STYLE AND BEAUTY

[MitchyInge]

luckily mud goes with everything, what are you wearing under your layer of horse poo, stray bits of hay and horse/dog hair?

. . . seriously, what can I wear that will keep we warm and help me look half decent?

Well, I can tell you what not to wear, those 'budget' jods from Tesco. I picked up a pair cos they were only £9 but my were they unflattering! Nasty pull-up things that show VPL even with big knickers and made my knees look very odd. Took them back straight away. (actually I didn't notice they were pull-up until I got home, the label had a pic of nice jods with a zip - very misleading).

Ok, well you need a coat in a dark colour but one that is washable. I've got a lovely pale blue riding coat that looked lovely in the shop but ends up going straight in the wash practically every time I wear it, so I stick with my purple one that has only needed 1 wash in the past year. (Don't forget your hi-viz when you ride though!).

Fleeces and jumpers are very bad if you want to look less hairy more smart as everything sticks to them. I used to have one of those builder's checked shirts with the quilted lining for mucking out etc. Made me look like a lumberjack but I was warm and nothing stuck to it! Wish I'd kept it now.

I want to know how other people walk about in the wind without their hair becoming a big ball of knots and frizz. Is there some mystery product I don't know about?

they only ever seemed to have them in a disgusting shade of pink in the shop so sounds like I have had a narrow escape!

I just wash and wear, wash and wear, wash and wear the same 3 pairs - they are really all very nearly dead now

yes, think the fleece Has To Go (it is so warm though ) apart from anything else it's about 3 sizes too big and looks like a baggy dress and it is a hay/hair magnet

it is v hard to keep warm without getting too hot once you've been riding for a while I think?

I have got a purple pair my mum got me from Tesco last Christmas and they are a good fit and comfy so no complaints there (except I can't wear them with my purple coat as I feel like a giant plum). The offending ones were beige.

I've got my eye on the black Harry Hall ones (am a fan of Harry Hall, lasts very well) so will be dropping hints as my old nasty nylon black ones have almost worn out. Plus they will be more slimming [hopes].

well i saw very smart quilted riding type jackets with cord collars in M+S last week in navy, bottle green and dark pink. they looked just the type of thing i always had as a kid to ride in, am def going to buy one when recovered from big op. but i have 1 very small pony away at schooling/producers yard and 1 very small pony on full livery so really need a " i am a yummy pony club mummy " type look

I had a green quilted coat with cord collar! And dd had a navy one when she was about 3, which got passed on to ds. They both looked really cute in it.

there are loads of them on ebay

Perhaps you should keep both of the very small ponies and take up scurry driving?

oh I've still got a green one of those somewhere! last time I wore it someone said I looked like Princess Anne weeps

That's too 70s/80s for me. I remember begging my mum for one and when I got it I hated it.

i live in a very backward county, we still wear our velvet alice bands to pony club ( not sure some of the gals realise Princess Di is dead )

mummydoc

As this is "style and beauty" and mummydoc has already hinted in that area - does anyone remember when Susannah from "Trinny &" was Susannah Constantine and hung out with Lady Di in the aforementioned velvet alice bands and turned up shirt collar?

Now my horse's pony club ban has been overturned I could check out what they wear around here?

Do not feel much further forward in my personal grooming/style and beauty project yet though.

I think the only way to look good is to have staff. If someone else has done the poo-picking and grooming and you just turn up and climb on the ready-tacked horse, you too can have pristine white jods and shiny boots like someone off the telly.

And It's not 'backward', it's 'retro'.

Much more stylish.

I vaguely remember seeing a 'what not to wear' where they gave a make-over to a horsey woman, and had her tottering down to the field in high-heeled boots instead of her usual wellies.

maybe it will be easiest to just wait for skanky clothes to come back into fashion, a sort of rural grunge scene?

I have ordered a pair of special "winter breeches" which apparently are warm, windproof and water resistant. Hacking's OK in a long riding coat but I always find schooling the problem and am fed up with getting cold, wet legs! Will report on how good they are when they arrive (humph...wish they would hurry up...)

skihorse - hope yoou weren't upset about Princess di comment ( you do realise she isn't really dead but living on a tropical island with elvis, john denver and curt cobain)

mummydoc haha of course not.

I am liking "rural grunge" very much!

The trouble with the horsey lady from WNTW was that she also had a dazzling array of slightly too small shoulder-padded 80s suits... but yes, they completely failed to dress her in something appropriate for going to the stables.

dressagenut, any chance of link to these winter breeches?

well this is our challenge - how to be stylish and appropriately dressed

Ooh, sorry, Mitchy, haven't logged on for a couple of days...! The winter breeches are the Pikeur Lugana soft shells from www.panache-equestrian.co.uk. Yes they are pricey but I have had my eye on a pair since last winter and have just managed to earn some extra dosh, so decided to go for it. Pikeurs are also well made and last for ages in my experience so have managed to convince myself that it is a worthwhile investment.

For the "stylish and appropriate" challenge I also got some Roeckl (sp) winter gloves with Goretex...full marks, very impressive...nice and soft, not bulky, so ideal for riding but warm (tested today out hacking in a cold east wind).

Hi Mitchy

I will have to disagree with Pixel on the Tesco value jods. Bloody comfortable, and i actually wore them for dressage today and they looked smart. Only problem is i don't think they will last very long.

I have one of those fleece alice band/ear warmer things that i could now not live without, also stops me getting shit in my hair

Invest in a really decent pair of waterproofs (so worth it) I have a pair from Ornello Prosperi (sp?)and then you can wear a comfy pair of leggings underneath and no one will ever know

To stop my hands looking grotty after being at the yard (you know how all the dirt gets into the dry cracks in your hands and doesn't come off) i use latex gloves, with woolly ones on top when cold. Good to ride in too as good grip.