Here’s mine, brought to my attention today by Dover Saddlery’s Flash Sale of Irideon riding vests:
WHY does the zipper go all the way to the bottom? That’s where it hits and scratches your saddle. WHY is the zipper not 2 inches shorter, so it stops short of marking your expensive leather?
What "Why?"s do you have?
Well:
a) if it’s on discount, it didn’t sell well, maybe this is why.
b) how does the bottom of the zipper hit the saddle?? i scratch my panels a lot dismounting. But not riding.
All you gotta do is tilt forward a bit, and the bottom nub of the zipper is on the leather. Half seat is disasterous.
hmmm. I will need to check but I don’t think my crotch gets that close to the pommel even in half seat.
Well, for one thing, if it actually fits then getting it on and off would be a hell of a struggle if the zipper ended two inches from the bottom. If you’ve ever had the zipper on a jacket get stuck near the bottom while wearing it, you would understand this experience :lol:
Also, no part of my body that would be covered by a vest comes anywhere near my saddle, even when jumping.
I understand aregard’s issue because I have it, too. I ride dressage, so no half-seat unless we’re out galloping. Yes, the zipper end does contact/bump the pommel on the saddles with some vests. I try to buy shorter vests to minimize the problem, but lately, longer vests seem to be the norm. Most are cut longer in back, which is fine. The problem is with a zipper that extends too far down. If the vest has a double zipper – one that you can unzip from the bottom a little, that helps. Shorter in front, longer in back, all you vest designers!
Could be a conformational thing for individuals, too. If you have a long torso, maybe it’s not a problem.
Maybe they’re angling to get you to buy a (full-price) seat saver! :yes:
But surely if you have this problem with a vest, you must have the problem with any zip jacket?
There are jackets made for active sports that you can unzip from the bottom as well as the top that you can then unzip to accommodate the pommel. It does not look like that particular vest has that feature, and maybe (as one poster noted) it would have sold better if it had.
aregard I have a short torso and can relate.
My own “WHY???” is breeches pockets big enough for iPhones etc: rarer than hens teeth. Even the pockets on a lot of vests and jackets are too small!
WHY do off-the-shelf boot manufacturers assume that if you have a long leg, you have a small calf and that, if you have a big calf, you have a short leg?!
WHYYYY are tops never long enough? Both riding and regular, non-horsey tops. Even with high waisted jeans and breeches I can’t tuck things in comfortably, they pop out the second I lift my arms up. I don’t know if I am just built really long or what but it’s awful.
WHY do I have to keep pulling up my Equissentials full seat breeches to stay close to the crotch? I am only 5’3’ and shouldn’t need to buy “long”. Drives me crazy. I hike them up when I put the boots, hike them up after walking to the arena, again after lunging and again before mounting. If they hadn’t been so expensive I would throw them out.
This is my question too, although a lot of the tights are including big pockets. I recently tried the Hadley breeches (silicon full seat) and they have a perfect back pocket for your phone. My phone (iPhone, std size, not the big ones) stays put, despite bending, twisting, reaching. So much so that TWICE I have ridden with my phone in my back pocket without even realizing it!
A good tailor can replace the zipper with one that is shorter. Depending on the work involved, it may not be cheap, but probably worth investigating.
Try googling “tips for keeping your shirt tucked in” and include the quotes. You’ll find suggestions like, shirt stays, military tucks, underwear tucks.
Alternatively, you could try longer cuts
A favorite shirt of mine wouldn’t stay tucked. I had a tailor add fabric to lengthen to the shirt and that did the trick. Not necessarily the cheapest option, and I couldn’t wear the shirt untucked (ever) since the added fabric was not a perfect match, but I was finally able to enjoy wearing the shirt.
Certain brands or types just seem to have this problem. Some of us at my barn call it “penguin crotch” :lol: when the breeches either need to be pulled up past your belly button or else the crotch feels like it’s somewhere around your knees. Being taller doesn’t help… I’m 5’10" and still have this issue. It’s just how those certain pairs were made.
It is amazing what you learn on Coth. Penguin crotch. Last year I learned about “camel toe”.
I hypothesis that it has to do with how they fit across the thighs?
And now you have antonyms!
Gah! Penguin crotch. Mine got caught on the cantle while mounting. :mad:
In half-chaps, I have the opposite WHY?
WHY must all short calf half-chaps be made to fit children’s calves? WHY are the shortest half-chaps that will fit around my leg 2 inches too tall for me?
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