What do YOU want to see in equestrian apparel?

Women’s footwear in wide and x-wide. Seems we’re still stuck in the era of bound feet! I always have to order men’s footwear and I don’t think I have particularly big feet.

And while we’re at it, long sleeves should not be masquerading as compression stockings. Size up appropriately.

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Ethically sourced clothes. I don’t want to wear cheap clothes made in sweatshops by people in forced labor conditions. I’d rather pay a bit more to know people are being paid a living wage.

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Yesss. Just because my calf is on the, um, rounder side, does not mean I have a short leg. Conversely, just because my leg is long, doesn’t mean I have negative calf muscle! I’ve always wanted to try Parlantis. But even their fullest of full calf is like 2 inches too small.

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This is my biggest problem. My feet seem totally normal looking but for some reason finding paddock boots (have not shopped for tall boots, I do half chaps) are impossible to find that are wide enough that they do not make my feet hurt.

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Kerrit’s makes short sleeved shirts.

I like the technical fabrics, the long sleeves, and the mesh underarms. Actually prefer the fabric Kerrits uses with the tiny holes everywhere to the selected mesh. I wear one of my barn sunshirts pretty much any day I don’t need to dress up. Which is pretty much every day at the moment.

But I don’t live in a place with high humidity and temperatures.

Sometimes, I wonder who it is that the off the shelf stuff is actually made for! Every time I have a conversation like this one, there is always someone like you who is also an outlier, but in the other direction.

Either there is a race of mythical equestrians that boots fit, or NO ONE has boots that fit unless they go custom in some manner. :slight_smile:

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Many people have touched on this, but better selection for bigger sizes. Us women (and men, for that matter) who are trying to fit wide calves and hips love to ride too and look good while doing it!
Another frustrating thing is the lack of size standards. I can buy 10 pairs of breeches all in the same size and NONE of them are going to fit the same (just like jeans!) I recently found that the Smartpak Pipers fit me beautifully and you bet I’m buying them in every color.
Not all riders are blessed with long legs, short torsos and slim bodies and I’d love for more companies to make clothing that flatters us too. (No judgement against riders with that body type, I’m sure you have your own frustrations, I’m just airing my own grievances here! :rofl:)

And of course…LOWER PRICES! For goodness sakes, not everyone can afford $200+ for a nice pair of breeches!

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The seam on the inner thigh of these would be a deal breaker for me.

Haven’t had any problem even with copious amounts of sweat!

Your body sounds a lot like mine. I’m closer to 4 in most pants, but pretty small waist (~25-26’) and some curves (36-37’). I have a pair of Horze leggings in size 34 EU, but while the fit is flattering I’m not very impressed with the quality. I actually find that Pikeur fits me pretty well (children’s 176 :sweat_smile:). Also I have a pair of Cavallo thermo breeches that fit really nice and are awesome quality. I find the Cavallo regular Championesse (US 24) a little too tight on the waist, but I tuck my stomach in and manage, so depending how small your waist is ymmv…

I made the mistake of buying a lightweight jacket to go over my winter layers in a fricking tech fabric and had to throw it in the back of my car on the way home from the barn today. How does everyone else seem to be able to wear this evil fabric without it making them smell like a basement?

Off to try to find something made from nature…

I have a new answer…

Better pricing, and outstanding customer service, heck even good customer service would be nice.

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Clothes, but most particularly boots, for short people. All breeches bag at my knees and come to my ankle (if not slightly past my ankle). I’m incredibly limited in the brands of boots I can purchase because my calves are so short. I’m 5’1, so while I am certainly Smurf-sized, it’s not terribly unusual to find riders of my height. And although I can sometimes wear children’s sizes in regular clothes, children’s riding clothes run small (and I have size 7 feet, so there is no way I can wear kids’ boots).

Glancing through this thread, it seems like most complaints are about a limited range of sizes, particularly for mid-priced clothing lines (versus higher-end lines which have more custom options). In my real life, I know people of all shapes and sizes who ride. Even the top competitive riders run in size from Ros Canter, who is even shorter than me, to William Fox Pitts of the world. Why don’t clothing lines reflect this?

From a more frivolous perspective, I’d love to see more tweets, greens, browns, and earth shades. I like something beyond boring beiges, blues, and blacks, but I’m not as crazy about bright colors.

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I’m 5’1 and 15.25” from ground to back of knee. I fit in a standard height boot for ariat, MH, treadstep, etc. Now I’m wondering, do I have freakishly long shins for my height?

Also tweed?! Yes please.

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Ha! I think I just have freakishly short, stubby legs. I have the worst rider’s body–short legs, short arms, and a relatively long torso.

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Check out triedequestrian.com !!

They’re consignment, but also have brand new items and oftentimes they have riding tights with a deep cell phone pocket!! I’ve wanted to try them, they have great reviews.

What a great thread!

I’m late to the party, but I have to agree with so many of these:

-Better selection of sizes, specifically for curvier women and petite women.

-POCKETS for the love of everything. Why do they still make breeches without pockets or with tiny key pockets in 2021?!? Nearly everyone has a smartphone that they keep on them.

-More realistic everyday prices! Especially for schooling clothes. Why can I buy a pair of leggings for less than $20, but you add some grippy patches to the same quality material and suddenly prices begin at $99?!?

-Off the rack tall boots that fit a wider variety of sizes. It seems like with tech fabrics we could make this happen so easily, plus get rid of then broken zipper problem, by designing boots with stretchy panels that easily pull on. They probably wouldn’t even look different from afar.

-More boots, paddock or tall boots, that are fully waterproof and work for both riding and other basic horse chores. I feel like the number one thing that kills my boots is the wet/dry cycle. I usually change into my boots right before I get on, but sometimes forget to change out if I hose my horse off or go catch a second horse in the muddy paddock. Most of the really waterproof options are too clunky for the stirrups.

-Dedicated sports bras for riding

-Proper size belt loops. I have several pairs of schooling breeches with these dinky belt loops that don’t fit any of the belt styles that are currently popular.

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FYI some of these are on super sale right now! Thanks for the heads up on them, I just snagged a couple of the turtleneck versions.

I wish more riding clothes had pockets a phone would fit in. Most of my barnwear tends to be outdoor gear brands (Patagonia/North Face/Columbia) all of which have nice pockets. But if it’s warmer and I’m just in breeches? I adore my RJs but the pockets need to be twice the size they are to be useful.

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Apparently yes. I have skinny ankles and small feet, topped by 15.5 (nekkid) calves. It makes me sad that I can’t get Volants.

Part of the trick is your laundering process. Never use standard detergent on any athletic fabrics - regular detergent leaves residue that odors love to cling to. Always use technical wash and never add softener.

Some folks have more issues with this than others, but changing your laundering process and buying garments made with high quality athletic fabric makes a huge difference.

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