I know there are some people who think gloves make riders' hands insensitive to a horse's mouth, and some who are staunch supporters of wearing gloves all the time while riding. What do you guys think?

My gloves are thin and fit skin tight, I can feel my horse's mouth the same with or without them. I wear gloves while schooling my mounts because both ponies pull like freight trains and I'd rather my hands not look like a 50-year-old carpenter's. If I'm just going on a hack or trail ride, I don't bother with them. I always show and lesson with them on, simply because it helps hide my atrocious hand position. I don't really have a strong opinion on gloves, wear them if you need them, don't wear them if you don't like them.

Hmm, that's a new one to me. I think some people are looking for any excuse to blame their hard hands on rather than facing the fact.

I've also ridden with and without gloves. My hands "feel" the same but I prefer the gloves. I guess we are all supposed to give up riding in the winter because wearing gloves to keep from getting frozen fingers would cause us to be harder on our horses' mouths? Please.

My hands will blister really easily, whether or not I have a strong horse or heavy hands, my skin's just really sensitive or something. I can ride in Eventa reins with no gloves, but that's about it. Those notched nylon reins are awful. I have a pair of Neumann tackified gloves, they are the best things ever for eventing, they grip but they don't feel bulky, and they don't wear out.

Unless you are a man/doing jumpers, I think it looks really tacky not to wear gloves at a show. Going cross-country without gloves is pretty stupid, and doing dressage without them just looks sloppy. It's funny because my eventing trainer doesn't wear them most of the time when she rides, and she usually goes without for stadium. My old dressage trainer yelled at me the last time I tried to ride without gloves, she looked at me like I was a crazy person.

Never heard of that. My gloves are thin but grip well. I don't think it makes you insensitive. I have to wear gloves alot cause I get blisters on my fingers. :-(

I've never heard that. It sounds like someone making an excuse for hard hands. That said, I always ride in gloves because otherwise I get blisters.

Always ride (and lunge) in gloves because it only takes one good pull, at least for me, to tear up the insides of my ring fingers. And I am a big baby. I use that roeckel (sp?) glove for schooling and I like them a lot.

What they hell are the gloves they are wearing made of, chainmaille?