Western rider here, I always ride in jeans. I’ve never worn breeches and for those that have used both, what does it feel like riding in breeches as opposed to jeans?
I find breeches vastly more comfortable because jeans tend to give me rubs riding English. That being said, when I was riding regularly in a western saddle I preferred jeans because of the thicker material but that particular saddle had seams on the seat that I could feel way too much with thin breeches. Breeches are geberally a little more slippery than jeans unless they’re full seats.
I hate riding in jeans (English). The seams are uncomfortable, and the cotton gets sweaty and wet and dries slowly. The newer tech fabrics used for breeches are so much more comfortable - stretchy and breathable.
I mostly trail rode (English) in jeans for years and years before I started jumping, got some breeches, and never looked back. More comfortable, easier to move, more breathable, don’t chafe and the legs don’t ride up.
I usually ride in jean breeches with knee patches.
This is not the brand I have as I prefer a higher waistline, but here is a photo of jeans breeches with knee patches:
Best of both worlds!
If it’s really cold I wear my Irideon Wind Pro 3 Season knee patch breeches with my chaps or chinks over them and tall western boots so you really don’t even see the breeches.
When I started riding again, I rode English in stretch jeans for a few years in lessons. Then I started buying breeches. Then I started buying full seat breeches.
They are just so much more comfortable.
If I were riding Western again I would try to find boot cut full seat breeches, like the Saddleseat people wear. I’ve also seen full-seat jeans-style Western riding wear as well, on line.
I don’t find jeans very comfortable for riding or any physical exertion, any more. They bind when I try to throw my leg over the horse, or vault off. They rub at the waistband. The low-rise jeans slide down, and the high waist jeans bite into my tummy. I found jeans more comfortable when I was 20 lbs lighter and 20 years younger; also, maybe jeans back then were cut more for active wear.
The jeans I wore to riding lessons (in 2009) were Levis from 1996.
I thought about going out and trying to find the perfect comfortable pair of jeans for riding, and decided it made more sense to just buy breeches.
Also, most women’s jeans these days are very thin, stretchy material . I don’t know if you can even get “real” jeans like I grew up with, any more.
I ride Western and we all ride in jeans. Look for brands that cater to Western riders for the jeans that are best for riding.
Denim is not an ideal fabric for riding. It’s a “hard” fabric and that’s not a good thing for leather saddles. It doesn’t naturally “give” although that can be alleviated a bit by using synthetic fiber blends. There are some brands, or lines within brands, that are cut for astride work. Diamond and Wrangler Cowboy Cut come to mind.
I switched out of jeans almost 15 years ago and have never looked back. I don’t ride much Western anymore but even on those rare occasions when I do I wear breeches. I ride in historical pattern breeches made of cotton, wool, drill, etc. (sorry, no Tartan 
). They are not a perfect solution but much more comfortable than any jeans I’ve ever tried (and I’ve tried a lot).
Of course everybody must do what’s comfortable for them because then they can concentrate on doing what’s most comfortable for the horse without distraction.
G.
English rider that has converted to western. I can’t stand riding in jeans, even if I stick out like a sore thumb at clinics and group lessons. They ride up on my legs, and the seams are uncomfortable for me, not to mention that they don’t breathe as well. I much prefer my breeches and tall boots.
Also, be aware that jeans can ruin the leather on some english saddles, especially newer ones that use calf skin.
I used to LOVE HacTac brand jeans & had several pairs in a lot of colors.
I rode H/J & Dressage at the time & they were The.Most.Comfortable in all weather - cool in summer, Warm (with thermals beneath) in Wiinter.
All that for under $100.
Sadly they do not seem to exist any longer - at least not in the US.
The riding jeans I’ve found - under $200! - are not well-made or all that comfortable.
if I ride western I normally ride in Jeans but if I ride english it is either in yoga pants and half chaps or breeches. My saddle is very soft and the seams on the jeans will rub a hole in the pommel of my english saddle. Before I purchased this saddle I always wore jeans and chaps
I have ridden English in both jeans and breeches. Jeans are definitely harder on the saddle, but that aside, breeches are just so much more comfortable. A bit more slippery, yes, but that’s what those leg muscles are for, right? And just so much more comfortable.
