The Rider’s Closet’s mission is to ensure that riding apparel is accessible to scholastic riding programs, pony clubs, therapeutic and veterans programs, equine charities, equestrian camp programs, and individual riders in need. The goal of the program is to promote greater accessibility and inclusiveness in equestrian activities. Founded by philanthropist and professional equestrian Georgina Bloomberg in 2006, The Rider’s Closet merged with the EQUUS Foundation in 2019.
The new and gently used apparel provided by The Rider’s Closet has been generously donated to our program by corporate and individual donors. We owe special thanks to the donors listed at left, all of whom have made significant in-kind donations. The Rider’s Closet serves riders of all ages and at every level of horsemanship throughout the United States.
REQUESTING APPAREL
The Rider’s Closet provides show and schooling (lesson) apparel to all riders who need assistance with the cost of participating in equestrian activities. For safety reasons, we cannot provide helmets or protective vests.
The Rider’s Closet fulfills all requests by mail at no cost to the recipient. We do not have a public storefront. Applicants download and complete a REQUEST FORM, which can be sent to us via email, USPS or fax. You can view this SAMPLE REQUEST FORM if you have any questions about how to fill our the form. If you handwrite your form, please print clearly with a dark-colored pen or marker.
PRIOR TO COMPLETING YOUR FORM:
(1) Please determine exactly which items you are requesting. If you are not sure what you need, the rider’s trainer/coach/program director is usually the best source for this information.
(2) Please be prepared to take accurate measurements of the rider. Our inventory includes a wide range of international brands and styles that are designed to be form-fitting, and the fit is very inconsistent from brand to brand. We will not be able to select riding apparel and boots by mail without the rider’s measurements.
Below are two guides that show how we measure:
If you do not have a tape measure handy, there are many online guides on how to measure yourself without one, including this one: How to Measure Yourself Without a Tape Measure | Our Everyday Life. If you have any questions, you are very welcome to contact us at riderscloset@equusfoundation.org.
The average turnaround time for request fulfillment is 3 weeks. If the request is time-sensitive, there is a place to note that on the form, and we will do our best. Fulfillment may take longer during our high-volume months in the spring and fall, and first-time applicants will be prioritized to ensure we serve as many riders as possible.
DONATING APPAREL
Thank you in advance for thinking of us for your generous donation!
The Rider’s Closet accepts new or gently used show and schooling attire in adult and children’s sizes. We define “gently used” as items that can be worn again with high confidence by another rider. Almost all of the program’s inventory is English apparel, but attire from other disciplines is welcome.
Demand is especially high for paddock boots, tall boots, tan show-quality breeches, and black/navy show coats in adult and children’s sizes. In particular, we often run low on ladies’ tan breeches sizes 22-28, ladies’ show coats sizes 0-6, and ladies’ long-sleeve show shirts sizes XS-S. We also frequently need youth show and schooling breeches/tights in all sizes (4-18).
We cannot accept donations of riding helmets and protective vests, even if they are new in the box. For safety reasons, we are not able to provide them to applicants. In addition, some items are no longer being requested by applicants to our program. We suggest donors avoid the expense of sending us the following: full chaps, tall boots without zippers, colored show shirts, and light-colored or older thick wool show coats. These items would not be passed along to our recipients.
The Rider’s Closet does not work with tack of any kind. If you have brand-new horse apparel to donate, or if you have used horse apparel in good condition, please contact the EQUUS Foundation directly at mail@equusfoundation.org.
Donations can be sent to us care of the address below, which is a mailbox at our local UPS Store. If you are near Northern Westchester and would like to drop off your donation in person, please call or email us, and we will schedule an appointment to ensure we are at The Rider’s Closet to provide access to the property on which we are located.
