As many know, horse show girls love their sparkles, glitter, and crystals!  I must say that I am no exception to the rule, to me, the more sparkle on a show shirt, the better!  Sometimes these shirts can cost a fortune (if its a Berry Fit or Showtime for example), and I have a few tips to keep the cost down.

First- Don't underestimate the power of Ebay.  My black and purple horsemanship shirt (which you can see in the gallery) was custom made from a lady off of Ebay, and it was only $150 where as other custom jobs run about $300-$1000.  There are a ton of people the sell used brand name outfits on there, and its a great place to find a pair of chaps in that hard to find color.

Second- Search the web.  Many people find one store and don't look around after that, but there may be something that you like better that is cheaper if you just look around a little.  This summer I wanted to get a showmanship outfit made, so I went to Google and looked at all of the brand name stores then just typed in "showmanship clothes" to find other places, and I found some gems! *a list of sites will be at the end of the post

Third- Look at consignment stores.  People sell hardly used clothes all the time because they got a new horse and the colors don't match or the person grew in between seasons.  My trainer owns a consignment shop, and its great because they have literally anything you would need.  They have every color chap and saddle pad, they have hats belts, show clothes and saddles.  You could get a whole new outfit for only a couple hundred bucks!

Fourth- Don't be afraid of using substitutes.  If you don't want to get a pair of $85 show pants to match your new outfit, try buying used breeches in the same color as your chaps for about $20.  If your belt just broke, go to a clothing store into the men's section and get a belt that has a snap off belt buckle.  If your mom is good at sewing, have her make your pants or shirts if she is really good.  Not all of your clothes have to be super expensive, the judge doesn't know where your shirt was bought.

Those are some of my tips on cost cutting with show outfits, because they can get pretty expensive.  Happy shopping!!

*Show clothes websites:
http://showmeagain.com
http://myreride.com
http://shonoff.com
http://pleasureperfect.com
http://pleasurenstyle.com
http://allthatshowclothing.com
http://paintedj.com
http://winningstitches.com
http://lisanelle.com  (she sells on ebay also)
http://diamondcreekwestern.com
http://drycreekdesigns.com
http://kriskustoms.com
http://conniescustoms.com
(these next ones are more expensive)
http://showtimeshowclothing.com  
http://berryfit.com
http://carolinashowapparel.com
http://www.sparklingshowclothes.com/index.html
http://jacquesapparel.com/Index/index.htm
check out DarDar8 show clothing on ebay and facebook!


XOXO
S.