Riding hose......

[IDEEDEE]

No, not a bizarre garden sport in dubious taste, but a query (to which I think I know the answer, but will throw it up for our gentle readers......). I blame the wool, but my hose is getting thin around the you-know-where, and first thought (as with non-reenactment gear) was "sew a leather patch on". It's easy to think "well that's what I would have done, had I lived at the time, rather than ditch the hose", but, obviously, that's not the point.... Has anyone ever seen any contemporary images (say 15Ct-early 16th) of seat-wise reinforcing on hose used for horse riding...? I'm thinking the kind of bum-patch you sometimes see on old-fashioned riding breeches....

All thoughts gratefully received....

[Strickland]

To be honest I found riding in wool hose pretty easy. You have to have some well made of course, and if there was ever a split I put an 'eye' shape in to fill it ie not just sew the raw edges together. Yes they will wear out a little quicker than normal but consider what you are doing in them! Failing that get some single leg hose over some riding trousers. This of course depends on how 'orfentick' you want to be!!
Just my groats worth!

Neil

[Mark Griffin]

Just hose I'm afraid. Despite the fact that something akin to cycling attire or napoleonic riding overalls might be great, nothing has shown up. I use Historic Enterprises ones and they are generally good for a fair few seasons in the crotch area. And I abuse my crotch a fair amount.

[Colin Middleton]

As Mark said, no evidence. However as a conjecture...

We know that patching and repairing was the norm in the Middle Ages, so patching it seems quite reasonable. Would leather have been used? Leather I quite an expensive material, so it won't have been used without consideration, but that's not to say that it wasn't done. There are a number if examples of 16thC garments made of leather, including hosen. There are even examples (again 16th C) of fabric hosen with a small leather patch sewn into the toe to reinforce it. So it's nit completely implausible. Don't use cow hide though, it would probably be goat or buckskin depending on your status.

On the other hand there is approximately no evidence for any leather clothing before 1500, so take the above conjecture with a significant pinch of salt.

Colin