Riding Apparel
For decades riders had complained of the paucity of clothing choices available to competitors, often lamenting
that it was difficult to express one’s personal style when confined to old fashioned-looking black coats and white breeches. Other sports had updated their uniforms to reflect current fashions, but dressage riders still looked like something out of a fancy
dress ball in the 19th Century. At least the men did. The women looked like they were in drag.
With such revolutionary changes happening in the sport of dressage, the FEI felt it was only logical that riding apparel evolve to keep up with the times. Instead of the dated approach of one-uniform-fits-all, new regulations allowed for originality in choice of colors and materials. Aesthetic Dressage and Prix Prix were given separate dress codes to reflect the different disciplines, although one rule was applied to both: apparel must be form-fitting. Gone were the days of flapping tail coats and full-skirted frock coats. The new look of dressage was based on lycra-spandex bodysuits. The inspiration for Prix Prix was the colorful body-hugging uniforms of moto-cross and bicycle racers, while the Aesthetic Equitation folks looked to the imaginative innovations of the Western Pleasure circuit and ice skating. An unforeseen result of these new dress regulations was that, with a few notable exceptions, competitors became exclusively female. For aesthetic reasons, it was ruled that only female riders under 110 pounds might compete.
With
the easing of bans on corporate advertising on uniforms cutthroat competition arose between sponsors to secure the most striking placement
of their logos.
Boots
Another significant change in apparel occurred in the area of footwear. The traditional black leather riding
boot was considered dull and old fashioned. Additionally, with the new regulations stating that tack and attire must be color
coordinated, black boots were considered a limiting factor in ensembles that featured pastel hues or brilliant neons.
While traditional boot manufacturers resisted making boots in bold colors like fuchsia and avocado, Nike stepped up to the plate with a rainbow of possibilities. Not content with just reproducing the old design in new colors, Nike completely revamped the idea of the riding boot. Instead of leather, the new boots consisted of a comfortable running shoe foot with a custom-molded PVC shaft that eliminated the possibility of breakdown.
A particularly welcome innovation was the addition of the KneeCapper (TM), a hinged cup that fits over the rider’s
knee. When unmounted the KneeCapper allows the rider’s leg to straighten normally, but once in the saddle the rider snaps the
device closed, thus locking the knee at the proper angle. Combined with the Guter Sitz saddle’s seat-molding design, the
rider was assured of a perfect leg position in all circumstances, no matter how dire.
Helmets
As tail coats and leather boots went the way of the dodo, so did the traditional top hat, but the FEI mandated that all riders
must wear protective headgear: controlling enthusiastic, genetically engineered equines was frequently as hazardous as driving Formula
1 racecars. The challenge was to come up with a design that would be acceptable to riders. Upper level competitors were
adamant that the black velvet helmet of old was out of the question. Not only did it ruin one’s hair, but its old-fashioned
silhouette was identified with portly middle-aged amateurs forever doomed to the lower levels of the sport.
Many suggestions
were put forward including bicycle and motorcycle helmets. It was even suggested that an S.E.I approved baseball cap (with ponytail
port) be developed since the soft version of the cap was de rigeur for upper level schooling.
After much controversy, a compromise
was reached: competitors could wear any type of headgear that fell within the broad definition of “hat” as long as it had an S.E.I.
approved head liner (i.e., styrofoam soup bowl) and a chin strap. This opened the way for a deluge of creative (not to say bizarre)
solutions to the helmet problem.
While many riders opted for helmets that were as small as possible – something like a cross
between a beanie and a tiara, others chose to embrace the idea of extravagant haberdashery and vied with one another to concoct the
most unusual and arresting designs. When Olga Rollkurova, always the trend setter and sponsored by Dole, sported
a helmet that resembled a pineapple complete with foliage, the floodgates were open to a veritable cornucopia of designs ideas.
