10 Best Horse Riding Underwear For Equestrians

If you’ve ever had to sit at a bench, on a chair, or any other poorly-padded seat for a long time, you’re probably familiar with numb butt & the accompanying discomfort. It gets even worse once you regain feeling in your tailbone only to be greeted by a dampness that formed because your underwear didn’t let your bits breathe.

Now what if you could have added some padding to your chair? You wouldn’t be numb and struggling to walk for the first 30 seconds after getting up. What about getting to rethink your underwear before you sit down? Wouldn’t you want something that prevents a swamp from forming in your pants?

When it comes to gearing up for horseback riding, your underwear is probably the last thing you’d think about. However, once you start riding you may begin to see why it’s important to choose the right underwear. Chafing, wedgies, riding up, and swamp crotch are an easy way to turn a fun ride into an uncomfortable experience.

Looking for a way to make your rides more comfortable? Keep reading to learn how to choose the best underwear for horse riding.

Top 10 Best Underwear for Horse Riding

Whether you’re looking for men’s or women’s riding underwear, you’ll find that many options are also marketed to bicycle riders. This is because both activities require a soft cushion to make riding more comfortable. Just about any pair will work for both purposes, so don’t be afraid to consider the often-cheaper biking underwear for your horse riding.

1. Baleaf Men’s Padded Shorts

A portable seat cushion: Designed to be used for biking, this pair of padded underwear can also be used to help prevent soreness or bruising. The slightly thicker pad allows you to get your package off of the saddle where they’re less likely to get sat on. The longer pad also covers about all the way to your tailbone, so sitting back can be as comfortable as riding more aggressively.

While this pair is good padding for your package, the gel is harder than would be ideal for cushioning impacts. It’s not quite doctor’s office chair hard, but excessive bouncing can still cause discomfort. It is best for longer rides rather than bumpier rides.

2. Voofly Gel Padding Underwear Shorts

More cushion for the pushin’: While similar to Baleaf’s padded shorts, this pair leans more towards cushioning than padding with their softer gel pad. This pair is made of polyester & lycra, which makes them breathable & moisture wicking while still being comfortable enough to wear for longer periods. The 4D foam padding absorbs a little bit of bouncing to protect your bits from impacts, and helps protect your tailbone from numb butt.

When cleaning this pair, you’ll want to stick to hand washing only. If thrown in the laundry, the stitching that holds the padding may come loose, causing it to slip around & become uncomfortable during the ride.

3. Eco-daily Men’s 4D Padded Cycling Shorts

Feels like a second skin: While these padded shorts can be worn alone, they work just as well (or even better) underneath your usual riding gear. These long-legged shorts/underwear are made of a 80/20 nylon & spandex material that allows them to stretch and conform to your body for a soft compression feel. They contain mesh panels on the hip for enhanced breathability and a 6-layer padding that works to both absorb impact & provide a comfortable seat to sit on.

Because they weren’t specifically made to be work as underwear, this pair of padded shorts has longer legs that can ride up when they rub against your pants. To avoid this, lean towards the smaller side of your sizing so that they hold a little tighter.

4. X-Tiger Men’s 5D Padded Underwear

Extra breathable coverage: When it comes to riding underwear, more padding usually means a softer ride all around. Add in the polyester & spandex boxer briefs and you’ve got an overall soft package holder. With the X-Tiger padded underwear, you’ll get a wider pad than many other options. This breathable, antimicrobial gel & foam pad provides cushion without absorbing sweat. It is carefully sewn onto the underwear to keep it in place, so it doesn’t chafe as you move.

The downside of this pair of underwear is that the seams aren’t perfectly flat, which means the stitching could chafe you if they slide around too much. Smaller pairs are less likely to move, so aim for a smaller size if possible.

5. BOXING Men’s Padded Underwear Shorts

Maximum breathability mesh: Nobody wants swamp crotch, and some underwear can hold moisture inside so that your groin stews in your sweat. With this mesh pair of underwear, you allow for maximum breathability (outside of going commando) thanks to the small holes in the material. The 3D antimicrobial pad is absorbent which helps wick moisture to the outside of the underwear while still providing a soft place to rest your junk.

