How much does riding gear cost?

kevin99

Girlfriend and I want to get back into horseriding after five year absence.
We don't have any riding gear so need helmets, jods or jeans, riding boots or wellies, rainproof jacket.

We don't mind spending money on good helmets but have a budget for the rest of the stuff.

Do we need to buy a back protector? Is this essential for riding out for insurance purposes? If so, how much do they cost and where would we get them in the north Dublin area.

Are riding macks still available?

paddi22

tesco do really cheap riding gear, and sometimes lidl have horse weeks.

wosheen

HI Kevin

First off, it's great you and your GF are going back horseriding!

In terms of gear, the sky's the limit as to what you CAN buy, but rather than break the bank perhaps you should purchase based on your current ability level and what you want to do (i.e. indoor lessons? hacking?) and gradually add more as you need it. You mentioned you have a budget, which is GREAT, but I'd still take it easy on all the purchases as they can add up.

If you're going back to the basics in a group class and will not be jumping for a while, you need very little to start off - most yards have helmets you can borrow at the start, old jeans and wellies would do for the first few weeks as well. There's a young fella that I know who is brilliant with horses, has been riding since he was a baba and can jump ponies over 1.3m tracks with no bother, and he has never owned a pair of jods, always wears old sweatpants!

Also, purchase in terms of what you want to do. If you plan to do a group lesson once a week, and perhaps go for a gentle hack on weekends, all you need is a helmet, jods, boots, and possibly riding gloves (if you think you'll use them.)

Some yards require back protectors, others don't - check the policy of the yard you're going to.

Hope this helps? And best of luck!!

silverfox88

to be honest, i think if your only starting back into riding (which is an excellent plan, hope it goes really well for you!!) the main essentials are jodhpurs/leggings, and boots and chaps; most riding schools supply hats and will give you a back protector if they insist on them being worn. see how you go before splashing out on hats and back protectors. but when you do inevitably decide that you cant possibly think of doing anything other than riding, these are a few handy sites etc

love love love this site, really handy for doing everything in one go:

www.equestrianclearance.com

great for jodhpurs, boots, crops, blah blah blah!

hat-wise, id splash out the money and get a decent one like the champion one:


http://www.championhats.co.uk/ventair.html
this one, the ventair one, is fantastic - myself and pretty much everyone i know have them, really really comfy and the vent thing really helps stop sweaty head syndrome! i paid about €150 for mine but its fantastic, and also worth noting my friend bought a brand new one from ebay and only paid €45 for it.

harry hall do a similar hat, got this image of it from ebay so you can really see the price differences
http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/HarryHall-vented-riding-hat-/270668994064

also, from your girlfriends perspective, unless she's going to be competing i wouldnt necessarily bother splashing out on jodhpurs; i ride 6 days a week and wear black leggings bar sundays when i have to whip out the white jods for competing - i find leggings a lot more comfortable and less restrictive than jodhpurs. also, as wosheen said above, most of the lads i know ride in sweatpants too!!

as for back protectors, any riding school that insists on them will generally provide them; personally i only wear them for crosscountry/hunting etc, and they're a big enough expense. if you are going to buy one, the racesafe ones are expensive enough but worth it as they are a lot more flexible so you dont feel like your wearing a cardboard box!

http://www.triequestrian.ie/our-products/for-the-horse/detail/50-body-protectors/youjoomla/2762-racesafe-jockey-vest.html?sef=hcfp
(also that horrible nappy strap type thing in the picture comes off!!)

Ave Sodalis

Honestly, don't buy anything until you are sure you want to go back into riding. As said above, helmets are usually supplied by the school and sometimes even boots are. I would just pay for a few lessons first and see how it goes.

I actually wear tracksuit bottoms for everyday riding and jodhpurs for competitions etc so I'd stick with comfortable trousers before splashing out. If jodhpurs are necessary, you can usually buy them fairly cheap.

As for back protectors, I don't think you'll need them for basic steps, but if you are more comfortable with them, shop around and find the cheapest at the best standard.

As for your initial question: how ever much you are willing to spend...