Shadbelly

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Navy shadbelly with white gloves, tall boots, and spurs: note the yellow points and tails. The horse is performing dressage.

Rider wears a shadbelly and top hat, with white gloves, tall boots, and spurs.

A shadbelly is a type of riding coat worn by dressage riders, eventers (in the dressage phase), and occasionally by hunt seat riders (seen here [1]). It is very formal attire, and is therefore not seen until the upper levels of dressage and eventing, or the most important classes at the larger hunter shows. The male version of the shadbelly is called a "weaselbelly." Shadbellies and Weaselbellies are known as tail coats in the UK.

A shadbelly [2] is usually black in color, although navy and deep green are also occasionally seen, and has tails, double buttons, and yellow points peeking out under the cut away front, to simulate wearing a canary yellow vest (waistcoat in the UK) underneath. In dressage, a shadbelly should be worn with a top hat, which completes the formal look.

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