Looking for new daily working and riding gloves, I knew I had a few criteria. They needed to be lightweight, sporty, and comfortable. Thick gloves with stiff seams have always made me feel as though I couldn’t get a good feel through the reins, while too lightweight a glove will quickly become worn with almost daily use. I’ve read many great reviews of the sturdiness of the Roeckl gloves and they looked stylish, so I went into my local tack store to try some on.
Roeckl gloves are sized as follows:
You measure the widest part of the hand, around your base knuckles (not including the thumb) in centimeters in order to determine your size. I happened to fall right in-between sizes at 19.5 cm, which meant I was either a size 7 or 7.5. After trying on the Roeckl summer “Madison” glove, I found that the 7.5 size was perfectly tight and very comfortable. To quote their website,
“Horse riding gloves must fit like a second skin, because holding the reins requires high tactile sensitivity.”
(Link to Roeckl’s website instructions for measuring just in case you need more information or want to see their large selection of styles and colors)
Where I live in Texas, it doesn’t get very cold so using a summer glove through the winter is still comfortable. If you live somewhere it gets cold, however, they do make warmer winter gloves built to withstand harsher conditions.
The Madison glove is made from spandex and synthetic calfskin, is touchscreen compatible, and machine washable at 86 degrees F (or 30 degrees C). Personally, I would probably hand wash with moderately warm water and let it airdry.
When shopping for gloves (and you cannot them on), always check the specific brands sizing chart because not all are the same.
Happy glove hunting!
-Charnae
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