What to wear when stripping a horse for confirmation

In some showing classes, it's necessary to take all your horse's tack off so the judge can better see their confirmation and looks. This is called striping your horse. It's normally done straight after you've completed your ridden show.

Who strips a horse in a show?

Normally, as the rider, you don't actually strip your horse yourself. You have someone do this for you. Though they're called your "groom" (or sometimes "attendant") most often they'll look suspiciously more like your mum/dad/boyfriend/girlfriend/whomever you could beg to help, than a professional groom! They should strip your horse for you, while you hold the horse by the reins. Stripping involves taking off the saddle and giving the horse a quick brush over - ensuring it looks nice and shiny, with no saddle marks etc. The groom should leave on the bridle and reins. You will then lead your horse out to the confirmation judge and run it up in front of them before returning to the line and retacking. You can mount up as soon as you've retacked.

What should a groom wear in a showing ring?

When the groom is in the ring, they should be smartly dressed. For smarter shows, grooms typically wearing jackets, shirts and ties, or the ladies' equivalent. For example when I showed in Mountain and Moorland classes as a child in the 90s, my father would wear chinos and brogues, a check shirt and a flat cap when he groomed. You can go much smarter than that with a tweed suit but it's not normally necessary.

What hat should a groom wear showing?

Great question. They definitely should be wearing a hat! Nowadays, many people wear a safety hat, though that's not normally compulsory. A lot of men will wear a flat cap but a Patey is a popular choice for ladies. Either men or women could wear any sort of Panama hat, straw hat, or trilby-style hat instead.

What should a groom bring into a showing ring?

When the groom comes into the ring to strip your horse they should bring a grooming kit, ideally, in a wicker basket. You can take a proper grooming bag in; it's just smarter and more traditional to use a wicker basket. Some people also take a step ladder in to make it easier for the rider to get back on their horse.

When do grooms leave the showing ring?

The confirmation judge should ask in a clear, loud voice for the grooms to leave. At that point they should walk (not run) out of the arena. The rider should always remember to thank their 'groom' for doing this vital but less fun part of showing. Remember they'll also have watched you and the whole class and so are often invaluable sources of advice for what you did well or less well on.

You can see a male groom on the right handside of the photo below. Note the wicker basket to his left.