# Why do guys want to wear jeans to riding more than breeches?



## Blackhole6670 (May 6, 2015)

I am asking this because we I see girls ride, they normally have breeches on. However, when I see guys ride they wear jeans more than breeches. Why is that? Is there a specific reason for why guys prefer jeans over breeches?


----------



## gingerscout (Jan 18, 2012)

well it depends on riding english vs western.. even the girls who ride western at my barn wear jeans.. In fact nobody at my barn wears breeches, I am a guy and have never even thought of wearing them


----------



## ponyboy (Jul 24, 2008)

Because breeches show everything.


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I already own jeans, and don't want to buy something else just to ride? They go well with T-shirts and sweatshirts? A new pair of Wranglers goes for $17 at Wal-Mart? They work well? Because Ronald Reagan was a good rider, but I thought he looked silly in those pants?


----------



## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Most men I have seen ride Western, and in western almost no one rides in breeches. We're also not doing jumping/eventing/dressage where breeches would be more useful because the saddles do not have much in the way of a cantle or a deep seat to keep riders in place while riding.


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Old picture of an old guy wearing jeans while using a jump saddle:










Australian, which is largely English is style:










No problems keeping the leg steady in jeans. Maybe it would be different if I jumped, but my mare did most of her jumping going sideways...:?


----------



## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

BSMS, I'm glad I said "most"


----------



## chinoerika (Jun 10, 2013)

For the same reason I don't wear men's ballerina pants when we go dancing.


----------



## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

I think many, perhaps most, guys are more concerned with their image than they let on. Jeans project more of a tough guy image than breeches. 

It seems that you would prefer breeches. Wear what you want. If anyone gives you guff about it, give it right back. 

I'll comment on the Tuffrider breeches on your other thread.


----------



## apw1970 (Jun 8, 2010)

I'm a guy. I wear breeches when I ride, either English or western.
I find them very comfortable - moreso than jeans.

The whole "can I be a masculine male and still ride horses thing?" drives me nuts. I just don't get why there are so many more women than men that ride.

And if a guy rides English and wears breeches... well, you know... something must be "wrong" in the manhood department. Sissy boy, right?

Guys need to get over themselves and their insecurities. 

I wear my breeches proudly (and don't tell anyone, but one pair is acutually women's breeches... and they fit me better than my men's breeches.


----------



## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

Well Im a girl and I can say I don't even own a pair of breeches. I occasionally rode in leggings but much prefer shorts or my jeans. Jeans are just more comfy and protective to me. It is rare you catch me NOT in jeans actually.


----------



## Gossalyn (Sep 12, 2013)

I always thought it was a discipline thing. Western vs. English.

I will say one day i forgot my half chaps and 100% get why i wear tall boots! but again, western doesn't usually have tall boots either.

One horse owner did not want me riding in a dressage saddle w/ jeans - concerned for the saddle. I don't know if her opinion had logic behind it (I've learned to respect everyone's opinion when it comes to their theories around the barn so long as it applies to their horse or stuff)


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

^^ I think some English saddles have a covering of soft leather. Jeans might be hard on those. My English saddles were Bates. No covered leather. No damage to the leather seat from my Wranglers.

I don't care if someone else wants to ride in breeches, sweat pants, leggings, jeans or shorts. For me...I own jeans. I have some dress pants. The jeans work better than the dress pants. Jeans plus cowboy boots works for me. Anyone else is welcome to use whatever works for them. Judging other riders by their tack, preferences in riding or clothes is obscene, IMHO. I figure the best judge of a rider is the rider's horse...


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I am a girl so take this with a grain of salt, but I always thought it was a functional thing that went along with your riding discipline. For instance, I don't know a single person that rides in breeches. Man, woman or child. BUT, I don't ride with anyone who rides english either. We all ride western saddles.

If I did ride with english riders, I don't think I would find a guy riding in breeches that odd. I wouldn't find him odd in jeans either.

Here's why a lot of us western riders wear jeans......the terrain! I am always going through thick brush and trees and a couple of weeks ago I was riding in a fairly heavy pair of jeans that I thought would NEVER rip and they caught on a tree and ripped bad enough that I had to throw them away. If I rode in anything less, I would be throwing pants away left and right!

