I’ve accumulated a decent amount of riding clothes over the years. Some of them are things I’ve loved and worn until they were basically held together by hope, while others looked great online, arrived at my house, and have since spent most of their lives sitting in a drawer. I think everyone who spends enough time around horses eventually develops a collection like that, because finding riding clothes that actually fit well, hold up, and don’t make you miserable while wearing them is somehow harder than it should be. Sometimes, even the brands you love make changes that mean they just aren’t for you anymore.
Lately, though, I’ve found myself repeatedly reaching for two brands in particular: Halter Ego and Euphoric Equestrian. Neither of these is some sort of revolutionary discovery, and I’m certainly not claiming to be the first person to figure out that these two companies make nice riding clothes. I’ve just accumulated enough pieces from both brands at this point that it felt worth talking about why they keep ending up in my regular rotation.
Let’s start with the breeches, because apparently returning to the sandbox meant I needed to rediscover full seats on a day-to-day basis.
When I originally left dressage and moved into the jumper world, my breech collection slowly became almost entirely knee patches. Full seats weren’t banned or anything, but they definitely weren’t the default, and I eventually stopped buying them. I kept a couple pairs around and would occasionally wear them at home, but if I was buying new breeches, I was buying knee patches without really giving it much thought. Then I got Brav, found myself properly back in dressage, and realized that my full-seat collection was looking a little pathetic.
While I was in Washington, the lovely ladies at the barn were both wearing Halter Ego breeches. They swore up and down that they were the best breeches they’d ever worn, but I had never tried them myself. Fortunately, when I was in Wellington and stopped into Dover Saddlery before it went out of business (RIP?), I found a pretty decent selection sitting on one of the tables.
Immediately, I found myself with a problem for my bank account: they fit really, really well. I have a teeny butt and long, skinny legs, which makes breech shopping more annoying than I would like it to be. A lot of breeches fit fine, but fine isn’t really enough when you’re spending that amount of money and wearing them for hours every week. I’ve had pairs that bunch behind my knees badly enough to cause blisters, pairs that are up my lady bits before I even sit down for breakfast, pairs that somehow fit perfectly everywhere except the butt, and a few that seem determined to slowly destickify no matter how religiously I avoid putting them in the dryer. The Halter Ego breeches just… worked.
I’m not saying that to be dramatic. They fit my legs correctly, they fit my butt correctly, and I don’t spend my rides tugging, adjusting, or wondering why there is suddenly extra fabric somewhere there wasn’t any when I left the house. Once I found something that worked that well, buying multiple pairs felt less like a shopping spree and more like responsible planning. At least, that’s what I told myself.
The other thing I really like about them is that they wash well. This might be a boring quality to include in a breech review, but I feel strongly about it because I actually wear my riding clothes. They get covered in horse hair, footing, both human and horse sweat, and whatever mystery substance has somehow appeared on my thigh that day, and then, more often than not, they sit in my laundry hamper for a week before I get around to washing them. I throw them in, let the washing machine do its thing, and pull them back out good as new. The Halter Egos have held up really well to my constant abuse, which is a big reason they’ve stayed in such regular rotation.
I also love the color selection. I have plenty of black, navy, and neutral breeches because I wouldn’t have survived in jumper land if I didn’t, but I do like to wear fun colors too. Nothing extreme, but fun nonetheless. Being able to have my pick of colors without feeling like my eyeballs, or anyone else’s, were being assaulted was wonderful. They even have some with very tasteful sparkle piping or pocket details, which is just enough sparkle for me without crossing into there’s a disco ball attached to my butt territory.
So, yes, I went from barely wearing full seats for years to owning five new pairs. That’s probably enough information to tell you where I stand on the Halter Ego situation. Still waiting to get my hands on some whites because money doesn’t grow on trees, but they are at the top of my To Buy list.
The other brand that has worked its way into my closet recently is Euphoric Equestrian. I first came across Euphoric after seeing one of Alexa’s posts on Instagram about popping up at WEF in 2024, thought the clothes were cute, and immediately did what any reasonable person with an internet connection does: added to cart.
I was especially interested in the Kloud more recently because I had run into a very specific problem after starting to show dressage again. I needed a cuff underneath my show coat, which meant wearing a long-sleeved shirt, but I also live in Kentucky and have no desire to spend an August horse show slowly overheating for the sake of looking correctly dressed or having a “proper height collar.” IYKYK.
There are plenty of perfectly nice long-sleeved show shirts out there. I am not trying to suggest that Alexa invented the concept of sleeves or that everyone else has somehow been doing it wrong. I just really liked the fact that the Kloud has perforation throughout the shirt, giving it much more breathability while keeping the chest and shoulders solid and polished. I can get the cuffs I need, avoid wearing a stock tie like the plague, and still look like I actually intended to show up at a dressage competition. That combination is what sold me.
I can wear it underneath my show coat, have the cuffs I need, and not feel like I’m wearing a full winter base layer underneath another layer of clothing. Considering that I’m generally doing everything except sitting peacefully in air conditioning during a horse show, I’ll take all the airflow I can get. I even wear it as a day-to-day riding shirt, especially because the Kentucky humidity has been absolutely no joke this year between all the rain and extreme heat.
The Kloud gives me that option because it doesn’t scream show shirt when I’m wearing it normally. It just looks polished, which means I can wear it for a regular ride without feeling like I’m dressed for an occasion that does not exist. It’s nice to have a piece of riding clothing that can do more than one job, mostly because my closet does not have any more room.
The Otto has been another one of those pieces for me as well. It’s a little more polished than the Lululemon Swiftlys I would normally throw on to go ride, but it’s still breathable and comfortable enough that I actually want to wear it while doing barn chores. I can then keep it on if I need to run somewhere afterward without feeling like I look completely disheveled. That might sound like a low bar, but anyone who has ever left the barn wearing breeches covered in horse hair and questioned whether they could reasonably enter a grocery store understands what I’m talking about. I even had my logo embroidered onto the chest and it was the perfect blank canvas.
Alexa also consistently has something new going on, whether she’s coming out with a new design or product, collaborating with other equestrian small businesses, or putting together a fun event at a horse show. It’s honestly hard to have any self-restraint when she keeps coming out with things I like and finding ways to make the brand feel like more than just another equestrian clothing company.
I think that’s ultimately why I’ve ended up liking Euphoric as much as I do. The clothes are cute, obviously, or I wouldn’t have clicked on Alexa’s Instagram post in the first place, but they also work for what I actually do in them. They’re breathable, comfortable, and polished without being the kind of clothes that feel like they need to be protected from normal barn life. On top of that, they wash incredibly well, don’t fade, and the perforated sections have held their shape without stretching out.
There’s also the fact that both companies are woman-owned, which is something I’m always happy to support. Having my own small business has made me appreciate the work that goes into building a brand even more, especially when you’re watching from the outside and seeing something that started as an idea turn into an actual company with people excited to buy what you’re making. When I find something I genuinely like and it happens to come from another woman-owned business, that’s an easy one for me.
I didn’t set out to write a formal review, rank every product, or tell you that one breech or riding shirt is going to magically work for everyone. Bodies are different, riding preferences are different, and what I love might not be the thing someone else reaches for every morning. These are just two brands that have worked really well for me and have earned a permanent spot in my increasingly crowded riding wardrobe.
Both have also passed the more important test of making me want to wear them again after the initial excitement of buying something new wears off. And honestly, that’s about as good of a review as I can give something. If I keep reaching for it, keep buying more of it, and get mildly annoyed when it’s all sitting in the laundry hamper, it’s probably a good sign.
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