We also have several partners who have generously agreed to collect donations year-round for us. Donors can drop off donations at the following locations anytime during their business hours:
Manhattan Saddlery | New York, NY
RIDE | Bedford, NY
The Horse Connection | Bedford, NY
The Rider’s Closet is a program of the EQUUS Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) public charity. All donations are tax-deductible as allowable by law. If you would like an acknowledgement for your taxes, please download and include a completed DONATION FORM with your donation. If your donation is not given away to a recipient, it will either be returned to you or be disposed of if it is determined that the item does not meet our donation criteria.
MAILING ADDRESS AND CONTACT INFORMATION:
The Rider’s Closet
108 Village Square, PMB 309
Somers, NY 10589
riderscloset@equusfoundation.org
(P) 914-485-1523
(F) 914-485-1525
(C) 646-988-2180
TRC Executive Director: Christine Fitzgerald
TRC DONATION FORM TRC REQUEST FORM
Find The Rider’s Closet on Facebook and Instagram:
Rider's Closet Recipients
Testimonials
“Thank you so much. You guys are so awesome. I can’t tell you how much a difference this made, but I will share with you briefly if I may. Last year we wore second hand clothing and her pants had a stain that we could not remove. She was a bit embarrassed as it was noticeable, but she understands we are doing the best we can. This weekend she rode much more confidently as she did not have to worry about the stain. I thank your organization for helping more than you know. She did fantastic!”
-Jamila Jones-Fleet
“Thank you so much for the beautiful clothing you sent for my daughter Courtney! My outspoken 15-year-old was speechless when she opened the box, and cried when she saw the boots! My daughter works so hard to return each horse that comes to us to health and never asks for anything in return. She is a wonderful spirit, taking so much pride in helping a tossed-away horse blossom into a show-quality citizen. I am so happy that she can do that in style this season! Thank you to everyone who took part in making such a miracle happen for my daughter!”
-Jennifer Brock, Brock Stables
“I just wanted to say thank you for the clothes you sent me! There is no way I would have ever been able to afford them on my own. Now I have a nice show outfit and can have fun competing for the first time with a team. Thank you so much for that!”
-Christin F., Long Island, NY
“Thank you so much for your donation of show clothes to the Columbia University Equestrian Club. It means a lot to the members of our team who are on financial aid and would not otherwise have show clothes. You help make what we do happen, because equal opportunity is what college equestrian is all about!”
-The Columbia University Equestrian Club
“Thank you – thank you – thank you!! I absolutely love the clothing sent to me. Almost everything fit perfectly, and what didn’t, I’ve passed on to others that needed them. I was in desperate need of breeches, as all of my jeans were wearing thin with holes. I can now enter a jumping show and feel completely confident with my new ‘fancy’ show coat and shirt. I am so grateful for your organization’s donation to me. Please keep up the good work, as this has made a huge impact on my life.”
-Tiffany M., New Orleans, LA
“I have only seen my son cry about horse stuff once, and it was when he passed a saddle. Today was the second time. He cried with each item he took out of the box. It means the world to us as parents who do not have the income for all the sport requires, but we try our hardest and have never turned down anything for him. His barn requires a lot of money to show, so this box of goodies was the best thing EVER for him. He said he cannot wait to show his instructor. My heart is overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness. He even picked out his outfit for his next lesson. He just had surgery and was off for two weeks, so this just made going back even better. Grayson is so happy right now. I cannot think of one thing that would make it even better. He even said, “The chaps are labeled right and left for me because I can never put them on right!”
-Jennifer B., Murrysville, PA
Riders In Their New Clothes
Ariat you are incredible! Thank you for the amazing donation to the Rider’s Closet to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Over $200,000 worth of clothing and boots that will help any rider, therapeutic riding center, or college team in need. Now there will be a lot more people out there riding in style with some new Ariat gear this fall. Thank you from all of us here at the Rider’s Closet and all the people you are helping. We are so grateful to you for all your generosity. Petey will have to find somewhere else to climb very soon as my guess is that these boxes will be heading out to other riders very quickly! – July 12, 2016
Original post:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHx0C5BDyBp
The Rider's Closet Sponsors