As a tradeoff for breathability, you sacrifice some of the comfort you’ll find in synthetic materials like smooth spandex & polyester. They certainly won’t chafe your skin, but you’ll miss out on some silky goodness.

6. IyMoo Womens Cycling Underwear

No-show sponge cushioning pad: If you’re looking for a lowkey padded underwear that won’t give you weird pantylines, IyMoo’s bike shorts may be for you. The 3D Coolmax pad is hidden underneath an extra layer of the super breathable polyester & spandex mesh that both hides it and allows the moisture to wick outside the pad. This helps to keep you chafe & swamp crotch-free, while its antimicrobial material helps prevent yeast or bacterial infections.

As a thinner pair of boy short underwear, these can sometimes bunch up on you if they’re too loose, or dig in and give you a camel toe if you go too small. Sizing will be important to how much you enjoy this underwear, so make sure you get the right size!

7. Baleaf Women’s Padded Bikini Underwear

Bikini-style with padding: If you’re looking for full, unrestricted movement then you want bikini-style riding underwear. The lack of legs means there’s nothing inhibiting you from getting on or off the horse or posturing yourself on the saddle. It also allows your legs & other bits to breathe a bit better. Featuring a soft synthetic polyamide & spandex material with flat seams that wicks moisture, you’ll be able to avoid chafing as you ride. The specially positioned women’s pad is stitched on under the fabric for a low-profile look that doesn’t show through your riding pants while still absorbing some of the bumps on your ride.

A negative of this underwear being bikini-style is that the leg seams can bunch up in your inner thigh because there are no pant legs to hold them in place when they rub against your pants. The pad is also quite thin, which can cause it to ride up on you if they’re too tight.

8. Derriere Equestrian Padded Shorty

Built for equestrian performance: As the only horse riding-specific pair of underwear on the list, this pair is probably the most versatile choice. Integrating a thin padding into the panties protects you from smashing into the saddle at every jump without making it uncomfortable to ride. The padding extends further than biking options due to the saddle being larger than a bike seat, which means that no matter how you sit you’ll be covered. It is also very hard to tell you have any padding without pants – under your pants it should be seamless.

The major drawback is that this pair is quite expensive, costing as much as 10 times more than some of the other options.

9. 4ucycling Padded Cycling Tights

Long pants for colder weather: While they are marketed as biking tights, these long pants can also be used underneath the rest of your outfit for more coverage. They are nylon & spandex, making them stretchy and comfortable like yoga pants but with the added benefit of a 3D foam padding for cushioning your hips & bits from the impact of riding. They won’t limit your flexibility but will instead provide a second skin feeling to help keep you warm & protected.

As long pants, these are not ideal for use in the summer because although they are breathable, nothing is more breathable than uncovered skin!

10. NOOYME Womens Gel Padding Underwear

Super thin booty shorts: If you want something that is going to feel like a second skin while still offering nether region support while riding, NOOYME has you covered. The polyester & lycra booty shorts are soft & stretchy enough to comfortably stay in place while you ride.

The synthetic material naturally wicks moistures and offers better breathability than cotton underwear, and the seamless stitching prevents chafing as you shift. While the padding is a bit obvious without pants on thanks to different coloring & styles that are available, the thin pad doesn’t show panty lines so you can wear them with confidence.

Unfortunately, the thin and low-profile pad is a bit too thin to be overly effective for absorbing impact for longer or bumpier rides.

Best Underwear for Horse Riding Buying Guide

While in theory just about any pair of men’s or women’s underwear could work for horse riding, underwear that is specifically created for riding bicycles or horses adds an extra level of comfort & convenience. Below are 4 of the most important features to look for in the best equestrian underwear – male or female!

Whether it’s summer & you’re wearing as little as possible or winter & you’re bundled up, you’re going to sweat while you ride. While you’ll sweat from just about everywhere that’s covered, it gets especially bad down under where your underwear and pants isolate much of the body heat you’re putting off. Without proper ventilation or moisture wicking, your underwear is going to maintain the humidity and moisture in its fabric which makes it easier to chafe or cause an infection.

Underwear that is made of synthetic materials like polyester or nylon are built to allow your bits to breathe, which reduces the humidity of your groin. They also wick moisture to the outside of the underwear, which allows it to evaporate more easily in the cooler & drier environment in your pants.