Product Review: EQUO Schooling Pant

Blending equestrian style with street style.

I know I am not the only one who walks into the grocery store in my breeches and immediately notices all the odd looks I am getting. Let’s face it: it is easy to be stylish in the equestrian world but it’s not always easy for that style to transition into normal day to day life. Enter EQUO, a fantastic clothing line designed with life in mind. I met up with owner/founder Anna Dulin and after chatting with her about her riding leggings, I knew I had to give them a try.

Fit and Feel

Let’s face it, I live in leggings. When I am not in my work uniform or my riding attire, it’s baggy t-shirt and leggings time because I am basic and always in a hurry. I have no time for style in between my massive amount of commuting hours and the demands of my many jobs. Many riding tights try to hit the mark, but don’t always deliver in terms of feeling like a true legging.

Enjoying watching my baby brother play tennis in the comfort of my riding clothes. Two big bonuses in my mind with the EQUO schooling pant. 1. They transition from normal life to barn life well. 2. I don’t get as many weird looks as I do in my full on preppy riding gear. Photo by Meagan DeLisle

First things first, go down a size in these bad boys. I am normally a 28-30 in regular breeches (so about a medium) and on Anna’s recommendation I ordered a small pair in a classic navy color. The fit was spot on. My first time wearing these leggings I kept in mind Anna’s description of the pant: “designed for life first, riding second.” So, I popped into them and spent several hours around the house working on chores and then made my way to the grocery store.

Aside from the silicone knee patches, the schooling pant by EQUO looks like a normal pair of athleisure leggings. I love this because with my hectic lifestyle, it is not unusual for me to run errands in my riding clothes. It is not that I am ashamed of being an equestrian, because we all know that is so untrue, but it is strange getting all the odd looks down the cereal aisle as folks try to find out why I am dressed a little odd. These riding pants help blend the lines between riding style and real life style a bit, so much so that I would most definitely feel confident wearing these into Barnes and Noble to grab a Starbucks.

Comfortable and functional, these riding leggings are perfect for a casual day at the barn paired with my “It’s Always Wine O’clock” tee. Because lets face it, that is soooooo true. Photo by Meagan DeLisle

My favorite thing about these schooling pants are the high waistband. The feature a fold-over waistband (similar to the Pink by Victoria’s Secret yoga pants) that is really figure flattering and comfortable. Riding leggings like these typically lack belt loops as they are more casual and if the waist isn’t just right they start to sag or are constantly falling down while you are riding (not a good experience, trust me). But the waistband on these leggings is so comfortable and definitely helps keep everything where it is supposed to be at all times.

Return on Investment

At $199.99, this schooling pant may seem a bit pricey but when I compare them to similar products I definitely feel like the quality of the pant you are getting is worth the investment. The fabrics have been carefully chosen to maximize breathability and wick away sweat as you ride. I opted for the navy pair and I have ridden in the dark color in high 90’s paired with the unforgiving Missouri humidity and I was comfortable and cool through the entire ride.

The EQUO schooling pant is a super comfortable addition to any ROOTD. Photo by Ainsleigh Glenn

The construction not only is super forgiving with its shape-forming fabric, but it also holds up in the wash. When I try ANY product with silicone knee patches, I don’t declare my love for them until I have tossed them in the wash multiple times. The great thing about the EQUO schooling pant is that they are washer and dryer friendly and there was no harm done to the silicone patches.

Finally, riding in these is beyond comfortable. When I first got them, I was afraid the fabric of the body of the pant was going to be too slick for my liking in the saddle, so I just wore them on a nice hack. After going walk, trot, and canter and finding that my seat wasn’t compromised by slippy fabric, I wore them again to an over-fences lesson and found that the super grippy knee grips helped to keep my leg in place and that I wasn’t sliding around like I had feared.

All Smiles

All in all, I definitely feel like I need a pair of these in each color. I could live in these through the summer and really appreciate the attention to detail when designing a pair of riding leggings that were not only comfortable but purposeful. It is so easy to toss them in the wash at the end of the day and not have to worry about my husband forgetting to hang dry them. They are truly figure flattering and will bring you comfort during your rides thanks to the well-thought-out waist band and grippy silicone knee patches that hold up to normal wear. While the price might be a bit higher than the average schooling legging, you are totally getting bang for your buck in this investment. At the end of the day, I definitely give the EQUO Schooling Pant a 5 out of 5 stars in my book.

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