The 7 Best Horse Riding Socks

Horse riding socks may be the last piece of equestrian gear you’d think of. However, these socks are surprisingly vital to your performance level. Firstly, they provide comfort – who doesn’t want that? Plus, they improve boot fit, reduce chafing, reduce the risk of foot injury, and help manage temperature and sweaty feet.

Clearly, riding socks are important and it’s about time you started paying more attention to them! To help get you up to speed with riding socks, here’s a list of the best horse socks you could buy to complete your equestrian kit:

The 7 Best Horse Riding Socks

Below, you’ll find a whole range of socks, from knee-high socks to socks designed specifically for child riders.

1. Best lightweight socks – Le Mieux Competition Socks

Robert Lemieux is a former event rider himself, so it’s safe to say he knows what to look for in the perfect competition sock.

The fabric used to make these super lightweight socks offers compression, which helps you avoid foot fatigue and other riding-related foot issues. These long socks are also closely woven to provide great stability, from your ankle to your knee.

They come with a degree of stretch, which ensures they will fit your feet and slip into your boots easily.

2. Best performance socks – ARIAT Ariattek Slimline Performance Socks

When performing, you need to keep your feet comfortable and dry. These socks come with Moisture Movement Technology which gives them moisture-wicking properties. They also boast a breathable mesh wrap, ensuring your feet remain at a comfortable temperature.

These moisture-wicking socks feature extra padding at the toe and footpad, as well as targeted heel and ankle protection. All of this ensures that your feet are well-supported and comfortable at all times – even when wearing tight boots.

Out of all the socks I mention in this article, these ARIAT socks also come in the most diverse range of colours, which include hedge green, estate blue, viridian, green beetle, black, and lavender aura.

3. Most affordable socks – TuffRider Compression Riding Socks

If you’re looking for affordable compression socks, check out TuffRider’s Compression Socks. These socks keep your blood circulating and reduce foot fatigue for at least half the price of other compression socks.

They’re good for both everyday horse riding, as well as showing. They provide enough comfort for long rides and are easy to slip on and off for shorter rides.

When it comes to colours, you have a choice of black/navy and black/brown.

4. Best socks for cold days – B Vertigo Geox Warm Riding Socks

B Vertigo Geox Warm Socks are perfect for the winter months. These knee-high socks are made using Merino wool, which provides an impressive level of warmth, even when riding on a chilly December day. It’s just a shame that your horse can’t wear them, too!

While they’re slightly thicker than your average riding sock, they’re still easy to slip into your long boots.

The centre of the footbed has a stretch area, which provides you with optimum comfort.

5. Best children’s socks – Kerrits Kids Dual Zone Boot Socks

If you’re in the market for horse riding gear for young riders, we’d recommend getting them Kerrits Kids Dual Zone Boot Socks. These breathable and comfortable socks are sure to make your child’s first few rides as enjoyable as possible.

The socks feature a reinforced toe and heel area, which provides them with extra protection while riding. These reinforced areas also ensure that the product delivers high durability.

While they don’t feature any fun characters on them, they do come in a range of fun designs. Kids can choose between patterns such as Black Starlight, Huckleberry, Peacock, and Purple Luck (among others!).

6. Best unisex socks – Aubrion Unisex Cadence Socks

If you’ve got particularly long riding boots (that you struggle to get on), these Aubrion Unisex Cadence Socks provide easy slip-on action.

These double up as grip socks, with silicone grips woven into the sock design. This reduces the risk of slipping while wearing them (or your boot slipping off when you take a tumble).

You can find these socks in a rich olive colour or peony, with the stylish Aubrion emblem at the top.

7. Best breathable socks – Dublin Socks

Dublin Clothing is a highly respected horse-riding clothing brand that knows how to design practical yet stylish riding gear. Their socks feature naturally breathable stretch cotton, which keeps your feet at a comfortable temperature when in your riding boots. They also have a soft cotton foot and good support for your lower leg. These features provide you with maximum support and comfort while riding.

Plus, these Dublin socks are extra stylish, featuring a classic horse racing sock diamond design. They’re also available in stripes and solid colours.

What Are the Main Types of Socks for Horse Riding?

Based on the list above, there are clearly lots of different types of horse socks available. Compression, performance, and competition were just a few of the types I included in the list – but what do these titles mean?

Compression

This type of sock adds compression to the leg. Most pressure is put on the ankle. Pressure on the leg gradually decreases the further up the leg the sock goes. Compression socks are made like this to improve circulation in your feet and also reduce the risk of swelling.

Performance

Performance socks are designed to be worn during high-intensity sessions or high-intensity horse disciplines. They’re designed to improve your horse riding performance overall. They tend to feature targeted padding and cushioning, arch and ankle support, and moisture-wicking properties.

Competition

Competition socks are made similar to performance socks but are mostly designed to be used in dressage and show jumping. They’re normally designed to be knee-high and feature compression properties. Like performance socks, competition socks normally come with targetted padding and cushioning, as well as moisture-wicking properties.

Children’s

Children’s socks are obviously for the kiddies. It’s worth noting here that children’s socks normally come in one size and offer plenty of stretch. This way, children’s socks can fit several children’s shoe sizes.

FAQs

How do you wear riding socks?

If you’ve got breeches on, you’ll need tall riding socks. These tall socks should be pulled over your breeches. This will stop your pants from rolling up as well as your socks from rolling down. Ideally, these socks should have some degree of stretch so that they can be pulled over your breeches. They should also come with arch support and be made in a lightweight design.

Do you need to wear riding socks?

Riding socks are necessary if you want to spend all day riding your horse. Riding boots don’t have great breathable qualities. If you don’t wear good quality socks, your feet will likely overheat and grow fatigued in your riding boots. They provide your feet with extra comfort while riding, and are definitely recommended to enhance your performance.

Why are riding socks long?

Riding socks are long to match the tall boot requirements of horse riding. Long socks don’t roll down as much as short socks, so they don’t need to be adjusted throughout the day. They also prevent rubbing and blisters, while keeping your feet and ankles well-supported. Lastly, long socks provide extra warmth to help keep your feet warm in the winter.