Tights vs Jodhpurs

Hi there! My name is Catherine and I am a 19 year old rider from Brisbane, and proudly a member of the EC team. I own two beautiful mares: Bell, a strong-willed but forever-reliable boss girl who I’ve owned for 5 years and owe everything to, and Sunny, a quiet and loving 8 year old palomino WB mare who has only just joined the team. 

Before I discovered EC, I was your usual jodhpurs and breeches girl. Sure, they did the job and held up after a hard day’s work, but I didn’t know what I was missing out on until I tried on my first pair of EC tights. Immediately, I felt the freedom and flexibility the tights provided, and realised just how restrictive and bulky jodhpurs and breeches are! I can never go back… 

I competed in a pair of regular white breeches the other day and immediately missed my EC tights for two reasons. One, the rigidity and the bulk. Oh, the bulk!! I don’t know how I used to ride in these. I think I spent a good 10 minutes of my warm-up just learning how to ride again, with what felt like a yoga mat wrapped around me. And second – how impossible it was to get the dirt, saddle, and slobber stains out of them! I think I hand-scrubbed and soaked them, then ran them through the machine twice, and there were still faint marks. My trustworthy white EC tights, on the other hand, have only ever required a single, normal-cycle cold-water wash with regular detergent, and they have come up new every time. (And for those wondering – no, they are not see-through at all! I was soaked head to toe at a competition a few months ago, and my white EC tights stayed perfectly white and bright and were not see-through even a little bit!!)

I simply cannot recommend the EC tights enough. Not only are they the comfiest, most versatile riding pants (or any pants, for that matter) I have ever owned, they also last forever (my tights all still look brand new), come in all the colours to suit your mood and outfit, and are the easiest to clean!! For all of you out there who think jodhpurs or breeches are as good as it gets – like I did – you must give the EC tights a go. They will blow your mind!

Now you might ask – there are plenty of tights on the market, why EC? As someone who has tried her fair share of riding tights, and without naming any brands, let me say this. Most tights out there (even the more notable brands) share one or more of these faults: their waistbands slide down as you ride, they are either way too slippery or way too restrictive, their ‘grip’ falls off after the first few rides and washes, they don’t have any pockets for your phone, or they have one that barely fits your phone, but there’s no way they can carry your phone, your car keys, and a couple of treats. The EC tights don’t share any of these problems. The wide, high waistband does not budge, there is just the right amount of grip that helps keep you in the saddle but in no way interferes with your freedom of movement, the grip never ever comes off, and there are 2 generous thigh pockets. I usually have my phone in my right pocket, and carrots and keys in my left! 

If you’re thinking about buying your first pair of EC tights (or your sixth pair) and are unsure about fit, feel, colour choice, or anything else – message me @bellandcatherine on Instagram and I would love to help out!