ariat

For $55.00. Sure they’re used. But if you don’t have tall boots, and need them, here you go. These look like the Ariat Heritage tall boots. And they even have the zippered back. Which are far easier to put on.

I have always bought my tall boots on eBay, and I have gotten really good deals on them. As an example, my fancy shmancy Ariat Volant Tall boots

on eBay for less than $75.00 including shipping. Yep, a pair of $450.00 boots for less than $100.00. This is still one of my favorite finds from eBay. And the boots are beautiful!

But I also found my everyday Ariat riding boots on eBay as well, and they were less than $50.00. I have found it is far better to spend $50.00 on a used pair of quality tall boots rather than spend $69.00 on a pair of synthetic tall boots.

Right now Dover Saddlery has these Middleburg synthetic tall boots on sale for $69.99. But they aren’t leather, and won’t last as long as a pair of second hand leather boots.

Show Coat

With the wide variety of fabrics now available for show coats, you can find them very affordably. I bought my show coat at Riding Warehouse almost 2 years ago, and I love it! I have only worn it for modeling for photos, but I still love it.

It’s made by Horze, and its similar to the Adele Breathable Soft Shell Show Coat. It costs around $46.00 brand new. The material is awesome, because it doesn’t get wrinkly. And it’s machine washable, another huge bonus.

Or if this is too much to spend, eBay has a ton of choices. For example,

this show coat is by Tuff Rider, and it is an auction going on right now for $9.99, plus shipping.

Or how about this show coat by RJ Classics:

It’s an auction for $8.60 right now. How is that for a deal? This is why I love searching on eBay. You can find some fantastic bargains!

Our Cost So Far

Ok, so if I were to buy the least expensive items from the breeches, shirt, boots, and show coat, I would be looking at spending around $120.98, including shipping. I would have almost everything that I need for an outfit that I could easily go into a small show arena and feel comfortable, as well as presentable with my outfit.

And if I were trying to put an outfit together at the last minute, this would be an affordable option. But if I have a few months to get ready, (hint hint, like right now!) I would have even more time to find all of the right pieces for a very nice show outfit without spending thousands of dollars.

The $125.00 Horse Show Outfit Challenge

You have options. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to put together an outfit you will feel proud to wear in the show ring. So if you are like me, and stuck inside this weekend because of cold and snow, why not do a little shopping in anticipation of the upcoming show season? It will give you something fun to do, and will probably save you money in the long run.