Equine Couture Women's Raleigh Show Coat, NavyNavy, 4

I bought this coat 1 year ago (see prior review) and have shown in it 6-7 times since. I have both the black and navy and LOVE them! After wearing my ($300) traditional Ariat coat for hunter classes, putting on my Equine Couture soft shell in black for the Derby or navy for Eq is a relief. This coat is NOTICABLY lighter, cooler, more breathable, and stretchier (and my Ariat coat does have some stretch). Perfect for hot Texas horse shows, but not too cool for the winter shows. I have not tried machine washing as a prior reviewer had an issue with how the collar looked afterwards. No problems with dry cleaning and I'm confident that to wear the coat for multiple days in a row one could just dust off/spot clean, spray with Febreze and let it sit on a hanger overnight. Trainers at my barn have some of the more expensive softs shells and I cannot tell the difference between theirs and mine when on a horse. I primarily show locally due to work/family time restraints, but (as my hubby and barn friends can confirm) I'm skilled at equine shopping and picky about gear/grooming/appearances - I would not hesitate to wear this coat at an A/AA show. I was worried that the lack of structure to the coat would end up looking sloppy or put me at a disadvantage for Equitation, but it hasn't been a problem at all. I would highly recommend sizing DOWN on this hunt coat as it goes by dress size. I know trying to figure out sizing in different brands while online shopping is a challenge (thank goodness for SmartPak's return/shipping policies!), so for reference...I am 5'7", 120lbs, 32" chest, busty, slender frame but with broad shoulders and hips and I wear a 10 in Ariat coats, 4-6 dress size, and ended up fitting the size 4 in the Equine Couture coat after multiple exchanges to SmartPak (including one after I wrote my first review). With the stretch in this coat don't be afraid to try the next size smaller than you think will fit, it actually looks better/more structured if there isn't any extra fabric to wrinkle.

Bought this and the Horseware soft shell coat to compare. I much prefer this one. It's more classic for the hunter ring. If I were doing jumpers, I'd probably prefer the Horseware since the fabric is lighter. I won't be able to speak to comfort in this coat compared to wool until the spring, really hoping it's cooler. The sizing on this item is much closer to dress size than typical hunt coat size. I wear a 4-6 dress size, size 10 in Ariat hunt coats, medium in the Horseware, and a 6 in the Equine Couture. I'm 5'7", 120 lbs, 32" chest and busty with broad shoulders and a smallish frame. Hope that helps someone, I had a tough time figuring out sizes! I bought both the black (for the Derby at schooling shows), and the navy (for Eq). The fabric is fine, from a distance I don't think you'll be able to tell it's under $100. I can't wait to see what folks think at my next show in 2 weeks. I really like the navy color. It's blue enough that it doesn't look black at first glance, but still a true navy. The pic makes it look like the top part of the collar is a different, shinier fabric but it's not - the coat is all the same fabric, though it does has a slight sheen to it as it is a soft shell.