Horse in Britain wears three piece Harris Tweed suit. (Do not adjust your TV set)

A day at the races is an excuse to don your finery. Think Ladies Day at Cheltenham, when the girls’ heels are sky high and the hats even higher.

But why should the horses miss out on all this dressing up?

It’s a valid question.

That was given a definitive answer this week by British designer, Emma Sandham-King. Because, in collaboration with bookmakers, William Hill, she has created a full, three piece Harris Tweed suit for racehorse, Morstead.

Yes, you read that right.

A three piece suit. Made from Harris Tweed. For a horse.

And actually? It’s genius!

Unveiled to coincide with the start of the Cheltenham Festival – where tweed is de rigueur – the suit took four weeks to make and required 18 metres of Harris Tweed. Which is 10 times the amount of tweed required for a human Harris Tweed suit.

(‘Human Harris Tweed suit’ is not a phrase we thought we’d ever write.)

Champion jockey, Sir Tony McCoy helped showcase Morstead and the suit, and he was – of course – also clad in Harris Tweed.

Emma Sandham-King said of making the suit,

“Creating the world’s first tweed suit for a horse has been one of the biggest challenges that I have faced in my career as a designer.

“Some models can be real divas, but veteran racing horse, Morestead, was calm and a pleasure to work with.”
We’re not sure if Morstead will be crossing the line in his new outfit, but that’s one photo finish that you definitely wouldn’t want to miss!