Did you ever wish that you could afford to splurge on a spectacular show jacket? A jacket that would make you look and feel like a champion at the biggest shows, but with all your other expenses, you just couldn’t justify spending a huge sum of hard-earned cash on one item? Maybe you’ve put a Golden West or Show N Tell pad on your wish list that would be the crowning touch of your entire show ensemble, and you keep thinking, ‘maybe next year.’

With the trend in renting dazzling show equipment, you can look like a million bucks and stay within your budget with two new enterprises, Danielle Burns’ Rent The Glitz for show jackets, and The Paddock Pads, brought to you by Austin Gooding and Alexis Solakian.

Rent The Glitz is the creation of Danielle Burns. An accountant by day, Burns is a third-generation horsewoman who started out in 4-H when she was 12, and eventually started showing Pintos and Quarter Horses.

“I got the idea of renting jackets to exhibitors at the larger shows because I’ve rented dresses to wear at weddings,” Burns said. “These jackets are elaborate and expensive, and a lot of people out there just don’t want to spend hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on one. Renting one for a week at the bigger shows seemed like an idea that would take off, and let people really feel like they’ve done everything they can to present themselves in the best way possible in the highest-level horse shows.”

An exhibitor can browse the selection that Rent the Glitz offers on Facebook or the website, https://renttheglitz.com. Burns will mail the jacket to them before they leave for the show. The cost varies, but runs about $200 for the week. Burns also does some one-day rentals for exhibitors such as 4-H riders who want to attend the state show, for about $50/day.

Burns is continually working on expanding her inventory from her home base in Vineland, New Jersey, and there are many jackets on her website from which to choose.

“The idea has really taken off,” Burns said. “I’m always looking for quality jackets to add to the collection, especially since I have requests for large and extra-large sizes. I buy most of the jackets from companies, but I also have a friend, Marissa Campbell, who will make them for me. This fall, I’m planning on having a booth at the Congress and World Shows, and then people will be able to rent them for a day or for a particular class.”

So far, Rent the Glitz has been a hit. The business is gaining customers by word-of-mouth and Facebook blasts. Burns is quite happy with the growth she’s seen. “I have several repeat customers, and I’m very pleased that I can continue to expand the inventory so jackets are available in even a wider range of colors and sizes so more people can take advantage of the opportunity to wear a special garment for an important show.”

Dawn Deal, of Eden, North Carolina, competes in ApHC and NSBA events and is a Rent The Glitz customer.

“I love working with Danielle,” she said. “I’ve rented jackets from her several times for major shows. She’s flexible, easy to work with, and the rates are very reasonable. Plus, the garments are beautiful.”

The Paddock Pads idea sprang to Alexis Solakian’s mind when she was talking with a friend about the problem of having more than one horse in a trail class. “Her trainer always wound up wearing a boring black shirt, and putting a black and red pad on one horse, and a black and orange pad on another horse,” recalls Solakian.

“Trainers aren’t going to ask a client to buy a $900 saddle pad that matches their trainer’s shirt,” she said. “With the nice bright colors that have come into style lately, the idea of renting high-quality pads seemed like a winner, whether you’re at the World Show, or you want one to match a button down at a smaller show. I’m always mixing and matching my show outfits, so I thought that other people probably want more options as well.”

Solakian ran the idea by her boyfriend, Austin Gooding. He comes from a long line of horse trainers, and currently trains with his parents, Garth and Sonnesa Gooding at Bauer and Gooding Show Horses in Fennville, Michigan.

“My parents thought we had a great idea,” Gooding said. “So, we decided to give it a try.”

Solakian says, “I’ve just graduated from nursing school at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. I’m the idea and social media part of the equation, I don’t have the money to go out and buy inventory. Austin does, so he went out and bought a bunch of Golden West and Show N Tell pads from friends and on Facebook.”

Within days of coming up with the idea, Solakian had the Facebook page up, and Gooding was putting together a selection of pads. With so many connections on Facebook, they had over 1,000 likes and shares within the first few days.

“The response was beyond our expectations,” Gooding said. “We were getting phone calls from all over. I’ve had several trainers call me, all with similar stories about having more than one horse in a class and that they are constantly running around changing tack because they don’t have enough pads to match.”

The support from outside was motivational for Solakian and Gooding.

“They were totally on board with making their life easier by renting them,” Gooding said. “We’re just getting our feet wet for now, but for the future, we’ve talked about shipping them to shows that we don’t attend, like the Pinto World Show, or getting a small trailer. Maybe we’ll even have ties. It’s really hard for us guys to find matching ties.”

And it’s not just about saving money.

“Another aspect of renting a show pad is that you can try before you buy,” suggested Solakian. “If you really want a royal blue pad, and then you discover that it just doesn’t look good on your horse, or look good from across the show pen, you haven’t invested $900.”

With the vast array of colorful, glitzy show apparel so readily available, exhibitors around the country are sure to be the most fashionable ever.