03 October 2009

Equestrian Hijabi: The Hardest Request Yet!

There is a huuuuge gap in the market which would be worth millions if somebody filled it and that hijab equestrian (horse riding) uniforms. I cannot find anywhere that sells modest horse riding clothes and it's such a shame :(

Anyway, the reason I was searching in the first place is because of a request I got from hijabi Nora:

"I've been horse crazy for 17 years and it tears me apart to think I can't ride anymore because of the Muslimah dress code. I heard of a version of the olympics, but for Muslims, and they have equestrian events. There is some kind of special outfit the women wear, but the picture was not very good so I couldn't really get a clear look at it - I can't even remember how I found the picture to begin with. There is virtually nothing online about Muslimahs riding horses."

So, I went looking and found these riding skirts that they used to wear in the old days and sell as collecting or dressing up items rather than to wear for actual riding but found nothing modern and modest :S

The only vaguely modest thing I found is the longer style of equestrian jacket but can't find anywhere that actually sells them! Maybe a more thorough google search would find you one though:

This picture looks like it was taken in a Khaleeji country, it's lovely and everything but I can't see it being worn in a western country even if by some miracle you did manage to find and buy it:


So, I decided to put together a few outfits myself, inspired by the current equestrian uniforms worn by women.
The first is a take on the look in the photo. I have used beige trousers instead of breeches which are basically as tight as leggings - very unhijabi. I have paired these with a tunic shirt and and equestrian jacket:

Equestrian Hijabi 2
Equestrian Hijabi 2 by Zaenab

The second look is a slightly less smart version with a riding coat and black jeans. The hijab would obviously be worn underneath the hat:

The final look is a casual one, perhaps for horse riding lessons where you don't have to wear a particular uniform. It sort of resembles these equestrian-inspired looks on the runway:

Equestrian Hijabi

Equestrian Hijabi by Zaenab

I really hope this post helps Nora! I would love to start horse riding lessons as well actually so doing your request has been quite useful for me too :D

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

salaam sister.

wouldn't horse riding get in the way of your schooling?

-Indonesian prince

MLL said...

I'm a bit confused, to be honest. If a hijabi is willing to wear pants there should be no problem ... any sturdy, wide-legged trousers would do fine. The trouser skirts in Shukr's current catalog are, essentially, modern old-fashioned riding skirts for that matter. The only conflict with riding I can imagine is if one disagrees with wearing trousers in the first place ... in which case side saddles may be a bit obscure, but they are not entirely impossible to find.

MLL said...

P.S. - Just wanted to add, too, that may all be very nice for show riding, but for lessons or trail riding honestly what you'll want are the hijabi take on t-shirts and jeans. ;)

StylishMuslimah said...

M.Landers: Yes I see your point about wearing jeans in lessons but the breeches that they wear are skin tight so I was trying to find an alternative to those.

So called "Indonesian Prince": No it wouldn't. And I have clearly stated that this blog is for females several times.

Salam

Anonymous said...

salaam.

we are not making physical contact and i haven't cause any trouble. I would say i've been very supportive, so why can't I stay?

-Indonesian Prince

Nora said...

Hi, thanks for doing this! I started my own blog a couple days ago. It might not be a very busy blog, but at least I'm putting something up for people like me to find.

Most lesson barns I have been to are essentially full of women, but there is a smattering of male riders, some male riding teachers, and male support staff. And they should be busy enough that they don't have energy to be looking at the riding pants.

I found the picture I was looking for, unfortunately I am now thinking I was mistaken about it being the special horse-riding chador I read about. It was in the same search results, and on the first page, but that doesn't mean they are related.

My husband said something about ladies only riding barns in the middle east, but I havn't been able to find a sign of such a thing anywhere in the world from my internet searches.

Thanks again,
Nora

ex-horse mad hijabi said...

This is great! Though I usually wear knee length tops with trousers but I'm sure I could get something to work with the ideas here. I stopped riding soon after starting to wear hijab (not necessarily connected but I did feel a bit silly) and really want to get back in it, once I can afford it again!

Anonymous said...

Hi there,
I actually live in Toronto, Canada, was born and brought up here- when i show i wear my breeches, boots riding jacket and helmet with a scarf tightly wrapped underneath, for regular days it's usually just breeches the boots and a long sweatshirt :)

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jaz said...

I'm from Essex, and I've been horseriding many times with a hijaab and jeans and a thigh-length top. But I've also been riding with many girls who wear the abaaya, and my riding school actually let us hire out the whole place once for a girls-only riding day, with female instructors and everything, and there were really cool about the girls in the abaayas. So yeah, I've never had a problem with the Islamic dress code limiting my riding in any way :)

Jaz

Anonymous said...

Salam Jaz, i live in ilford and would love to start horse riding, would you mind telling me which riding school you go to

Anonymous said...

Hey! the longer riding coat from your picture is an american style hunter show jacket/coat for the hunter/equitation shows that are popular there

In my local tack shop they sell looser, baggy breeches which are slim up the calf (inside the boot) and loose fitting above so yeah idk if they would be suitable. unfortunately i can't remember the brand sorry!

Unknown said...

Asalamualaikum!

I can't believe that there are other muslim hijabis that ride. I have been riding for the past 12 years and I compete in dressgae and eventing. I have gotten by with using the friginni sports wear, but the problem is that it unches up when you get in the saddle and shows some thigh. I would love an alternative thats longer.