I do like the jeans with just a touch of spandex in them, I hate jeans with no stretch at all. But the trade-off is that the spandex jeans, even the heavier ones, can rip if you catch them on a tree just right.

Now back when I lived in the desert and we didn't have much in the way of trees, I rode in stretchy stirrup pants. Remember when those were in style? They were GREAT for desert trail rides. But up here in the mountains they wouldn't last one ride.

So that's why I figured western riders (male or female) tend to wear jeans.

Now I do see photos of endurance riders in breech-like pants. I don't know how they keep them in one piece. They don't do a lot of bush-whacking I guess. :think:


----------



## apw1970 (Jun 8, 2010)

Ahhh.... here's a new facet of this question... do they make jeans with stretchy stuff in them for guys? trailhorserider makes a very very good point. I don't trail ride much at all, and I never thought of the breeches getting ripped aspect. 

Do they make "riding jeans" for guys? I've gotten used to the tightness of breeches. OK, maybe I need to get over my hangup over jeans....


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

For about $17, you can buy a pair of Wrangler jeans at Wal-Mart. I'm 5' 8", weigh 155, like jogging as much as riding horses, and my Wranglers...well, they are not skin tight, but they sure aren't baggy either. The cloth isn't super thick. The inside seams are flat. They've always worked fine for me riding two-point.

And if they don't work out, wash them and donate them to the Salvation Army. $17 to try...


----------



## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

apw1970 said:


> Ahhh.... here's a new facet of this question... do they make jeans with stretchy stuff in them for guys? trailhorserider makes a very very good point. I don't trail ride much at all, and I never thought of the breeches getting ripped aspect.
> 
> Do they make "riding jeans" for guys? I've gotten used to the tightness of breeches. OK, maybe I need to get over my hangup over jeans....


There are jeans for the fellows with a bit of stretch to them. Not sure where they are found but I know some guys who where them. One guy and I compared our skinny jeans and both had stretch.


----------



## Bombproof (May 20, 2015)

Blackhole6670 said:


> I am asking this because we I see girls ride, they normally have breeches on. However, when I see guys ride they wear jeans more than breeches. Why is that? Is there a specific reason for why guys prefer jeans over breeches?


According to my son (who rides English and wears breeches), "To pull that off you have to have a Wrangler butt and kilt legs and not many guys can get away with it."


----------



## Bombproof (May 20, 2015)

Blackhole6670 said:


> I am asking this because we I see girls ride, they normally have breeches on. However, when I see guys ride they wear jeans more than breeches. Why is that? Is there a specific reason for why guys prefer jeans over breeches?


According to my son (who rides English and wears breeches), "To pull that off you have to have a Wrangler butt and kilt legs and not many guys can get away with it."


----------



## george the mule (Dec 7, 2014)

Hi All!

If I'm out for a short ride, Levis are fine, but on longer rides, my breeches are more comfortable. And for riding in the mountains, where the weather can go from 80F and sunny to 40F and pouring rain or snow in a matter of minutes, my Irideon Windpro breeches are The Bomb! They repel light to moderate precip, are warm even when wet, and they dry fast. Jeans get wet, stay wet, and are miserably cold.

And I bought mine in Ladys Large to get the full seat option.

All of my male riding companions sneer at the breeches. Until it rains . . .

"The men don't lnow, but the little girls understand." J. Morrison 

Steve


----------



## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

My husband wears breeches and jeans to ride. He's an English rider. It just depends on his mood.


----------



## bkylem (Sep 21, 2013)

I wear jeans, but I buy Drakes or Dillons by Bullhead. One is skinny and the other is super skinny. They fit great and work well with half-chaps because there is no fabric to bunch up. I can also wear them out with paddock boots.

Breeches . . . Why ?


----------



## TessaMay (Jul 26, 2013)

apw1970 said:


> Ahhh.... here's a new facet of this question... do they make jeans with stretchy stuff in them for guys?


Well, technically they are unisex: Trail Riding Jeans 

Pretty much as stretchy as thicker breeches, but they wear like jeans, not like the "jean" breeches you usually see. 

