Controversial......

I've got 3 pairs and I love them, and I'm not small either. However, the lycra is very thick (Ariat) and I have relatively slim legs and a reasonable bum. It goes wrong for me around the middle region - which a nice thick stretchy waistband helps with! I don't fit in breeches very well as the waists are always too tight for me. I'm an egg on legs.
 
I don't wear riding tights - I cannot imagine that the world will ever be ready for that! But I can tell who doesn't ride in the hills :pI remember going for a hack on the 17hh Clydesdale mare in a pair of nylon jodhpurs and almost sliding off the back of the saddle as we turned uphill on the steep road towards home. I have always made sure that I have 'sticky bum' breeches since then :D
Yes!! ? I used to keep horses on a mountain, not even a particularly huge mountain but there were definitely places that sliding off the back would have been a possibility!
 
I'm not a fan of riding tights can bring myself to try them as just think I'd look awful and full of lumps and bumps! ??‍♀️



I love Pikeur, but for some reason have forgotten how to work their sizing! Anyone shed any light on this for me?
Thank you

Absolutely. They have a normal range (34, 36, 38 and so on) and then they have the one with extra lenght where you just double the size, so if you normally fit a 38 your size is 76, sz 40 is 80 and so on.

And sometimes one just fits better because everything is slightly longer, not just the legs. I’m not particularly longlegged, but I use 76 because it just fits me better. The waist sits perfectly in sz 76 whereas 38 is uncomfortable and difficult to zip.
 
Ah now shorts definitely required me to wear chaps once I got older when riding English as the stirrup leathers pinched something horrible. Which would be an issue in a western saddle as the stirrup leathers are a flat wide strip :) There was a also a dealer who was horrified that I tried a horse out in jodhpurs and short boots with no half chaps, again that never cause me an issue but I understand for some the leathers pinch their legs again. All boils down to what suits you and your riding style.

I can quite happily ride my lot without half chaps on because no one sees me! I can ride without them at work but I'd rather not, especially when doing a bit of work.

I also wear out the crotch of jeans quite quickly ... mostly because I only buy cheap Primani jeans for work/horses. But then I am usually in the saddle 4 hours a day ?
 
In the nasty mid-Atlantic heat and humidity it was chaps over shorts or lightweight jods. If I was still able to ride I would probably stuff my body in tights. I run agility in leggings.
 
So now I’m re thinking all my tights and wondering if I look like overtsuffed cottage cheese. But can someone explain why are tights any less attractive (or whatever the right word is) than breeches? They’re both close fitting and if you’re bum is big (me) then it’ll be big in either?
 
Tight fitting riding tights or breeches are not the only answer to riding wear. ;) I am often horrified at the cost of 'smart' breeches - especially as I have little vanity and not the legs that I would have chosen for medieval type 'hose'!! I don't really understand why they almost entirely dominate a market which has a large number of women who would probably choose NOT to reveal all to the world every time they jump in the saddle. Having said that I do wear standard breeches for certain occasions/activities (but with a longer jacket/coat) but for everyday riding you could look at bombachas (from South America - cotton, looser on the leg, more tailored on the body and divinely comfortable and breathable), western riders and 'real' cowboys are quite happy in jeans and Spain and Portugal have perfected the art of the smart riding trouser. :) . I haven't (yet) found a supplier of silk/cotton original Indian jodhpurs or some other global types of riding wear but there are tons of possibilities.

A very helpful poster on HHO pointed me in the direction of Arandu bombachas (Arandu is the brand name) earlier this month, though there are other really good and not expensive brands and I can report that they are superb; inexpensive, very light weight, comfortable, wonderfully smart with long boots and beautifully casual and non-equestrian for just being at home. Bombachas are beloved by gauchos (real ones) and polo players (also real ones lol) all over the world. :) @Cortez has also, earlier this month suggested some lovely Spanish, high waisted riding trousers (sort of boot cut if you like!) . They also have proven themselves over time and seem much more sympathetic to one's vanity as well as encouraging one to stand and sit tall in the saddle. Jeans are, of course, ubiquitous, acceptable anywhere and everywhere almost and have history in the saddle too. You won't get funny looks in the supermarket if you turn up in jeans either.

Farewell spandex, lycra, cankles and public cellulite anxieties - embrace a different look people!! :p:p:p


https://www.webshop.viva-iberica.com/trousers-103-c.asp
 
I'm a bit of a fatty and a lot of a tight arse about the price of jodhs. I absolutely will not pay more than £30 for jodhs unless they are very special high tech ones (I have a waterproof pair that were more expensive).

I have started buying riding tights though.

The ones I have are thick lycra, much thicker than running tights, and and not shiny. They have a thick waistband made from sturdy elastic so I don't have to hoik them up every 5 minutes like half the jodhs I own. I don't think I look and worse in them than I do in any jodhs TBH. They wash well and dry quickly and cost about £20.

They do have some silicone on the arse so I have to be careful getting out of the truck. The silicone isn't in daft patterns, just a plain stripe in the same colour as the fabric. No silicone knees.
 
That's funny I have them in my basket but didn't click buy as wasn't sure what sizing/ waist would be like! Please update!

Well they arrived and I really like them I went for the 30 and they fit OK. Slightly loose on my waist but I have this problem with all trousers.
I am a large size 12 in normal clothes
 
As someone who lived in jodhpurs for the last 15 years I thought riding tights were a overpriced fad. I'm a freelance groom so wear jodhpurs all day long, mainly due to comfort. I saw some riding tights in a sale and thought, well maybe I could just try them and see what all the fuss was about. Game changer! They are soooo comfy and with a long top no one can see all my wobbly bits crammed tightly into one place ?
They have been brilliant for riding down tors and steep hills with the silicon patches and I can even brave a near vertical hill down and up in a bareback pad!

However word of warning. Don't dismount by swinging your leg in front of you and sliding down. You will get stuck and face plant.
 
I love my riding tights! And as I'm currently working from home I wear them every day, they're so comfy. They have a big waist band so don't fall down. I also have a fleece lined pair for winter!
Probably helps that I'm super short and can fit in kids sizes ? definitely keeps the cost down.
 
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