Competition attire: what the dress rules say.

The FEI's rules site refused our requests. The FEI Jumping and Eventing dress rules below are read as reproduced in Equestrian Australia's 2026 rulebooks. For FEI dressage we reached only a 2019 text published by Equestrian New Zealand, plus press reports of later changes, so the dressage section is older and says so. Helmets have their own pages: helmet rules by body.

FEI Jumping (28th edition, updates effective 1 January 2026)

• Headgear (Art. 207.1). Properly fastened protective headgear is mandatory for everyone, at all times, when mounted. Jumping or trying to jump an obstacle with the chin strap unfastened or wrongly fastened means elimination, unless it was unsafe to stop. Senior athletes may take headgear off while receiving prizes, during the national anthem and in other ceremonies.
• Competing (Art. 207.2.3.1). Civilians wear uniform or clothing approved by their national federation: a jacket, white or light fawn breeches and black or brown boots. Jackets may be any colour, with buttons facing outward. Collarless jackets are allowed if the shirt collar and tie can be seen.
• Walking the course (Art. 207.2.2). Riding boots, white or light fawn breeches, a shirt with a white collar and a white tie or choker.
• Weather (Art. 207.2.3.4). In bad weather the Ground Jury may allow a waterproof coat; in very warm weather it may allow riding without a jacket, in which case shirts must have sleeves.
• Service dress (Art. 207.2.3.2). Members of the armed services, police, gendarmerie, military establishments and national studs may wear civilian or service dress.

FEI Eventing (27th edition, effective 1 January 2026, Annex O)

Annex O adds rules that apply across the tests:

• Hair (1.1). Long hair must be tied and neat while riding in competition.
• Spurs (1.4). Optional. The shank may be no longer than 4 cm and must point only to the rear. Rowel spurs are allowed if the rowels are round, smooth and free to turn, but not in pony competitions.
• Whips (1.3). For cross country and jumping, no longer than 75 cm, padded, smooth and without a weighted end. The padding requirement has a one-year transition to 1 January 2027, and the rule says a clearer definition of "padded" would follow in 2026.
• Earphones (1.5.1). Only one earphone while mounted in warm-up or training, and none in competition arenas apart from medical devices.
• Medical information (Art. 523.1). Athletes with a condition that matters in an emergency, such as a recent serious head or spinal injury, concussion in the past three months, diabetes, epilepsy or anticoagulation, are responsible for wearing a medical data carrier readable at least in English, or at minimum a good-quality medical armband with the FEI form, whenever they ride at an event.
• Inspection (Annex O 5). A steward may inspect whips, spurs and dress before any test and may refuse a start where they, or safety equipment, break the rules.

Equestrian Australia adds national rules for its own eventing: jackets of a solid colour or faint tweed pattern, which may be left off if the rider is overheated; breeches in white, fawn or cream; and a sleeved shirt when no jacket is worn.

FEI Dressage (2019 text, with later changes reported)

In the 2019 text (Art. 427), athletes at CDI3* and above, FEI Championships and Games wear a black or dark blue tailcoat or jacket (other dark colours could be approved if their HSV "V" value is below 32%), white or off-white breeches, a white, off-white or coat-coloured stock or tie, and black or coat-coloured boots. Any single-colour coat was allowed only in the Grand Prix Freestyle. That text allowed a top hat or bowler only for athletes not obliged to wear protective headgear; Equestrian Trade News reported that from 1 January 2021 the FEI requires approved headgear for anyone mounted on an FEI showground, removing the top-hat option.

Spurs: the dates differ. The 2019 text made spurs compulsory except in CDIP and CDICh classes. Equestrian Trade News reported in January 2024 that the FEI no longer required spurs in international dressage from 2024; we have not checked that against the FEI's text. The Chronicle of the Horse reported that the FEI General Assembly's decisions taking effect on 1 January 2026 make spurs optional in dressage. Both say spurs are now optional; they differ on when that began.

US Equestrian dressage (2026 booklet, dated 1 May 2026)

US Equestrian's dress code (DR120) applies to every class and level at USEF-licensed and USDF-recognised dressage competitions; FEI dress rules apply only at CDIs.

• Coats (DR120.1.2). A short riding jacket or cutaway coat is allowed at any level; a tailcoat above Fourth Level, in the FEI 7-year-old test and in FEI Junior tests. Any single colour is allowed; striped or multicoloured coats are not.
• Breeches (DR120.1.4). White, light or dark breeches or jodhpurs are allowed; bright colours and patterns are not.
• Vests (DR120.1.3.1). A body protecting or inflatable equestrian vest may be worn in any class without penalty from the judge.
• Spurs (DR120.4). Metal and English style, no longer than 5.08 cm (2 inches) including rowels, except 3.5 cm blunt spurs in FEI Pony and Children tests.

Cameras

British Riding Clubs' 2026 hat rules prohibit head cameras, on horse or rider, at any BRC-affiliated competition, and bar any additions to a hat.

Whether a particular outfit passes on the day is for the body's current rules and the steward or officials at the event.