That One Special Outfit…
By: Brittany Bevis
As often quoted by Mark Twain, “clothes make the man.” But on a more emotional level, a certain item of clothing can conjure special memories, create a feeling of self-confidence, and even give a sense of overall well-being or good fortune.
While it might seem a bit silly to those outside of the horse industry, equestrians often become attached to that one special show outfit. Whether the connection is a result of the superb fit and spectacular sparkle or the memories made while wearing it, many of us find ourselves unordinarily attached to a garment.
See what a few competitors had to say about their one special outfit and why it holds such meaning.
Jenna Dempze in Showtime Show Clothing
Jenna Dempze (AQHA amateur)– “My favorite show outfit is a teal and black vest that was made by Showtime Show Clothing. It’s a leather vest with lots of fringe and cool western accents. I had a saddle pad already for inspiration, so I just showed it to Kay and Penny at Showtime and told them I wanted a fun, western style vest for my 2-year-old for the summer futurities. They came up with this bright fun vest! It has big turquoise stones and metal crosses as well as crystal accents.”
“This outfit is special to me because I wore it while showing Gotta Certain Touch, the first foal that I raised. I showed his mom as well, and he was her first colt, so he was special to me. He and I won the 2-Year-Old Non Pro Western Pleasure at the Tom Powers Futurity. It was a special win, not only because I raised him, but also because it was my first time to win at the Tom Powers. It’s also a lucky vest. Not only did it bring me luck, but it brought Becky Galyean luck as well. She wore it to win the 2-Year-Old Non Pro Western Pleasure at the Congress in 2013. After that, we decided it was pretty sentimental and that I should keep it forever!”
Whitley Horning in La Collezione di Anna from Showgirls Apparel
Whitley Horning (AQHA youth)- “I first saw the jacket at the AQHA Youth World at Showgirls Apparel, and I fell in love with the feathers, enormous amount of bling, and the fact that it had a reversible piece. It was my dream jacket, and I knew I would never find another like it, so I begged my grandparents for it. It was made by La Collezione di Anna.”
“The jacket has special meaning to me because I owned it for the majority of the time that I’ve owned my current horse, and it was my first nice jacket. I’d never owned a jacket so intricately made and extravagant. I have purchased other jackets since then, but this jacket has continued to hold a place in my life. I still pull it out of the closet to show in occasionally, and I had some of my senior pictures taken in it.”
“I’ve ridden the same horse the entire time I’ve worn the outfit, Invited Too Trouble. We made the finals in a huge Western Pleasure class at the 2012 Novice Championships, completed a superior, and earned our AQHA Youth championship while I was wearing it. I don’t believe outfits hold any luck, because no matter what you’re wearing, you and your horse’s performance are going to determine the placings. I do believe that a great outfit can add the finishing touch to a great ride.”
Susan Roberts in April Salisbury
Susan Roberts (AQHA select)– “My favorite show outfit is my Spanish matador style jacket that was made by April Salisbury. Spanish style clothing was very prominent on the runway in 2013. The bodice is black suede with gold, leather, filigree overlay. The arms are made of very stretchy, comfortable fabric with the gold leather overlay as well, and the outfit was very comfortable to show in. Comfort is so important to me; I hate feeling like I can’t move!”
“This was the jacket I wore when I won my first AQHA Western Pleasure Select World Championship riding Only A Breeze, aka ‘Abby.’ That’s part of why it’s my favorite!”
“April is awesome to work with and has an amazing sense of style. I’ve never been disappointed by any of her designs. She also designs show clothing for my daughter Hillary. I’ve always felt like certain things I do or articles of clothing I wear have proved to be good luck in the show pen. I’ve been fortunate to have lots of success wearing this outfit, so it’s definitely a good luck charm for me. Really, it all boils down to the hard work you put into doing your best that has more to do with success than luck does. That being said, we all hope for good luck every time we compete!”
Erin Bradshaw in Lindsey James
Erin Bradshaw (APHA amateur)– “Lindsey James made me a jacket in 2010. At the time, I was on a Michael Jackson kick, so I wanted her to design a jacket that was influenced somewhat by his stuff. She came up with the gold shoulder tops with fringe and large gold cuffs at the bottom. It was exactly what I wanted. I won a World Championship title the first year I wore it. The next time I wore it, I was a Reserve Champion. Then, I won again the last two years in a row on my stallion John Simon. It’s the LUCKIEST jacket she has ever made me, and it’s the most beautiful jacket, I think, to this day. It’s so timeless.”
Gabi Salamone in Paula’s Place
Gabi Salamone (AQHA amateur)– “My most special show outfit is the Horsemanship shirt that I was wearing when I won the Level 2 Amateur Horsemanship at the World Show last year. It was made by Paula’s Place, and it’s black with white, yellow, orange, blue, and purple paint. We came up with the color scheme because my horse is sorrel, and I really liked the way yellow and orange look on him in the show pen. He also has two white socks, and we decided white in outfits really accentuated the white he has. I added purple because my previous outfits had been purple, and I wanted to tie that into the new one.”
Shannon Gillespie in Betsy Tuckey
Shannon Gillespie (APHA horse trainer)– “I don’t have any particular lucky show outfits per say, but I did have a really hard time replacing my Betsy Tuckey black chaps this year. I’d worn mine for almost ten years, and they were SO worn out. However, I felt like they had some luck in them… I’d won a couple dozen world titles and the Congress in those chaps. A group of my customers bought me new chaps for my birthday, and I had some reservations about breaking them out at a big show. Also, I’ve had some English shirts that I’ve stopped wearing because they felt like bad luck.”
Katie Grossnickle in Paula’s Place
Katie Grossnickle (AQHA amateur)– “One memorable outfit I’ve owned was a very colorful shirt that I wore mainly in Western Pleasure. It was a crazy print with red, yellow, pink, white, black, and turquoise. It had a big collar and cuffs with stones all over it, and I wore it with red chaps. Paula made it for me. I would tell her a single word like “funky” and some colors, and she would just take it from there!”
