Olympic Rider Dispels the Myth of Wearing a Hairnet: “It’s a Personal Choice”

A prominent Olympic medalist has made her feelings on hairnets known, and it’s causing quite a stir.

Recognizable not only for her talent and medals on the world stage but also for her “Gab in the Cab” series—in which she tackles common equestrian issues while riding in taxi cabs to and from international events—the Olympian touched a nerve when she suggested that the ubiquitous hairnet may not be necessary.

“We all know hairnets can be a useful tool for keeping your hair in place under your helmet, yada, yada. But we aren’t lunch ladies, y’all!” the Olympian says in an outtake from her latest Gab in the Cab video.

“Do hairnets keep you safe? Help your horse? And exactly how do they help you focus on your riding when you know you’re going to be walking around with a bright red line across your forehead for rest of the day—what is that even doing to your Botox?!”

(Here, the Olympian pauses for dramatic effect before continuing.)

“Let’s get with the program and move into the 21^st century with this stuff. First and foremost, wearing a hairnet is a personal choice. But I, for one, am all for tossing those ratchet nets in the trash!”

The Olympian’s comments almost immediately set off a Facebook firestorm, especially among the equestrian community’s pro-horse advocates. “This is total horse feathers!” said one top rider in response.

“A hairnet is an essential part of proper apparel for riders—women and men—with long hair. It’s not a ‘gender’ thing, but wearing one is a sign of a good horsemanship, period. To suggest we should all be riding around with Amy Winehouse tendrils trailing out the back of our helmets is ludicrous.”

Other industry voices applauded this notion.

“I don’t usually chime in on these kinds of plebeian debates, but I worry these comments might be misinterpreted by young riders, who think they’re wasting their time by adopting proper turnout and attire for the show ring,” said a top judge. “What’s next? Sending children out into the pony ring without fully cranked garter straps?

“We all strive for that perfect connection between horse and rider, and the foundation for that—the thing we all work so hard for—is the shared belief that every aspect of turnout matters. That starts with keeping locks where they belong so you don’t look like a bunch of flibbertigibbets cantering around the ring.”

Though it was briefly trending that the Olympian should be forced to sell all her top horses and decamp from the USA immediately as a Mea culpa for triggering a social media firestorm, which may have even included a hurt feeling, a recently released post on Gab in the Cab suggests she is looking to make amends.

“I am sorry that my comments about hairnets were so wildly misconstrued,” she wrote. “I didn’t mean any harm.

“Of course, I think wearing a hairnet is a necessary and essential part of proper turnout, and a sign of respect to the judge, and to your horse, and to yourself. I truly apologize if I gave any other impression.

“I will say, I think there may be a tendency in this sport to want to put others down in order to pat our own backs, and feel better about our own barns and programs. Sometimes that kind of piling-on seems to come at any cost and expense. Because—let’s face it—nothing is ever as intoxicating as the feeling of being ‘right.’

“That said [clears throat]—I know I’m right about being a hairnet girl! And do I ever love them.

“These days, I not only wear mine when I’m on a horse, I’ve taken to wearing them around the house as well. Heck, I’m wearing one right now!”

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