I also just like the whole breeches/boots/half chaps thing, for the superficial reason that it looks cool.
I’ve always ridden English except for a few trail rides and in my younger years always wore jeans. Jeans with half chaps or jeans with full chaps. Now that I’m in my 30s I can use every extra ounce of flexibility I can get and prefer breeches. I also completely wore out my first saddle right where the seam of the jeans wore through the leather.
Jeans today also fit differently and are of a different material. Nowadays if it isn’t skintight it doesn’t fit. The jeans I used to ride in were much looser and did not stretch.
jeans are tight and stiff. even your favorite jeans. When you wear Breeches or Riding tights, it gives your legs more freedom to move and riding becomes even more comfortable.
no matter what I’m riding - english or western- I find breeches a million times more comfortable. To me, jeans are hot, stiff and very slippery in the saddle- plus when I used to ride a lot in jeans, I wore through them like crazy. With breeches, I’ve got grip in the right places, their comfortable, they dry fast and I’ve put hundreds of miles on my favorite pair (Irideons) and they are still going strong.
I think riding in jeans is so uncomfortable it should be a form of punishment for misdeeds. Seriously, everything in my wardrobe screams," I am a slave to comfort."
I am such a comfort seeking wuss that now I can only deal with full seat breeches. Jeans are what you wear when operating your riding lawn mower.
I rode at a Hunter barn where the owner rode and trained in jeans and normally paddock boots and half chaps. Her feeling was, as long as you’re comfortable and safe.
I used to ride in jeans when I had synthetic tack, but as I’ve transitioned to leather, I use breeches more. I find them more flexible, and they don’t slide down at the waist as much as jeans do. It’s hard to ride when you feel like your bum is exposed :eek:
Never jeans since they can scratch the English saddles, for dressage the seams are hell under the knee and seat.
I like “jean full seats” no matter if I’m dressage, HJ, or western.
I grew up riding in jeans, both English and western. I owned one pair of breeches and those were reserved for lessons and horse shows. I never thought riding in jeans was uncomfortable.
As an adult, I find riding English in jeans to be unbearable. For western, I do wear jeans but I have the ones made specifically for riding that are of stretch denim and don’t have a thick seam on the inside.
I have one pair of these Smooth Stride jeans that have no seam at all on the inside of the leg. They are really nice (and have a cell phone pocket on the outside of the thigh).
However, they are NOT made for short, fat people. The waistband is right up under my breasts, not the most comfortable of fits. :lol:
Thanks for all of the responses! I ride western, have for 18 years, no plans on riding english any time soon (no offense towards anyone, just don’t want to), and I’ve even been known to ride in cargo shorts and boots before… I’ve never had a rub from the seams of my jeans. The only rub I’ve gotten is from a pair of boots that hadn’t quite finished breaking in and I rode in them on an 11 mile ride (I don’t wear tall socks, can’t stand them) and the uppers rubbed a tiny spot on my leg. They’ve since broken in and no longer rub.
I agree that women’s jeans are not made with any sort of quality in mind, that’s why I buy men’s jeans. The wal-mart wranglers for $15 have a longer lifespan than any pair of women’s jeans I’ve owned. They seem to be outliving my $50 wrangler retros from cavanders too…
They don’t stretch, but as long as I hike up my pant leg I can step up to get on my mare (she’s 15.1). My only complaint about the men’s jeans is that they make me look like I have no torso, I’ve got long legs and I’m only 5’4". That being said, I do show and go to parades in women’s jeans because I don’t like looking like there’s no space between my pelvis and rib cage :lol:
I hadn’t really ever considered that the jeans could damage saddles, I’ve not had mine wear through or even in to any of my saddle leather, but western saddles are made with a lot thicker leather than english saddles.
