All horseback riding disciplines have their own styles of clothing for riders, and English riding attire for dolls showing in model horse performance classes are no different. Both Western and English attire developed from the actual use of horses as working animals; English attire from the hunting field and the gentleman's sport, Western clothing from the working cowboy. It's important to choose the appropriate clothes for your dolls when using them as props in live and photo shows for model horses.
A Brief Explanation of English Riding Show Clothes
The basic show attire for English equitation, huntseat riding, and lower level dressage consists of tight-fitting breeches in tan or fawn (a light tan color), rust, or gray. A special button-down shirt is worn by both men and women. It has a banded collar called a ratcatcher that affixes by a pin at the front and usually buttons or closes by velcro across the back. Over this, a close-fitting hunt coat is worn. Hunt coats in equitation and hunter over fences classes are usually dark gray, navy blue or occasionally, dark green and have three buttons in the front. Dressage coats are navy blue or black with four buttons, with black the preferred color. At higher levels of dressage, a long coat with tails, slightly resembling a formal tuxedo coat, is worn. Riders wear a black hunt cap with chin strap. The hunt cap is covered with velvet or a material resembling velvet. Black gloves that fit tightly are always worn in the show ring. Boots are of black leather and extend up to the knee. In the hunter and equitation ring, either field boots or dress boots are acceptable. Field boots have laces near the ankle; the laces provide greater flexibility. In the dressage arena, dress boots are preferred but again at lower levels, there's less formality, so at training levels or schooling shows you'll see riders in equitation show clothing. In the upper levels of dressage, a top hat, tails and dress boots with snowy white breeches are the norm.
In the equitation and hunter show ring, riders wear a number on their backs. It is usually printed in black ink on a white piece of paper or stiff cardboard. It affixes by a string inserted through holes punched in each side of the paper. The string is brought around the body to the front and tied through the middle button hole on the rider's coat.
Certain English riding disciplines require very different attire. Fox hunters wear formal clothing but special hunt boots with a cuff at the top. Eventing riders, who ride their horses over rough terrain and over very high fences, wear brightly colored show clothing, padded chest protectors and other protective gear. Ladies riding in an English side saddle wear either historical clothing or a special apron that fits over their breeches to mimic a long, flowing skirt, and a top hat. In the world of competitive show jumping and in the fox hunting field, certain riders may wear "pinks", the name given to bright scarlet red riding coats.
English riding clothes are never loud or flashy. They typically feature sedate colors, and styles and trends change slowly. Even jewelry worn by female riders is kept very sedate, with pearl earrings or small stud-type earrings favored by huntseat, equitation and jumper riders.
Outfitting Your Dolls for Model Horse Performance Show Classes
Breyer sells dolls in nearly every scale to match their models horses. The original riding doll, Brenda Breyer, was a Traditional-scale female doll. She was joined by Ben Breyer and a host of others along with other dolls in various scales.
The basic clothes that come with the English riding dolls are usually fine for English performance classes. The only clothing that you'd need to change on certain riding dolls is the jacket. The show jumping dolls come with the bright red jacket which is unsuitable for the equitation and hunter rings. A quick change of coat is all that's needed to create the right effect.
What about gloves? Making gloves for tiny doll hands is very difficult. Instead, if you don't mind painting your doll, get some black paint and paint gloves on.
The hardest thing to get right with the rider dolls is the leg position. While the larger scale dolls are jointed, you cannot easily flex the heel down on many dolls to create the classic "heels down" look so necessary in the equitation ring. Some model horse enthusiasts change the heel of the mass-produced riding boot, adding on a sculpted heel to mimic the "heels down" approach while the doll's foot isn't really in that position.
Should You Use a Doll in Your Model Horse Show Performance Setups?
In English performance classes, a doll rider is required in English equitation classes only. Since equitation classes are judged solely on the rider, entering a model tacked up but without a rider can result in instant disqualification. On the other hand, hunters and hunters over fences are judged solely on the horse, so a properly outfitted horse, a good fence, and a nice hunter-type pose on the model may lead to ribbons.
Only use a doll if you have a good doll and can pose it properly on the horse. Posing the doll requires posing the legs, hips, hands and even head properly to enhance the entire appearance of the scene. If the doll looks sloppy or is wearing the wrong clothes for the event, you can lose points.
Finding Dolls for Model Horses
Purchase Breyer dolls at toys stores or online outlets. Some collectors create their own dolls using heads, hands and legs purchased at craft stores and adding bodies. There are some model horse kits on the market too, such as Candace Liddy's jockey rider kits, which contain the doll's parts that you assemble, glue and paint. Many craft and hobby stores sell dolls and some can be customized to work with model horse scales.