That’s a fairly bold little statement.
Let me clarify by adding in numbers, at equestrian events. Still too bold?
Let me clarify even further by adding excepting perhaps rodeo and cattle events.
As horse owners, women outnumber men 5 to 1 in Australia. Actually, according to research it’s a little more than that. Women represent 83% (Smyth and Dagley, 2015 ). Let’s make a presumption a good portion of those horse owners ride their horses.
Probably neither you nor I needed a research paper to tell us what a visit to any local equestrian event or horse riding clinic on any given weekend would – regardless of whether it be anything from Classical Dressage through to Natural Horsemanship. You may even notice that the majority of those women are … women of age (?), lets’s say, women over 40.
If we can agree that most of these horsewomen are non-competitive riders and are ‘of age’, the question is, ‘what are they looking for in equestrian wear?’ Probably not jodhpurs, however they probably find themselves in jodhpurs of some description, or jeans because of the lack of an alternative.
I’ll go one step further and say, she’s not looking for ‘fashion’ either.
I’d suggest that she already knows exactly who she is (and who she isn’t), and that includes knowing her own style. She’s done with fashion, and let’s face it, most equestrian wear is designed with women somewhat younger in mind. Flick through any magazine and you’ll see it for yourself.
I know from research (and my own experience) that first and foremost she’s looking for functional riding pants, without compromising on style or comfort. Riding pants that are flattering and can be worn to her own personal style. And she wants quality.
By now, she’s done keeping up with trends and her focus is on her horsemanship and riding.
She also wants practicality. She wants to dress for the day and be dressed for the day, not have to change into jodphurs to ride and change out of them to go to the shops or meet her friends for coffee.
Am I speaking your language? Could this be you?
I have an alternative for you. Not jeans, not jodhpurs, but purpose-built riding pants, with all the features of a quality jodhpur, all the style of a fine pair of jeans and all the comfort of riding tights.
What’s the best horse riding pants for women over 40?
It’s a bootleg jodhpur and here’s my advice on styling them.
Wear them in a solid colour. No patterns, no stripes, just solid colour or tonal. Not too wide in the leg – they’re riding pants afterall. Not too narrow either – otherwise you may as well wear a jodhpur. Just wide enough to create a flattering line. Narrow enough to avoid bulk at the lower leg. It’s a goldilocks thing – you need them just right.
Wear them as a fashion basic and consider them the equestrian equivalent of your little black dress.
You’ll find the perfect pair at Ride Proud – Bootlegs for Equestrians. The website is dedicated to offering this flattering alternative and we pride ourselves on offering personal service including 1:1 telephone consultations. I’m here to help you find the best fit and style suited to you.
And what to team them with?
Any damn thing you like in my opinion. It’s your horse, your ride and your style.
You’ll find some equally thought out riding shirts on the website. Again, they’re plain colours and loaded with features. We’ve got great riding shirts, but really, we’re all about the pants.
PS: This is, of course, my opinion only. (It's only one I can truly share with you). If you're a woman over 40 and don't fit the woman I've described, All the Power to You. If you're comfortable in joddies and you're rockin' them, I'm cheering for you.
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BEAUTIFUL PANT - THEY MEET ALL MY EXPECTATIONS. MY ONLY ISSUE IS WITH THE LEG LENGTH (too long) BUT THATS AN EASY FIX. WELL WORTH THE PRICE TAG!!
The fabric is soft, stretchy and supportive. I find them a little long (I seem to be on the ground walking around more than on the horse 😳) but once I adjust the hem I live in them.
I’ve now done a solid 100km in the new Horizons and can tell you that they’re the most comfortable riding pants I’ve ever worn! Super stretchy, high waisted and light weight. They just move with you, even if you’re an idiot and have decided that not holding the reins is a viable way of getting your horse to go forward!
I’ve worn them for every ride since they arrived (and I loved the old horizons, so that tells me how good they are!). I already have a drawer full of RideProud pants but these ones never make it back to the drawer - they're out of the wash and back!
As soon as I pulled them on they were different. Worth the wait to get here from Australia.
My New Horizons riding pants arrived today and I'm in love already! The fit is terrific and they are suedey soft and comfy on the inside. No scratchy seams or squashy fit around my mum tum - what a win to be able to breathe and digest while dressed to ride! Thanks ladies, you're onto a winner here!
Bought a pair of gen 2 trail pants and love them. I’ve now ordered a pair of Horizion to try 👏.
I am so happy to review with 5 stars. I have ridden in the Trail Gen2 pants for a week now and they are just marvellous. Generous sizing and so comfortable. I am not a fan of breeches. They are designed for riders like my daughter 5'11 and size 10, not for me a 5'6 and size 14. I rode in them, shopped in them and even put my phone in the leg pocket! I couldn't feel the phone sitting there and it is not really noticeable. Length is perfect when you are mounted, if you think it is a bit long unmounted just roll the cuff. Definitely a fan.
Very comfortable and well fitting.
I received my ride proud equestrian pants as I won our driving club raffle. I wish to thank Ride Proud for the support to our club.
My pants fit like a glove, look great and have lots of compliments when worn .. not only at equestrian activities. They are really comfortable and I love the large deep pockets and the smaller pockets - just right for class entry tickets.
Thank you for producing such a great product.
Just perfect fitting pants with great stretch for riding. The leg pocket is fabulous for the phone. These came straight out the package and went for a ride.
These are THE BEST riding pants EVER!!! Perfect fit super comfortable with just the right amount of stick in the saddle. Just about to order another pair. Pockets are in a fantastic position and with lots of room for everything you need. Well done ride proud well done 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
RP have done it again. The New Horizons are SO comfortable. Love the darker denim, stretch and length is perfect for me. Quality is exceptional as you would expect from RP Clothing! Love love love and look forward to many adventures in these pants.
Have been away, so tried on my new Horizon Horse Riding Jeans as soon as I got home and fell in love with the fabric straight away, so comfortable and light, my only issue is that I have to take them up as I only have short legs, sorry no photos 🤦🏻.
I love my riding jeans, they are a great fit and very comfortable both in the saddle and out. Love the side pockets, at last somewhere handy to put my phone and carrots !
100% wonderfully amazing! Flattering and a comfortable fit. Soft and flexible yet super structured. They even have good sized pockets! I’m grabbing a few more pairs. Definitely worth it .