Jodhpurs, in their modern form, are tight-fitting trousers to the ankle, where they end in a snug cuff, and are worn primarily for horse riding. The term is also used as slang for a type of short riding boot, also called a paddock boot or a jodhpur boot, because they are worn with jodhpurs.

Originally, jodhpurs were snug-fitting from just below the knee to the ankle, and were flared at the hip to allow ease for sitting in the saddle. Modern jodhpurs are made with stretch fabric and are tight-fitting throughout. They are supportive and flexible.

Jodhpurs is named after Jodhpur (as the Jodhpur State, also known as the Kingdom of Marwar), the second-largest city in the modern Indian state of Rajasthan. They were adapted from traditional clothing of the Indian subcontinent as long trousers, reaching to the ankle, snug from the calf to the ankle, with reinforced fabric protecting the inner calf and knee from rubbing. The thighs and hips were flared, a traditional Indian style that allowed free movement of the hip and thigh while riding.

The jodhpurs were adapted from an ancient style of Indian trouser called the churidar, which is tight around the calf and loose at the hips. It is still worn at traditional Jodhpuri weddings. This is a special traditional style of clothing in Northern India, especially in what is today the modern state of Rajasthan.

Pratap Singh, a younger son of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Takht Singh, popularised in England the style of riding trousers worn in Jodhpur, a design that he apparently improved and perfected and first had tailored in India around 1890.

Singh was an avid polo player. When he visited Queen Victoria in England during her Diamond Jubilee celebrations of 1897, he brought his entire polo team, who caused a sensation among the fashionable circles of the United Kingdom by their riding clothes. In addition, they won many polo matches. Singh's jodhpur style of flared thigh and hip was rapidly taken up by the British polo-playing community, who adapted it to the existing designs of English riding breeches, which ended snugly at mid-calf, and were worn with tall riding boots.^{[citation needed]}

The full-legged design of the true Jodhpur was not adopted as British polo apparel. Early photographs of European polo teams show the continued use of tall boots and breeches. Though the term "jodhpurs" was applied colloquially to this style of breeches, they were not true jodhpurs and are more accurately termed "flared-hip breeches". This British version was soon being produced by Savile Row tailors in London. The use of the Indian-style, ankle-length Jodhpurs allowed riders to use short, less expensive boots, as their calves were protected by the reinforced design and snug fit.

Special adaptations for riding include a pattern cut with the leg seams on the outside of the leg; a patch on the inside of the knee, sometimes of a hard-wearing material such as leather; and in some cases a similar leather or leather-like panel on the seat that helps the rider stay still in the saddle. Classic jodhpurs are beige or white, but for working purposes are now made in a variety of colours. They are particularly well-suited for children, as the shorter paddock boots cost less than tall boots to replace as a child's feet grow.