These are more like breeches, just the fabric is made to look like jeans. I haven't ever put my hands on them, so I'm not sure how they compare to the trail riding jeans: Goode RiderÂ® Jean Rider Breech | Dover Saddlery

Personally, I ride in breeches (both English and Western) these days because I think it's comfortable. My boyfriend rides in the Trail Rider jeans because he didn't want tight pants, but wanted something stretchy. He rides mostly English. Oh and he was getting pinched on his lower leg by the stirrup leathers and they trail riding jeans solved that since they have a microfiber full seat that runs all the way down the leg. 


I say wear whatever you are comfortable in and to hedoublehockeystick what anyone thinks so long as it's safe.


----------



## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

TMI with those breeches. lol


----------



## HorseCrazyNC (Jun 11, 2015)

I ride Western and always wear jeans...
that's only because I don't own breeches :3
I want to buy a pair just to try them out, for the same reason other people have said; I.E. the rain factor. Jeans VERY QUICKLY get wet, uncomfortable, and cold when its damp outside


----------



## LadyDay (Jun 13, 2015)

I am a female, English rider, and I prefer jeans to breeches. When I was a kid, my mother had to wrestle me into breeches, lol...and when I got taller than her, she gave up. I went running back to the loving arms of denim. 

As a personal preference I prefer looser fitting pants, riding tights make me feel claustrophobic. Plus I think jeans offer a bit better protection from bug bites; they put up a resistance against chill winter wind. I don't worry about ripping jeans or getting them dirty: easier to maintain, cheaper to replace.

I do acknowledge discipline preference: western typically favors denim, english breeches. I know I'm the only one at my dressage barn, who favors jeans.


----------



## Textan49 (Feb 13, 2015)

boots said:


> There are jeans for the fellows with a bit of stretch to them. Not sure where they are found but I know some guys who where them. One guy and I compared our skinny jeans and both had stretch.


 I am quite sure that Shepler's and most of the bigger mail order places carry them


----------



## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

Show me where I can buy a pair of riding breeches that fit my 36" inseam and I might give them a try.


----------



## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

^ Equejods, Riding Jodhpurs, Horse Riding Pants Custom Made


----------



## mslady254 (May 21, 2013)

I have both, but since I"ve put on some unwanted poundage, I ride in only jeans..I can still fit in them, but not any of my breeches. :evil:

Looks like that an a million other reasons would motivate me to diet, but ...no....stress eating at its best here. I should do it for Sonny!.

Fay


----------



## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

When I first started riding in a Western saddle, I rode in jeans because I had them and everyone else was wearing them. When I began riding in an English saddle, there were several reasons why I didn't begin riding in breeches.

One was expense. One was availability. One was that I didn't want to change at the barn and I didn't want to wear breeches around town where I might stand out as weird. 

When I did go to buy a pair of breeches before going to Portugal to take classical riding lessons, I ran into difficulty. Most stores didn't carry breeches for men. The first couple of stores I found that did only had boy's sizes. When I finally found a store that supposedly had some in my size, I ran into yet another problem.

The breeches with the right waist and inseam would not fit over my calves. The saleswoman finally brought out a pair of breeches that the store had special ordered for another customer. While these were still a bit loose around the waist, they fit decently otherwise. By this time my trip was nearing, and I would be leaving the country the next week. Thankfully, the store sold me this pair and ordered another for the original customer who was not scheduled to return to the store for a couple of weeks.

I wore the breeches while in Europe, but only a few times since I returned to the US. They still felt a bit loose in the waist and I didn't want to bother with the trouble and expense of getting them tailored since I don't show and can ride fine in jeans. Rather than wear these breeches out and have trouble finding another pair, I stuck them in the closet. If I every have a real reason to wear breeches, I'll have a pair available, though I might have them altered to fit better.

If breeches were more readily available for men that would fit me, would I wear them. Possibly. But why bother? I wear jeans almost exclusively except when I'm sleeping or when I go to church and wear dress slacks.


----------



## Textan49 (Feb 13, 2015)

When I took lessons as a kid I wore jeans but had one pair of breeches for showing. I never found breeches any more comfortable and when I had my own horses I was always doing barn work as well as riding so jeans were more practical. I can also ride comfortably in laced work boots as long as the soles are fairly smooth and don't need riding boots


----------

