No article of clothing anyone wears while horseback riding comes in closer or more widespread contact with the horse than riding breeches or jodhpurs. From the ankles or shins up through the legs and thighs to the seat, that one piece of clothing dramatically affects the riding experience for both the rider and the horse, contributing to the communication, and the comfort and ease, between them.
Horsemen recognized that fact at least as long ago as the mid-seventeenth century. That’s when riders in Europe first began to wear form-fitted pants that met or tucked under the top of long riding boots. Such breeches provided a wealth of advantages over ordinary trousers, and they still do today.
Advantages of Wearing Riding Breeches or Jodhpurs
Breeches and jodhpurs allow every nuanced movement of the leg to be felt by the steed. With less fabric to flap in the breeze at full gallop, they are also less likely to spook an edgy animal. And the close fit also leaves less room for uncomfortable and often painful chafing of the rider’s legs.
Early in their developments, enhancements began to tailor breeches to even better performance. Pads or leather patches in places subject to the most contact with or rubbing against tack—the knees, the inner thighs, and the seat—add to the rider’s comfort and control.
History of Breeches and Jodhpurs in France, the Old West, India, and England
Despite their suitability, breeches did not always reign supreme. Following the French Revolution, for example, they were deemed too aristocratic in style, and longer, looser trousers became the equestrian pant of choice.
In the late-19th-century era of the Old West, denim blue jeans won out. They withstood the harsh rigors of horsemanship amid landscapes of sagebrush and cactus.
At the same time, however, the rise of the British Empire led to a glorious new heyday for breeches. British cavalry troops in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan withstood the desert heat by donning a variation on local horsemen’s attire: khaki breeches that were form-fitted on the leg, cuffed at the ankle above short riding boots, and loose and billowy at the hip. Reinterpreted by London’s Saville Row tailors, these came to be evocatively known by the name of a Rajasthani city, Jodhpur.
Modern Riding Breeches and Jodhpurs
In the 20th century, the garment continued to evolve to suit the times. Breeches began to be developed specifically for the needs of particular equestrian events: with full leather seats for dressage, for example, or kneepads alone for jumping.
More riding breeches today are made and marketed to women than to men. That fact reflects most dramatically in the falling waistlines of many breeches now being sold, with traditional rises being joined by low-rise breeches that come to just below the navel and hip-huggers rising no higher than hip bone level.
And, while traditional, often de rigueur competition colors of beige or tan and navy still sell strongly, joining the mix in stores today are other conservative shades such as burgundy, slate gray, and hunter green; more casual hues from subtle pastels to bright primaries; and even vivid prints.
Also part of today’s casual mix are so-called schooling breeches and, more recently, the related riding tights. Such casual pull-on garments allow equestrians to practice in absolute comfort and style without the need to put on or wear out more formal and sometimes costlier riding attire.
High-Performance Riding Breeches and Jodhpurs
Modern textile chemistry and manufacturing has also led to the latest stage in the evolution of breeches: the appearance of high-performance fabrics.
Once, breeches were made only of wool, cotton, or more recently nylon. Today, however, manufacturers are able to offer them in a range of proprietary artificial fibers and natural-artificial fiber blends that combine simple cloth-to-skin comfort with durability, breathability, four-way stretch, and the ability to wick away moisture.
Artificial leather patches and pads, meanwhile, provide the necessary ruggedness and grip while being as washable and durable as the fabrics to which they are joined. At the same time, innovative garment construction techniques result in breeches capable of moving more fluidly with a rider while offering any size or shape of body multiple options for a more flattering fit.
Which proves, really, that nothing in the world of riding breeches has changed since at least the 1700s. Now, as then, breeches offer riders greater performance and comfort than any other garment can.
Norman Kolpas - I've been writing about lifestyle topics–including food, travel, art, design, books, theater, and movies–since the ...
