“Summer fashion” has a slightly different meaning for equestrians. While most people think of shorts that will accent their killer tan, shirts that compliment their drink cooler, and bathing suit cover-ups that will hide all the places that don’t need to be flaunted – equestrians think of sweat, dirt, and comfort.
The heat of summer is unavoidable. And there’s a vicious cycle that comes with the heat that involves sweating, and dirt sticking to sweat, and dirt and sweat causing friction, and all of the above causing the type of smell that makes people avoid you in public – good for social distancing… bad if you want to appear socially acceptable.
Luckily we live in an era that has done away with the thick polyester and wool, and replaced them with fabrics that use technology to help us stay more cool, dry, clean AND protected. Let’s examine the different ways our clothes can work for us:
- Horses like grass. The sun grows grass. So we need the sun. However, the damage the sun does to our skin becomes more and more apparent with every new wrinkle and age spot. We can help prevent skin damage mainly by covering our skin, especially with fabrics that specifically block up to 98% of UVA rays, like sun shirts from Kastel Denmark. Shop Kastel Sun Shirts
- In order to cover our skin, we need a fabric that doesn’t trap heat. Lucky for us, these tech fabrics not only breathe, but actually make us feel cooler than the outside temp. For example, the Ice Fil line from Kerrits (which includes breeches, shirts, sleeves, gloves and even show clothes) absorbs sweat and coverts it to cooling energy, dropping your skin temp by 5 degrees. Shop Kerrits Ice Fil Collection
- It always seems you can’t walk thru the barn without coming out with some dirt. Combine that with summer sweating and you are basically a dirt magnet. Luckily, most of the tech fabrics are not designed to repel dirt, shavings, and horse hair. Like the FITS PerforMax Kimberly breeches which will keep you cool, calm, clean and collected, in and out of the saddle. Shop FITS Kimberly Breech
- The best part of these tech fabrics is that while they are designed to keep us comfortable in the heat, they are also fashionable – even in the show ring. Take the Hannah Mesh Tailored Jacket II from Dublin, for example. Classically styled, but with modern comfort with mesh material, vents, and a zippered closure for a custom-tailored appearance. Shop Dublin Mesh Show Jacket
With all the options that encompass all of the benefits listed about, there’s really no excuse to be leaving the barn feeling dirty, sweaty, stinky and miserable. Have your clothes do the hard work by keeping you feeling, looking, and smelling fresh, all summer long.