How to dress to stay cool at the barn!

 

What’s the best GOOTD in the summer?

 

And by GOOTD I mean Grooming Outfit Of The Day. When I was grooming full time, I had not yet discovered “technical fabrics”. I really don’t know what makes them technical aside from their name, but I like ‘em. I do know that summer has a few challenges in the fashion department, and I have solutions, some of which involve these mysterious technical fabrics.

 

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My GOOTD challenges in summer are:

 

  • Stay cool-ish

 

  • Don’t get burned by the sun

 

  • Look professional

 

  • Have pockets

 

  • Be comfortable

 

 

pants with lots of pockets

My favorite “barn pants”. Top – regular pocket. Middle – zippered pocket. Botton – zipper to make into shorts.

 

 

Now that I don’t groom for anyone else but myself, I wear cutoffs and tanks at the barn some days. But if someone called me today for work tomorrow, I’m raiding my hiking gear. Here’s why:

 

  • Long sleeve tops! With sunblock! Light colors with collars! Pockets included!

 

  • Pants with more pockets than I have lip balms. Which is a lot. My fave pair of pants for the barn is a wonderful combo of sun-protected, wickedly thin, multi-pocketed pants. Legs zip off into instant shorts, some of the pockets have zippers, they dry in about 3 minutes, and the best part: ADJUSTABLE WAIST. And they look nice. Did I mention waterproof?

 

  • All sorts of wonderful wicking socks, some thin, some ultra-thin. Banish blisters with sock goodness. But since you now have a kazillion pockets, you have room to stash some band-aids, just in case you skimp on good socks.

 

  • Paper-thin rain slickers that can literally be folded into a wallet-sized pack. With a hood! It’s like clothing sorcery.

 

 

collared shirts for sun protection

Collars help keep the sun at bay.

 

 

A few more thoughts on keeping it cool when you are logging miles of steps a day.

 

  • Light colors.

 

  • Wear sunblock all the livelong day. If you don’t wear a hat, put some sunblock on the part of your hair.

 

  • Drink more water than you think is even possible.

 

  • Use those weird towels that you can get wet and they feel icy cold. Great for around your neck.

 

 

friction block stick for blisters

 

  • Use a body blister glide lube stick for your feet. This is the best way to prevent blisters. I’ve used this on really long and hot hikes, perfect blister creating conditions, and nothing has blistered up. Also good for blanket rubs on your horse so they don’t turn into sores.

 

  • Long sleeves for bug and sun control. And, you might just stay a bit cleaner. YOU might, your clothes probably won’t.

 

  • I prefer to wear a collared shirt, mainly because I don’t want blisters on the back of my neck. I also find this is the best way to time travel back to when collars were popped and we liked it.

 

 

adjustable waist pants

Adjustable waist on these pants! Great for the barn, great for Thanksgiving.

 

 

What’s in your closet for the summer?

 

go-shopping

 

Stock up here for your horse supplies! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, but it’s ZERO extra cents to you.  You can also visit my Amazon storefront here:  PEG storefront.

 

Gold Bond Friction Defense Stick, Unscented 1.75 oz Pack of 2
$17.68

I can't stress this enough - this magic stick has prevented so many rubs from worsening, and is great for breaking in a new pair of riding boots or shoes.

02/09/2025 01:15 am GMT

 

 

Thanks!

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