Many of my students come to riding lessons wearing less than appropriate attire. If you plan to take riding lessons, you should first decide whether you will be riding English or Western. From there, you can make decisions about what you need. You should also ALWAYS ask the barn you will be riding at whether or not they have rules regarding appropriate riding wear.
For a beginner English or Western Rider, I suggest the following:
1. Shoes with at least a one-inch heel. Paddock boots are preferable and cost as little as $25. Check on E-bay! Some hiking boots are okay, but they should have a heel. Why does this matter? Because NOT having a heel increases the likelihood of your foot slipping through the stirrup. And if this happens and you are unfortunate enough to be thrown off the horse, you may get your foot stuck and be dragged around by a horse that is likely to do most anything he can to get a the giant, hanging person away from him. Tennis shoes, sandals, and dress shoes without a heel are NEVER safe!
2. A HELMET!!!! Please please please purchase a helmet before you go to your first riding lesson. If you do not have the money to buy a helmet, make sure that the barn you will be riding at has helmets availible for lesson students. These do not have to cost $100 or more dollars. You can find a perfectly good, SEI-approved helmet for about $30-$40 dollars.
3. Long pants. Just wear long pants. Not shorts, not capris, full-length pants. It might be hot outside, you might even feel uncomfortable. But there are about 10 reasons I can think of that you should wear long pants. Just a couple - saddles pinch human skin when the skin is not protected by pants. It is painful. And when you take that first fall, you will thank me. You will have some protection between your sensitive human skin and the ground.
What NOT to wear: The worst outfit: Shorts, a bikini top, sandals, a baseball cap, and lots of dangling jewelry - people do come dressed to ride this way, believe it or not.
And again, ask the particular barn about dress codes and suggestions on proper riding clothes. Ask them where you can get the best deals on horse clothes in your area. 99% of us horse professionals are poor - we are bargain shoppers and usually can give you some great tips.
Cut and paste the link below to read more about riding apparel, what to expect from riding lessons, etc.
http://www.equisearch.com/horses_riding_training/training/beginning_rider/taking_lessons091399a/
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