Should We Be Matching When Horse Riding?

If you have visited county shows or main horse events this summer, you couldn’t fail to notice the market for colour when it comes to accessorising your horse. From fly veils to head collars, saddle pads to bandages matching colour are very on trend within the equestrian industry.

Mixing with the Traditional

Perhaps the traditional lovers of black, greys and navy muted tones feel colour should stay away from our horses? However, with rural roads feeling almost like motorways, more colour on horse and rider is surely a very sensible and safe thing? With the autumn catwalks and fashion weeks currently making the headlines, bright colour is standing out above the normal earthy shades that we turn to when the leaves start falling.

When it comes to bright colour, most horses whatever their colouring can look smart in matching accessories. Professional riders are honing in on this trend with many being photographed at home or in the show ring with their horses wearing matching saddle pads, fly veils and over reach boots. It looks stylish, smart but is also practical.  Colour can also sit with traditional tweed with many now using hot pink trims and neon yellows against black watch tartan, keeping traditional accessories alive in the modern day.

Choosing Colour

If you are looking to update your faded saddle cloth or your bandages are looking a bit moth eaten, then choosing accessories for your horse in a matching style is very easy. Most equestrian brands have joined the colour bandwagon and offer a choice of bright colours to keep up to trend.

Don’t be afraid to use colour with your horse. Be bold and go with your favourite colour. Most horses can wear colour with ease with blacks and greys wearing any colour in the spectrum. If you have a chestnut or bright bay, then baby blues to turquoise greens look simply stunning.

Mix and Match

The equestrian market is full of riding wear that compliments your horse’s wardrobe. Mixing a red jacket with navy colourway on your horse looks very slick and stylish! Even black on a chestnut looks great and by adding colour in your riding wear brings out these tones. Why not use greys with a strong coral or a berry red, compliment black with hot pink or neon yellow? The colour wheel combination of mixing colours together with your riding gear is vast.

Bright Colours When Riding

Neon colour is not only popular now in our own clothing, but stand out nicely on your horses too. It is also a potential lifesaver. Studies have shown that wearing neon colours when horse riding makes you more visible to car drivers approximately three seconds earlier than without it. Those three seconds can save not only your life or your horse’s life. With narrow lanes and dark carriageways shaded by trees, wearing colour on yourself and your horse is a no-brainer!

If your equestrian wardrobe needs updating either for yourself or that lovely horse in your life, why not step out of your muted colour comfort zone and add some brightness on your yard.  Horse riding is such an enjoyable pass time, so does it matter whether you match in the saddle or not? As they say, it only takes one colourful item to make a grey day beautiful… 

Working in collaboration with Matchy Horsey

Header image: Products shown: LeMieux Lime Green GP Matchy Set