horseback riding in a kilt?

[Squeaky McMurdo]

Heels down, Jamie! Heels down!

OK, since we're posting pics, here's the one I've posted before. I don't know how Ron manages to tuck his pleats before sitting, but when you mount bareback (as I am here), you get what you get. And there's no standing in the stirrups to adjust pleats. So mine end up behind me, with me riding... uh... 'close contact'.

It may not be comfortable but it sure looks sexy!

I myself have retrieved my brother-in-law's horse many many times in my nightgown and I've got to say I think bare back is much comfier when you don't have pants handy.

[creagdhubh]

Cool photos! You chaps should try a pair of close-fitting, tartan trews whilst riding!

Cheers,

[Duke of Delrio]

I have ridden horses for sixty years and have worn kilts for nearly as long. My experience with kilts and horses teaches me this. Yes, you can ride horses while kilted. You can sit down on an ant hill while kilted too. One is just as comfortable as the other, and both will be memorable.

[Mike_Oettle]

Perhaps our friend Flying Monkey is thinking of Mel Gibson in Braveheart.
This is yet another area where Gibson and his crew got it all wrong!
I suspect he wore the kilt on horseback (as opposed to trews) to prove that William Wallace was a common man, and this is of a piece with his conceit that Wallace accepted a knighthood because the nobles pressured him to.
Fact is, Wallace’s grandfathers were both knights, his father was a knight, and his son-in-law was a knight. Through his daughter descended a line of knights continuing well into the modern era.
And a Highland knight, like any other military officer of his time, rode a horse and wore trews.
So don’t feel you are letting the tradition down if you don’t ride kilted – in fact, if you wear the kilt, that will go against tradition.
Regards,
Mike

[creagdhubh]

Perhaps our friend Flying Monkey is thinking of Mel Gibson in Braveheart.
This is yet another area where Gibson and his crew got it all wrong!
I suspect he wore the kilt on horseback (as opposed to trews) to prove that William Wallace was a common man, and this is of a piece with his conceit that Wallace accepted a knighthood because the nobles pressured him to.
Fact is, Wallace’s grandfathers were both knights, his father was a knight, and his son-in-law was a knight. Through his daughter descended a line of knights continuing well into the modern era.
And a Highland knight, like any other military officer of his time, rode a horse and wore trews.
So don’t feel you are letting the tradition down if you don’t ride kilted – in fact, if you wear the kilt, that will go against tradition.
Regards,
Mike

***

[Joshua]

Not sure if trews made it to fashion in the 1200's yet. Belted tunics and simple leggings were the dress for common and noble alike throughout Europe, was it not?

[Zardoz]

Well, as much as I endorse wearing the kilt all the time, I guess even I draw the line at straddling horses or motorcycles. Having spent many hours on horseback, I know it would be uncomfortable after a while, and I figure if nothing else it's hard on the kilt.

Here's me and the former Mrs Zardoz in Mexico on our cruise vacation, the half day we went riding was the only time I wore pants the whole week.

[Chas]

There is one more thought.

When the word kilt is spoken here we all automatically think WOOL. But there are two other common fabrics for kilts - PV and acrylic. Unlike wool, both PV and acrylic can be hosed down or thrown in a washing machine and then worn a couple of hours later.

Still not good for horse riding, but I suspect that you will not be riding all day every day of the holiday. If you are likely to get dusty, or sweaty, or dirty, or muddy, then acrylic or PV are worth a thought. Far, far cheaper than wool and if it gets ruined you have lost very little.

Very good question.

Regards

Chas

[rondo]

I'll throw in my 2 cents as well: as an avid horseman for 30+ years and a kilty for a few less, just say no to kilted riding. In fact I do not wear jeans when riding. I have found that sweats with as few seams as possible are the best riding pants. The double folded seems on most jeans can cause welts and raw spots on tender portions of your anatomy. Sweats are cheap, easy to clean or discard, cause little chaffing or welts.
Rondo

[Deirachel]

If I remember correctly, he's a Percheron named Tristan, owned by a friend of Tobus's. I remember commenting about that photo as one of my first posts here on Xmarks. I have a love for Perches, so it's one of those facts that stick in my head.

Honestly, I have a personal theory (no research so far) that pants were invented just because of horse riding. Look at the horse cultures of history and we see a prevalence of pants (Native American Plains buckskins, European leggings, Mongol pants...), but if you look at the areas where riding horses was more limited we see kilts and robes (Scotland, Rome, Greece, Saharan Africa, Polynesia....).

So, I agree with the majority. Pants when riding. If you want the jean look, but the comfort of breeches, you might want to look into some riding jeans like are sold here. If it's a dude ranch-type thing with the "cattle drive" thing, pack a PV or Acrylic kilt into the saddle-bags for camp.