Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Saggy Pants

I had a great ride on my pony after the clinic on Sunday.  I worked really hard to stay soft and light.  I also continued working on making sure my position was correct and forward so that Tessa could stay correct and forward.

Then on Tuesday night I had my jump lesson.  The pony was hot and spooky and did some spin and bolts, which was not the best way to start.  So we ended up working mostly at one end of the arena.  We had some nice jumps and I focused on more forward without bucking or kicking out and not worrying about roundness.  Sheesh, that is HARD.  Coming from a dressage background it's hard to let go of that entirely.  It's good for my head to just ride.  Forward.  And jump.  Then ride.  Forward.  And jump.

We had one moment where we were using jumps in all four corners of the arena and doing a circle of jumps.  We did fine over the first two, but as we came down from the one that was pointing us toward the scary end of the arena, something spooked Tessa.  She spun around and flew sideways.  There was no way we could make the fourth jump, so I pulled her around and aimed for the next one.  I steadied her gallop into a canter and we jumped the next jump.  Then we simply continued around the course again until we had cleared all the fences.

Laura said it was perfect because we didn't even acknowledge the spook, we just kept working.  I really hope that as we get out in the world and we do more things like this, that the spook settles down a bit.  Yes, I know she's an Arab.  But I've ridden plenty of non spooky Arabs in my life so I know it's not just that.  She just needs more outings and more experiences and more miles....hopefully.

At the end of the lesson, Laura called me over and said "I know the other reason why you're getting saddle sores.  Stand up in your stirrups."

I stood up in my stirrups and looked down.  My breeches sagged and I hitched them up.

"Yep.  Right there.  Your breeches don't fit right."

Sigh.  The breeches that I own three identical pairs of.  It's not that they are too big all over, it's that they don't fit right in the waist/crotch.  Laura pointed out to me that in tailor terms, you have to look at not only if you have a long or short waist, or long or short legs, but how long the distance is from pelvis to belly button.  I'm sure there's a technical term for it, but I don't know what it is.

So I have a short waist from hip to rib cage.  Super short.  Like three fingers.  But the distance from my belly button to the bottom of my pelvis (I think that's the correct term?  Basically the bottom of your crotch.) is more than 15 fingers!  And then my upper thigh is long, so regular breeches hit me about mid calf.  Laura recommended I try on Cavallo (sp?) breeches.  I'm resigning myself to the fact that my reasonably priced breeches aren't fitting right and are rubbing me raw.  And now I get to shop for breeches, something I'm not fond of doing and not fond of spending money on.

What's your favorite breech?  Any recommendations?  Any breeches I should stay far, far away from?

6 comments:

  1. I am not too particular about breeches (I also have that problem of many breeches being more of a Capri length) but it sounds like you should figure out which rise works best (hipster, high rise, or somewhere in the middle). Good thing is a lot of breeches come in different fits so hopefully you won't have to go for the fancy pants (literally) dressage breeches that are like $70-100 more than other breeches. Never understood the price difference...aside from the fact that maybe people think they are magical and will teach you to ride because of the price.

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  2. I only wear breeches when I show (which isn't often)! Otherwise, I ride in snug sweat pants, stretchy pants, or occasionally a well-fitting pair of jeans.

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  3. I always wear breeches and I used to ride in a lot of Ariats, but now I'm riding in a lot of Tailored Sportsmen (ebay is your friend when it comes to high end breeches).

    Nike Dri Fit running Capris though at TJMaxx are awesome to ride in though, seriously.

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  4. I love Tuffrider low-rise breeches - resonably priced and comfortable. I never ride in anything besides breeches.

    Sounds like the jumping is going really well!

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  5. I ride in Tailored Sportsmans, but I don't know if they will help the problem you're talking about. Guess it's time to try on a ton of breeches :)

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  6. Man, it sounds like we have really similar body types. My torso is non-existant, but I have a 37" in inseam. Jeans shopping is absurdly difficult. Anyway, my hands down favorite breech is the Pikeur Candela which is oddly high waisted but works really well for me (http://www.doversaddlery.com/pikeur-candela-full-seat/p/X1-35781/). They are really spendy and I got them as a gift but I treasure them. I even bought other pikeurs hoping to replicate them but alas... not the same.

    Otherwise I've had good luck with ROMF fitting similarly and wear their denim full seat as a close second to the Candelas... they are (slightly) more affordable and something I can stomach purchasing... especially on sale!

    (http://www.doversaddlery.com/romfh%C2%AE-international-denim-full-seat-breeches/p/X1-35667/)

    Good luck!

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