Not-So-Speedy Dressage
From Endurance to Dressage
In late April, I reviewed the Horze Juliet Full Seat Tights. I've been wearing them exclusively for the past two months and thought they deserved another review. I have all three colors, but the gray is my favorite. Not that color has anything to do with performance. I bought these strictly for hot weather riding and wasn't at all concerned about making a fashion statement. Which is a good thing because these tights have no bells and whistles. They're pretty utilitarian and not likely to garner any "Hey! Those are cute breeches!" types of comments. What I like most about them is how cool they are to wear. I almost don't even sweat in them. There's no shame in admitting that I have sweaty butt issues when I wear most of my other full seat breeches. Not with these bad boys. I still follow my beat the heat protocol - Body Glide is my best friend during the summer, but I have not had a single heat rash this summer. I was initially worried about the silicone seat, but it provides just enough texture to keep me from sliding around without glueing my butt in place. I mentioned before that the fabric is like what you'd get in a pair of yoga pants, and that is still true. What I didn't expect was that the fabric is holding up really well. I am wearing each pair twice a week before washing them, and they look the same as the day I bought them. These tights are so comfortable that I don't strip out of them as I am walking in the door. My other full seat breeches - all of which I love when it's not 110, keep me wet and sticky until I shoehorn myself out of them. I am finding that I when I get home, I don't even feel the need to pull these off. Many evenings my husband comes home and asks why I still have my riding clothes on. There are only two things that I don't like about the breeches, and they're both things I can live with. 1) They don't have a pocket. I already bemoaned this feature and have just learned to deal. 2) The fabric is so soft that hay sticks to them. I have a hay bag hanging where I tack up my horses, and I am constantly bumping into it. Hay sticks to these breeches like magnets. Again, it's not a deal breaker, but I do find myself constantly brushing off hay stems and other dirt.
Besides being cool and comfortable, they're also super affordable. If you buy two at a time and combine that with a 20% discount coupon, they're more than reasonably priced. The Horze website shows them in a gray/blue color, so maybe Riding Warehouse will add that color to the lineup for next summer. Because really, I need 7 pairs - one for each day of the week!
lytha
7/20/2018 07:28:53 am
Great timing! My horse magazine came yesterday with an article about "The newest trend in reithose" - Reit Leggings. (Tights for horsey riding.) They tried out several brands and did review for each (including the one that magnetizes hay). I don't think their test was fair because truly, tights are totally new here and the manufacturers have no experience yet, whereas Kerrits and Irideon have been doing this for 20 years. Waldhausen was the only brand I recognized. They should have included American brands. 7/25/2018 02:27:36 pm
Really interesting, Lytha! I am very picky about my riding gear. Like you said, it has to be comfortable first. It's interesting that there are no knee patches there. That seems to be what most non-dressage riders wear here. Do the jumpers in Germany ride in full seats then? Very interesting! Comments are closed.
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About the Writer and RiderI am a lifelong rider.
I began endurance riding in 1996 where I ultimately completed five, one-day 100 mile races, the 200-mile Death Valley Encounter, and numerous other 50, 65, and 75 mile races. I began showing dressage in 2010. Welcome to my dressage journey. About Speedy GSpeedy went from endurance horse to dressage horse. After helping me earn a USDF Bronze medal in the summer of 2020, he is now semi-retired. Speedy is a 2004, 15'1 hand, purebred Arabian gelding. His Arabian Horse Registry name is G Ima Starr FA.
About IzzyIzzy was started as a four-year old and then spent the next 18 months in pasture growing up. I bought him as a six-year old, and together, we are showing at the lower levels. He is a 2008, 16'3 hand warmblood gelding. His Rheinland Pfalz-saar International (RPSI) name is Imperioso.
National Rider AwardsState Rider Awards
State Horse Awards
Working Towards:
CDS Sapphire Rider Award Third Level: 63.514% Third Level: 62.105% Fourth Level: Fourth Level: 2023 Show Season
Show Rating (***) CDS/USDF/USEF (*) CDS (s) Schooling (c) Clinic (r) Ride-a-Test Clinic 2023 Show Schedule
TBD 2023 Completed … Pending 2023 Qualifying Scores
Regional Adult Amateur Competition (RAAC) Qualifying Training Level 3 Scores/2 Judges/60%: Score 1: Score 2: Score 3: Archives
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