The Rider's Closet

The Rider's Closet


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:
Brennan’s Bit and Bridle | Bridgehampton, NY
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.



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



The EQUUS Foundation thanks all the generous donors and volunteers who have helped The Rider's Closet make a real difference for thousands of deserving riders around the U.S. for more than a decade - and most of all, Georgina Bloomberg!

Learn more about Georgina Bloomberg here.
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