Sweat pants aren’t cutting it: hay bits and cat hairs cling to them, and the fabric is wearing out. Track (swishy) pants aren’t warm enough for me even with long underwear. Snow pants are too warm most days now.
Would thicker scub pants work for hay handling?
I can’t have anything tight in the crotch, or that pulls on my hips (broken pelvis - still healing).
Loving sweater pants for the house. I only recently discovered they existed. Most comfortable pants ever, but not suitable for chores.
I like sweat pants in the winter. I have started buying men’s because they are made of softer, better material and are cheaper to boot. You can always put a pair of oversized scrubs on over the sweat pants to protect them from hay sticking. I find that I have hay sticking to all my clothing no matter what I do and unfortunately leave a trail of small hay bits as I come into the house. You could leave the scrubs at the front door to avoid some of that.
Hmm. I’d recommend hitting your local thrift store in your under layers (I’m presuming you’re throwing these on top of something) and try some things on. I find I usually rotate between slush pants (bought from costco, very lightweight, light fleece liner on the inside) or snow pants (again from costco, relatively light weight and stretchy so easy on). I do like to buy these a size up for layering underneath.
I wonder if a light weight unlined overall from Carhart or the like could work - we have these at our local hardware store. But honestly, the cheapest would probably be a pair of baggy and lightweight jeans. Quite possibly from the men’s section, depending on your preference and body type. So again, the thrift store could ver well be your easiest (and cheapest!) solution - and you’re saving the planet at the same time.
Scrubs with whatever underneath them depending on time of year. I worked for many years in dairy in scrubs and dairy in a century bank barn is 10x tougher than horse work. They eventually wear on the fronts from carrying bales, but they are cheap enough to replace. They also wash well and repel all manner of disgusting stains.
I can’t do anything with a zipper/crotch seem, even loose fitting, as when I sit/bend over, all that material/stitching is way too much/thick.
Try Duluth trading company. I have a couple of different types on the rec of a COTHer. All are very comfortable, have lots of pockets and have worn like iron. As a bonus they even deter horse and Corgi hair.
I wear these pretty much any day it’s below 50*. LL bean Sherpa lined sweats. So comfy.
Very highly recommend overalls. It’s all I wore outside when I was healing after my surgery.
Duluth makes lined ones that are fab for winter. Their regular firehose overalls are great for summer. The fabric is absolutely durable enough for the barn, and they don’t bind at all.
ETA: I asked a very similar question, so you might cover some ground in the replies:
I did order some scrubs and they were an absolute nope for me.
The absolute best winter barn pants I’ve ever had are the LL Bean fleece lined Women’s Stretch Ripstop Pull-On Pants. No zipper, just a knit waistband and drawstring. They’re warm and when you accidentally slop water down your leg, they dry amazingly quickly. And hay, shavings, and horsehair don’t stick.
I’m up to three pairs.
I wear scrubs over my breeches on show days in summer and they work fine. I’d probably wear something heavier like nylon track pants this time of year though. I also love my Columbia rain pants for an over layer on cold days-- they work great to bathe horses in. You could wear them over sweatpants instead of breeches.
Yes!!! These are so comfy and warm…they also have them in non fleece lined and they are just as comfy. Wash up well too.
Insulated bib overalls. My sister’s outdoor work attire of choice.
It looks like they might be sold out for this winter, but these HeatTech Warm Lined Pants from Uniqlo are insanely comfortable and the outside is some kind of nylon so stuff does not stick to them.
https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/products/E450643-000/00?colorDisplayCode=58&sizeDisplayCode=003
What was your issue with the scrubs?
I can’t do overalls, there is too much seem/fabric in the crotch area - I have an annoying amount of inflammation in the area, and even if loose, it becomes an issue if I bend over or sit down.
From your other post, it looks like I need to look into hiking pants.
I want to find something I can try on before buying, so need to find items I can find locally.
Yes, I’ve got two pairs of the unlined ones, too. They really are the best pants.
When I bought my first pair of the unlined ones, my Mom started calling them my “paper pants” because she thought they felt like they were made of paper. After they were washed a few times, she no longer thought that (and I never did), but we still refer to them as “the paper pants.” 
Scrubs are going to need to be cinched up at the waist, and that may annoy you. I don’t HAVE a waist, lol, you might which would make them easier to wear.
The fabric on the scrubs felt nearly like tyvec. They still sat on my hips and had zero warmth to the fabric. Sizing was crazy, despite paying a lot of attention to the size chart.
My overalls didn’t bind or even come near my crotch. If you’ve tried denim overalls, I can see how the stiffness of the fabric itself could cause rubbing. The firehose fabric is less stiff than denim, but Duluth does make them in lighter weight fabric, if the issue is related to that. You can buy online and return to the store.
I couldn’t wear anything that rode on my hips at all. Sweats had to be pretty lightweight and fit, rather than be at all oversized, and overalls were definitely the answer for outside work, especially with my phone and anything else in the pockets. I was back into regular pants by maybe 9-10 mo post op (3-4 mo after getting the screws removed) but I didn’t have the overall instability issues you’re facing.
No recommendation for pants, but I loved my mechanic’s coat! I am not very tall, so the coat covered me to just below the top of my boots. I slipped it over whatever I was wearing for “dirty jobs”. Not expensive, durable and easy wash. Lol, these days my barn visits are mostly to spectate, but my coat goes on to groom etc.
I’ll third or fourth trying out some Duluth products. They come with a crotch gusset, which makes bending over and kneeling and other outdoor movements sooooo much easier! I personally just have the gardening style, I don’t have the firehose type, so I can’t speak to that material, but the ones I have are fabulous.
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