I normally ride in breeches but would like to get some riding jeans. The ones I am looking at are the Wrangler Q Baby, or Ariat REAL spitfire, but open to suggestions. Need something for a curvy/athletic figure (a size 2 / 24 waist - just big hip to waist ratio).
I suppose it will ultimately depend what is comfortable for you, but I love my Wrangler Q Babys.
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Can you try them both on and decide what you like better?
Lol of course I can, but if the consensus is one wonāt work on curvy figures without the dreaded back gap then why deal with the hassle of returning?
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I am curvy and really like how wrangler auras fit.
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I have two pair of Ariats and 4 pair of Wrangler Q-Babies. What does that tell you, LOL!
What I donāt like about the Ariats is the typical gap in the waistband that I get with most fashion jeans. I donāt love having to wear a belt and cinch it up tight to keep my undies from showing when Iām wrapping legs. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the waistband of the Wrangler Q-Babies! They have a strip of elastic along the inside that keeps the jeans from gapping.
I love my Wrangler Q Babies. No waist gapping and I never wear a belt when Iām schooling, only to show (so I have somewhere to hang my belt buckle :D). I donāt have any experience with Ariats. But my absolute favorite riding jeans are Kimes Ranch āBettyā.
Kimes Ranch jeans. Betty is the best one.
@HuntinQuarters and @bugsynskeeter The Kimes Ranch Betty doesnāt seem to come in short sizes 
Aside from just the cost of alterations, with a flared leg it usually doesnāt look right.
I think Iāll start with trying Wrangler.
āāāāāāāThanks all!
Iām 5ā1 and wear the Regular/Long Betty jeans. But I like them to stack. They definitely donāt flare. The Alex and the Francesca do.
The Betty jeans are long so they āstackā on top of your boots when you are standing and then stay long enough when you sit in the saddle. I love them because Iām crazy long-legged (I wear a 36" inseam in my regular pants), so Iām extra excited to find jeans that are actually long enough for riding. But for a shorter person I can see why you would not find that advantageous.
Iāve wanted to try the Kimes jeans, but Iāve struggled because I canāt try them on. What do you prefer about them over Wranglers? How do the sizes compare between brands? I wear a 3/32 in Wranglers. What would I order in a Kimes?
@Showbizz I havenāt tried them myself yet, but ridingwarehouse.com has several styles of the Kimes, and they have free shipping and very easy returns.
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I wear the Wal-Mart Wranglers, my only complaint is that they will ride up if I donāt buy them a couple inches longā¦ but thatās happened with every brand Iāve ever gotten.
None of the brands mentioned last more than 6 weeks for me before the thigh seams rip out, even when Iām not riding. Not to mention that none of them come in legitimately short inseams. Iāve had the best luck with, of all places, jeans from/by Lands End. They are mostly denim (instead of mostly spandex) so that they are hardier, come in a true medium rise and a just-barely there boot cut, and come in actual short inseams (Ahem, Wrangler, 30" DOES NOT a short inseam make!). I have a decidedly curvy figure (hips nearly 12" wider than my waist), and I donāt have any gapping issues with these jeans.
BONUS! Most sizes and washes are on sale for only $20-35/pair currently (I just picked one to post), and thereās also a coupon code for 25% off your order: https://www.landsend.com/products/woā¦96?sku_0=::TA8
Just got some Levis āstraight leg slimming jeansā at Boot Barnā¦the denim is light and stretchy rather than thick and solid. The rise is high-ish but not mom-jeans high, the belt loops fit a wide-ish belt, the pockets are a tad smallā¦but they feel AMAZING and theyāre great to ride in. No gap or butt-crack flashing.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions! My concern with non-riding brands was the seam, but even with the Wranglers they seem like they could be uncomfortable after a while. (I have denim breeches that have no inner seam at all, guess thatās what I was used to)
So if anyone is curious, I ordered some Q-babys with the ācool vantageā. Iām not sure they are more breathable than regular denim, Iām still on the fence so havenāt tested them out. The fit is okay; just a tiny gap but I can live with it. But the shortest length my size came in is 32 and I donāt like how it looks from the front over my boots.
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I may be late to this partyā¦ I have both Ariats and Wranglers. I like the fit of my Ariats better - they donāt gap in my waist or sit too low and fit well in my thighs. Iām kind of awkwardly sized, being only 5ā4 with a small waist, but muscular thighs and Iāve found a lot of jeans that fit in the thigh was too large in the waist. However, Iāve found that Ariat jeans seem to wear out quickly in the inner thigh. Every pair Iāve had has ripped within 6 months, but thatās probably due to the fact I ride a rough out saddle. So I get them patched with an extra layer of denim and voila, reinforced riding jeans.
I absolutely HATE my Wranger jeans. They are sized weird, they stretch out and they donāt fit nicely. To give you an idea of my sizeā¦ my Ariats are between a size 3 and 5 waist (depending on the time of year) and a 34" inseam. I have one pair of Wranglers that is a size 5. They fit in the waist for the first day and then stretch out to the point that I fear losing them by walking down the street. The thighs stretch so much that theyāre baggy. Knowing this, I bought another pair of Wranglers in a size 3. They are even larger than my size 5ās. No matter how much I try to wash them, they wonāt shrink and I hate them.
Iāll take your Wrangler 3s 
The jeans should be a little long. That way when you ride and bend your knee they will be the correct length.
Have you looked at Cruel Girl Jeans? The Hanna with the Moderate rise is best for riding.
