Like all pieces of the riding habit, the history of the ratcatcher, also and potentially more commonly known as the show shirt, is one laced in mystery and intrigue. No one knows for sure how the name “ratcatcher” came into being, but I discovered multiple theories that help solve the mystery.
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WHAT’S IN A N AME? Yes, Shakespeare, “that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” but ‘ratcatcher’ does not portray a particularly pleasing vision. How did a simply-cut, fashionable shirt garner such a name? One source concludes that the style was inspired by the clothes of the actual rat catchers who lived and worked in England during the Victorian era. These catchers would wrap scraps of fabric and other material high around their necks to protect them from being bitten as they hunted the disease-ridden rodents. Another (not so endearing) source claims the term was developed in regard to the class level within the fox hunt. Ratcatcher is informal hunting attire, and it was said that those who hunted informally were no better than those who hunted rats. It was thought that unless one hunted formally, with proper attire, one might as well be member of this lower-class profession. A third source also looks to the foxhunt to make the connection. While out hunting, a rat-catcher or terrier-man, would follow along with the hunt on foot where he would use his little dogs to chase the foxes out of their hiding spots. His duties were similar to the ones performed by the rat-catchers in the cities who would sometimes also use terriers to flush the rats out of their hiding places. Finally, a fourth source claims that the term was developed, again, in the hunt field during off-season. It states that this type of attire was worn during informal hunting periods when foxes were out of season. During this time, riders would hunt anything just for the sport of it, sometimes even rats. The modern equestrian world may never know exactly where the term ratcatcher stemmed from, but one can assume it was a combination of the four theories above. Regardless, it appears that all believe the shirt was created during the Victorian era (approximately the mid to late 1800s) in England. Today’s foxhunter uses the term ratcatcher to denote the informal dress worn before the formal season opens, or on weekday hunts, as determined by the Master of Hounds. The formal black coat is replaced with tweed, brown boots may be worn, and the stock
Opposite: “Mrs. A.K.B. Lyman, wife of Mayor Lyman, won the International course over eight fences at the Warrenton Horse Show, Warrenton, VA,” Harris & Ewing, 1935, courtesy of the Library of Congress, reproduction #: LC-DIG-hec-39570; This Page: “Jack Black, Her Majesty’s Ratcatcher,” Mayhew, H., 1851, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; “Fox hunt,” Harris & Ewing, 1924, courtesy of the Library of Congress, reproduction #: LC-DIG-hec-44651
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