We’ve been getting a lot of questions about riding socks so we reached out to our good friends over at Mountain Horse® for some helpful information! Let us know what you think!
Fact: All equestrians wear boots. It doesn’t matter in which discipline you ride or the type of boots you ride in, we all wear boots — cowboy boots, paddock boots, tall boots, work boots, muck boots, groom boots. And since you wear boots, you’ve got to wear socks. When it comes to the comfort of your feet, socks are almost as important as the boots you wear. Many times, we blame a shoe or boot for “not working right” when, in fact, it’s probably the sock you’re wearing.
Why are socks so important? Human feet are densely covered with sweat glands, 250,000 sweat glands per foot, to be exact. When feet sweat, your socks get wet. When socks get wet, your feet can become cold and are prone to rubs. The friction from rubs causes blisters.
Did you know that, under working conditions, your feet can sweat up to one pint of fluid or more per day? That can really lead to unhealthy conditions and that’s why wicking technology in riding socks is so important, as are temperature regulation, and cushioning.
The first rule when buying riding socks is to avoid socks made of 100% cotton. Cotton absorbs moisture. Look for socks with a blend of natural and synthetic materials. Synthetics are great for wicking moisture away from the skin and the natural materials work great as insulators and have a nice feel.
Wear socks for the season. Choose a wool blend in the winter for added warmth and a thinner, light-weight sock in summer. Look for socks with added cushioning to reduce shock impact. A little extra padding will ensure maximum comfort during all your favorite equestrian activities.
Mountain Horse Dynamic Tech Sox are great socks for the summer!
Your feet are as comfortable as the boots and socks you wear. Making the right choice is easy if you know what works best. We hope our sock tips are helpful because we want you to enjoy every ride!
Entry represents opinion of the blogger, in this case the Mountain Horse® brand. This post is not formally edited and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Dover Saddlery brand.
I usually wear cheap white gym socks with my work boots and paddock boots, but I recently got nice tall english field boots. So far, I’m wearing the same socks, but they’re not always comfortable. I won three pairs of Horseware boot socks awhile back, but gave them away, as the elastic tops were way, way too tight. I’m super sensitive to clothing – even my gym socks are turned inside-out, as any seam across the toe makes me nuts. I’m afraid to shop online for socks, as information like “really tight tops” and “thick, itchy seams” is never included in the descriptions ;-)
I have been getting by wearing short no-show socks in my tall boots, but in the winter I wear longer knee-high socks like Zocks. I actually find that my short no show socks are very comfortable in my boots all day. It also helps that I wear long riding tights or long jods that come down to my socks so that all my skin is covered. I’m pretty slim and slender, so I don’t know if that helps or not. I wear size 2 or 0 skinny jeans or small/extra small jods. When my jods are all dirty, I do wear skintight jeggings jeans. I hope this helps. I’d love to hear from other girls.