A Good Pair Of Jeans Go A Long Way
Editor’s Note: Heels Down Mag asked riders to tell us about the piece of your riding outfit that makes you feel confident and why. Our editorial team selected three finalists’ essays, which are being published this month. One winner will receive a pair of ProChaps ATHLETIC full chaps (retail value $274.95 USD).
By Lily Elliott
Every rider loves to own those $300 riding tights that match their boots, helmet and shirt. All my friends had them while I was growing up too.
Now all the girls around me are wearing what I’ve been training in for 10 years. Everyone’s riding in jeans. Skinny legs with chaps, bootlegs with ropers or whatever jeans are in stock at target.
Once I got a job all I brought was jodhpurs, nice helmets and riding gear but once you start putting all that money into dream saddles, bridles and horses, jeans are the favorable option! Last year I decided a nice pair of jeans would be my next bank account crunching expense. I had the show gear but what about comfort?
My REAL ARIAT jeans are the best investment ever. I feel comfortable riding, I can wear them in public with ease (jodhpurs don’t quite make me feel comfortable in public! White or colored pants with weird stitching isn’t the usual trend). People ask me where I got my jeans from and compliment how nice they’re made. These jeans make me feel strong, individual and part of the wider horse community.
They don’t always go the best when I’m in the jump saddle or a dressage saddle either. But out on the roads, cleaning up poo and cleaning my tack, my jeans are always on. My jeans fit even after my knee reconstruction and I spent 9 months with a swollen knee. As a teenager that was hard to hide and I found it embarrassing, but my jeans made me strong, safe and comfortable.