You want to look your best when it’s time to show and compete for western events. Find out what apparel is on-trend from hip to toe at the top level for the western events of barrels, cutting, and reining with us as we catch up with teen competitors.
Barrel Racing
Seventeen-year-old Kinzey Newton from Arlington, Tenn., competes with her horses Hez Got Fame N Fire and MSU Aces Lucky Girl. In 2022, she won the Junior World Qualifier and earned her ticket to compete in barrel racing and pole bending in Las Vegas, Nev. She also qualified for the World High School Rodeo, held in Wyoming.
Jeans
Kinzey loves 7 for all Mankind trouser jeans with a dark wash and only a little distressing. Look for styles from Kimes Ranch, too, she says. No matter the brand, choose mid- to high-waisted cuts with the trouser leg. Length matters.
“When you’re sitting on your horse, your jeans should still cover all of the top portion of your boot,” Kinzey says.
What to avoid: Skinny jeans, neon, and tie-dye looks are fads of the past.
Belt & Chaps
Bling belts are gone with the wind. Kinzey prefers plain leather belts or tasteful floral tooling.
Championship belt buckles are the top look for belts, as well as any oval-shaped, silver design that you love.
Barrel racers opt to ride without chaps or chinks.
Boots
Kinzey says she prefers square-toed boots with a thin leather sole. She likes Macie Bean boot designs, but sees many friends ride in Durango and Ariat styles, too. And don’t tuck your jeans into your boot tops.
“The only riders I ever see tuck their jeans in are roughstock riders,” Kinzey says.
Cutting
Brinley Lippincott hails from Texas and represents the National Youth Cutting Horse Association. She won the Senior Youth World Championship in Fort Worth, Texas in 2023.
Trouser Jeans
Trouser jeans make top marks in the cutting world, too. Brinley says skinny jeans are out, as is any distressing. She likes Cinch jeans with a mid to high waist and some white top-stitching for flair.
Belt & Chaps
Brinley chose a beaded belt with her initials and wears one of the buckles she won. She says bling is out, but beads or smooth leather is in.
She wears full-length chaps when showing, and likes the rough-out leather look.
Boots
Boots with a rounded toe are in fashion for cutting. Brinley says she likes her boots to have a sturdy base so they can be worn in the barn and the wash rack as well as through the mud and rain.
Reining
National Reining Horse Youth Association officers Emma Klug and Kendall Wigen sat down together to discuss reining fashion.
Emma, from Nebraska, rides HA Gunna Be A Chic and loves to show at the National Western Complex in Denver, Colo., at the Summer Slide. She earned Year End Rookie Champion for the Central Plains Reining Horse Association in 2022.
Kendall is from Oregon and rides her horse SS Money Man. She’s the International Liaison for the youth association.
Jeans
Emma and Kendall agree that dark-wash jeans look best in the show ring.
“When you show, dark looks nicer with your chaps, and it looks more professional,” says Emma. “Boot cut is definitely a go-to because it’s most comfortable with jeans.”
Kendall says Cinch jeans are her favorites; the Jenna style tops her list. Unlike in cutting, most young riders don’t choose styles with white stitching—thread that matches the wash of the jeans is best. Very few youth riders tuck their jeans into their boots. Low-waist jeans are not common.
“It’s more comfortable to have a mid-waist style,” Emma adds.
How long should your jeans be?
Kendall says they have “to cover around the boot and make sure it’s beyond your spur straps. You don’t want them above the ankle.”
Belt & Chaps
“There might be little bling on your belt or chaps, but it isn’t common to have a lot of bling on your belt for reining,” says Kendall. “If you have beading in your leather belt or horse hair braided in, that’s a good look. Leather tooling is most common.”
Reining horse competitors opt for chaps in dark colors. They’re worn in the warmup pens and while showing. Emma and Kendall say brown and black are the preferred colors—with minimal silver on the back.
“It makes you look more professional to have chaps,” Emma explains. “The horse color comes into it, but [chaps color has more] to do with the color of your hat, shirt, and saddle pad so the colors all coordinate. If I have a pad with brown and purple, I’d want to match the pad.”
Boots
Square toes are the most common boot style for reining. Emma prefers leather soles and finds that they hold up well. She doesn’t care too much about what her boot tops look like, only that the foot of the boot is smooth and clean.
She likes Anderson Bean boots, and Kendall agrees they have the look that many reiners choose.
This article about apparel for western events appeared in the March/April 2024 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!
