It’s not about being a horsegirl, it’s about being a horse

And other equestrian trends for 2024-2027

Similar to that recipe that you clicked on on Pinterest where you now have to scroll through 1000 words of anecdotal storytelling about where the author discovered that recipe and what it personally means to them – I am doing the same thing ✨ Feel free to read a brief and recent history of horse fashion, or skip to the third heading where I will outline the four key upcoming equestrian trends.

The Reckoning

During the summer of Feminine Reckoning SS23 ©, some of us got to wear bows in our hair, others discovered girl dinner, and I got back the horsegirl.

As the girl-internet became a major cultural moment last summer, no longer were our hyper-feminine hobbies and habits reduced to being cringe, whether it was being a babygirl, hot girl walks, wearing head-to-toe Sandy Liang balletcore-inspired pieces, being just like the other girls was the coolest thing you could be (at least in segments of the internet). The shift online allowed us the freedom to embrace youth-associated hyper-feminine hobbies that would have been previously deemed uncool — which subsequently led to several major fashion trends: blockette, bows, hosiery, DIY charm bracelets, bag charms, etc.

And what is next in the Feminine Reckoning SS23 ©? The horsegirl. In this article, I’ll take you through a brief lesson on Horsegirl History, focusing on its intersection with fashion in the last two decades, as well as three upcoming equestrian-inspired fashion trends that are going to be a big deal within the next three years.

Horsegirl History 1101

It’s 2005 and being a horsegirl is a fairly innocent endeavour. In American “culture”, the term "horsegirl" refers to a teenage girl with a deep passion for horses, seeing them as companions and the centre of their lives, hobbies, and outward appearance. This stereotype paints the horse girl as socially awkward, finding comfort and friendship among horses. Although it’s an untainted pursuit at this time, it’s not something you necessarily want to be stereotyped as. The horsegirl has horsegirl hair (long, brown), she’s wearing only horse-related clothing and accessories, and she’s either shy or has a persistent, passionate, and ultimately annoying personality.

2012 Equestrian Runway Fashion

By 2012 equestrian fashion was at its peak, and top of mind for every fashion commentator and journalist writing about AW2012. In a way, 2012 was a simpler trend as every media outlet was highlighting the same 6-8 trends — with equestrian fashion being one of them. Highend equestrian themes were everywhere, from Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci where horse themes are a house staple, to brands that are less involved with horse paraphernalia like Alexander Wang, Ferragamo, and Givenchy. This started with riding coats, jodhpurs, and knee-high riding boots, and trickeled down to the masses in the form of Lululemon leggings tucked into Aldo riding boots and a cropped blazer-jacket from Dynamite (for my Canadians, I don’t know where the rest of you were shopping). It was giving the early renditions of Christian Girl Fall, but being a horsegirl up until this point was generally fine.

I think the early 2010s shift in horsegirl lore can be best explained with an anecdote: I am at a pre-drink my first weekend of university. It’s Fall 2014 and we are in a mid-sized Canadian city. There is a Hick Hockey Boy who I think is cute at the pre and his friends are making fun of him. To seem 2014-era-cool-one-of-the-guys-I’m-not-like-other-girls (Jail!), I listen and laugh along as the boys are making fun of Hick Hockey Boy for the girl he had slept with the night prior. “He had no chance with her – she’s a horsegirl, no way he can compete”. With what? You may be asking? The horse. My naivety to this point didn’t realise that there was a common understanding that horsegirls wanted to f*** their horses. Or at least that they liked b** d****. The Weeknd’s lyrics about Bella Hadid— “you were equestrian / so ride it like a champion”— were especially relevant in this era. From here, a number of other terms came and went – you didn’t want horsegirl hair. Horse girl energy? You didn’t want that either. Horse girls were passionate, determined, and intense. The cool girls were chill, laid back, nonchalant. Cue Rosamund Pike’s cool girl speech.

