Throwback Thursday: Outrageous Outfits From the Past
By: Brittany Bevis
Can anyone identify this National Appaloosa Queen? EC archival photo
For this edition of Throwback Thursday we dove deep into our photo archives to uncover some truly outrageous show outfits from years gone by. Some of the most extraordinary ensembles were reserved for horse show royalty like Miss Appaloosa America, the National Appaloosa Queen, Miss Rodeo America, and the Quarter Horse Congress Queen.
Accompanying us today on our stroll down memory lane is the National Appaloosa Queen from 1977 Kim Moore.
“1977 was the last time it was called the National Appaloosa Queen,” Moore says. “The next year they started calling it Miss Appaloosa America. At the time, there were 36 girls in the contest. Then, I think the amount probably went down to 10 to 15. Then, there were only five or six girls, and they just stopped doing it. They don’t do it anymore. It died out 20 years ago.”
Although the days of Miss Appaloosa America have long since passed, Moore looks back fondly on the experience of participating in Queen competitions, meeting fellow equestrians from across the country, and of course wearing those outrageous outfits!
“They were really awful, but we thought they were great,” she says. “Colored hats and colored boots were huge. They used to have this powdered chalk that you put on the hats to get them exactly a certain color. It would get color all over everything you touched. There were lime green hats, hot pink hats, and red hats. And boots had wing tips.”
1974 Australian Appaloosa Queen Karen Watters – Sydney, Australia. Photo courtesy of Appaloosa Horse Club.
“She had 60 pairs of boots in every color you could imagine, and we were only there for a week,” she says. “I thought it was a big deal that I had 10, so I was so intimidated.”Although the sequins and sparkles were definitely an important part of any Queen’s wardrobe, there was far more to these competitions than just fashion. In 1977, Moore claimed her title by gaining the highest scores in a personality and appearance interview, an oral knowledge test about the Appaloosa breed, and equitation and horsemanship classes.”We had three grand entries during the night performances,” she says. “They assigned you classes where you were responsible for trophy presentations. The contest ran the full length of the show, and you weren’t supposed to be caught out of full regalia.”
“I was only in my own house for 60 days that year I won. For the rest of the time, I was at an Appaloosa event somewhere. The shows really wanted you there. They would call and offer to pay your way. The national club gave a limited budget, but the shows would pay your hotel while you were there. You did work really hard doing trophy presentations. You were there from morning until night, just like an announcer.”
What’s a hard-working girl to do when she’s on the road for 305 days of the year? Chances are she would need plenty of outfits for show appearances and events. That meant the very best in designer western apparel was required.
“There was a company that made Gross suits,” she says. “They were $350 for a jacket and pants. They had embroidery and old fashioned cowboy stitching. They were very tailored. If you were a Queen, having a Gross suit was a big deal. They came in all kinds of nutty colors and fabrics. They were definitely not conservative.”
As Moore fondly remembers her days as the National Appaloosa Queen she is filled with the nostalgia of a simpler time. While some competitions like the Quarter Horse Congress Queen program are still intact today, many have fallen by the wayside as clubs focus on more modern methods of increasing youth involvement.
“Personally, I couldn’t of had a better experience,” she says. “The regional clubs really got behind the girls. I was the Yankee Appaloosa Queen, which was for the New England States, and people would offer horses to use for horsemanship. They really wanted you to use their horses. The regional clubs really had a sense of pride when their girls did well. It was great. I met so many cool people. I had a blast, and I would love for girls today to be able to experience that.”
Moore’s sashes and tiaras remain safely tucked away in the hall closet, and she has old scrapbooks filled to the brim with photos from the past.
“My mother made me this scrapbook of every picture and every article,” she says. “Gordon used to love to get it out and we would laugh at the outfits we wore. At that point, it was only 15 years later. If we got it out now, we’d be on the floor laughing.”
We would love to see some of your old horse show photos. Send them to b.bevis@equinechronicle.com and you might be featured in an upcoming Throwback Thursday article.
