If you haven’t been hunting before, it can be quite daunting to know exactly what you should wear. So, to help take any stress out of it for you, here is our helpful guide on what to wear hunting.
Before we start, the main thing to bear in mind before you go hunting is that you want to be warm, tidy and comfortable to help maximise the chances of you enjoying your day.
Turnout is also important – the general rule of thumb is to dress along similar lines to if you were going to a competition and really take pride in how smartly you turn yourself out, as well as your horse. The Heythrop’s stud groom Tony Stroud shared some great hunting turnout tips with H&H’s hunting editor.
Autumn hunting
During autumn hunting, a tweed jacket and shirt (with tie collar) and tie or shirt (with stock collar) and coloured stock, pale breeches, clean short boots and gaiters/half-chaps or long boots, dark gloves and a hat with a dark cover. Keep your hair neat and tidy with a hairnet.
What to wear out hunting
Any form of safety helmet is acceptable with a dark hat silk – navy or black. Adornments such as logos and pom-poms are not desirable.
In the season proper, with most packs adults tend to wear black or navy coats, but you will see some in tweed, too. If you don’t own a tweed coat for autumn hunting, don’t worry about it too much. Wool-based coats will provide added warm and protection from the elements compared to a jacket of man-made fibres, although either are acceptable.
A hunting shirt and hunting tie (stock) is preferred, but a shirt and tie are acceptable under any safe black or navy blue coat/jacket or tweed jacket. Brightly coloured coats should be avoided.
Fawn breeches are preferred, but white or dark-coloured breeches/jodhpurs are acceptable if they are all you have. Long boots or jodhpur boots are safest and spurs are completely optional.
Ladies: hairnets, not flowing locks, please. Make-up is fine, but not too much, and take off jewellery unless you want to risk tearing your earlobes off on low branches.
You may wear a body protector, but preferably under your jacket rather than over it where possible.
Don’t forget winter riding gloves (plus a spare pair, if bad weather threatens).
You may also be interested in…
16 of the best competition breeches to wear in the saddle this season
10 stylish pairs of men’s competition breeches to suit all budgets
Hedge hopping: 9 ways to get to the other side in one piece
12 ways trail hunting can help your horse
12 things you absolutely must know before heading to a hunt ball
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