By 2019, the intersection of horsegirl memes and ketamemes take the horsegirl from uncool to (at least) niche. The horsegirl took on a similar trajectory to hyperpop, where certain groups of people take something uncool to a new level until it’s cool again. From this we get HorsegiirL in 2020, a Berlin-based DJ who has unmatched horse prosthetics, will answer your interview questions as a horse, and has since been featured in Vogue and front row at Ottolinger.

From 2021 to now, horses have been featured in several high-fashion campaigns, from Chanel sending a horse down the runway in 2022, to Kendall Jenner in her now-infamous Stella McCartney campaign. Horses have long been a staple in high fashion campaigns and editorials, and probably being featured in fashion more than any other animal. However, there has been a noticeable uptick in the use of horses in fashion over the past five years, with a resurgence coming after a period of decline that followed the peak of equestrian fashion in 2012.

Upcoming Horsegirl Trends

The Equestrian: There are several signs pointing towards a resurgence of 2012’s equestrian fashion in the next year. Notably, the recent revival of Ivy and preppy fashion has brought increased attention to preppy sports, with subtrends like ‘golfcore’ and ‘tenniscore’ emerging alongside the broader preppy revival. Equestrianism fits naturally into this category due to its associated wealth and heritage. So, similar to 2012, we may see a resurgence of traditional equestrian staples such as cropped jackets, fitted blazers, jodhpurs, structured knee-high boots, stock shirts and ties, and classic waistcoats.

The Queen’s Stable: This trend, which was prominent on the AW2024 runways, reflects the style one might find in Queen Elizabeth II’s (RIP) stables at Balmoral. The outfits featured could easily be envisioned as the Scottish-vacation-version of her regal attire, featuring structured tweed jackets, plaid and tartan prints, short and structured riding boots, headscarves, thick knits, suede collars, and quilted Barbour coats.

The Western Horsegirl: I’m sure this one doesn’t need too much explanation — especially with celebrities like Bella Hadid and Beyoncé wearing full western rodeo gear in the past few months. This version of the horsegirl includes cowboy hats, cowboy boots, extensively embroidered vests, coats, and denim, and even the jeans with the bejeweled back pockets making a strong comeback.

The Horse-Horsegirl: This trend involves literal interpretations of horse motifs in fashion. While it might not reach the point of Julia Fox wearing a horse tail in the Fashion Canada spread being mainstream, it’s worth noting the influence of past collections like Chloé Spring Summer 2001 making a comeback and the horse hooves at Alexander McQueen FW24. Incorporating direct equine elements such as hoof-like footwear, horse print fabrics, and literal horse hair could define a quirkier approach to the equestrian fashion revival. In this version, it’s not about being a horsegirl, it’s about literally being a horse (or at least wearing one).

As it is with my content, sometimes there is data, and sometimes there is not. As I explain both in my eBook and a recent podcast episode with Beyond the Garmet, search volume data is great for detecting items that are already trending or that are about to trend. However, a trend prediction based on where we are in the trend cycle, or what we have seen on the runways, will not always be reflected in the search volume. So while I would love to show you increasing search volume for everything from horse hoof shoes to johupers, a lot of these trends are a few months/years away and have not shown up in the Google Search volume just yet.

However! I found a few trending terms that may be interesting to you. One, in particular, is how equestrian fashion was more searched for in 2012, signifying that the trend writers of this time were correct. And given where we are in the current trend cycle, I think we could start to see more equestrian fashion making a comeback very soon.

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A small aside: In light of today’s events in the Israel-Palestine conflict, I know (and have always known) that Style Analytics and fashion content in general is so incredibly unimportant. I hope that you find this content, at most, entertaining.

Regardless of [literally anything] civilians shouldn’t be starving. To that end, I've donated to the UN World Food Program. I'm sharing the link here in case you're also interested in contributing — but also — if you know of any better or more reliable organizations that are accepting donations, please let me know via DM.

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Thanks for reading 🔮

With love,

Molly