Difference Between Jodhpurs and Breeches

Jodhpurs vs Breeches

Trousers or pants are clothing items that are worn on the lower part of the body covering both legs separately. They are the most commonly used form of clothing for males since the early 19th century, but in the 6th century B.C.E., it was worn by both male and female horse-riding Persians, Armenians, and other Central Asian people.

Since then, pants have evolved into what they are today with many variations according to the country and culture of the people wearing them. They are also known as strides, slacks, kegs, or breeches.

Breeches are knee-length clothing that are closed and fastened about the leg by buttons, straps, buckles, brooches, or drawstrings. It was the lower clothing worn by men from the 16th century to the 19th century.

There are many types of breeches; Spanish breeches, Petticoat breeches and Rhinegraves of the 1600s, to the Knickerbockers of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The Greeks also have Vraka, and the Native Americans had breechcloth or breechclout.

Today, they are used as protective clothing in the martial arts of fencing and as riding breeches. They are now made with spandex, zippers, and Velcro fasteners. There are four types of riding breeches:

Knee patch breeches, which are worn with tall boots by hunt seat riders, show jumpers, and endurance riders.
Full seat breeches, which are made with grippy material and used by riders in dressage competitions.
Jockey’s breeches or silks, which are made with nylon or a light white fabric with the jockey’s name inscribed along the thigh.
Jodhpur breeches or jodhpurs, which are tight-fitting pants that reach to the ankle ending in a snug cuff.

Jodhpurs evolved from the ancient Indian trousers called Churidar which are still worn at traditional weddings today. It was popularized by Sir Pratap Singh, the son of the Maharajah of Jodhpur. His team wore jodhpurs during a polo match featured in the celebration of Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in England. Jodhpurs were then adapted by the British polo playing community and were worn with tall riding boots.

Since then, jodhpurs are not only worn by riders but also by other people, particularly those in the military, especially officers of Nazi Germany, the USSR, East Germany, and other Soviet Bloc countries.

Jodhpurs are usually white or cream colored, but many colors are also available. They are worn together with jodhpur boots or paddock boots with knee-length leggings. A variation of the jodhpur is the Kentucky Jodhpur which is longer, ends in a flared bell-bottom, and covers the arch of the foot in front.

Summary:

1.Breeches are the lower clothing worn by men of the western world from the 1600s to the 1900s while jodhpurs are the lower clothing worn by men in India.
2.Breeches are knee length while jodhpurs are ankle length.
3.They are both used for riding, and a jodhpur is actually one type of breeches.
4.Breeches are worn in fencing while jodhpurs were worn by military officers.

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