Touchscreen Riding Gloves: Ride and Use Your Phone

Riding with Farris

Touchscreen riding gloves have conductive fingertips that work a phone screen, so you can use a ride app, take a photo, or answer a call without bare hands.

By the riders at Farris · Updated June 2026

How do touchscreen riding gloves work?

Touchscreen riding gloves have conductive material — usually fine threads or a coating — woven into the fingertips. A phone's capacitive screen responds to the small electrical charge your skin carries, and the conductive fingertip passes that charge through the glove, so the screen reacts as if you had touched it with a bare finger.

Why do riders use touchscreen gloves?

Because peeling a glove off mid-ride is a nuisance, especially in the cold. Touchscreen fingertips let you:

• Use ride-tracking and GPS apps without stopping to remove a glove.
• Take a quick photo on a hack or at a show.
• Stay reachable for calls and messages, which matters for safety on the trail.

What to look for in touchscreen riding gloves

Check that the touch panels cover at least the thumb and index finger — more fingers is better — and that adding them hasn't compromised the things a riding glove needs: a snug fit, good feel on the reins, and a grippy palm. Conductivity can wear down over time, so well-made conductive fingertips are worth paying a little more for.

Where do you keep your phone while riding?

Touchscreen gloves solve using the phone, but you still need somewhere secure to keep it. A loose phone in a jacket pocket can fall out or land awkwardly in a fall. Safer options include a zipped pocket close to your body, an armband, or a saddle pad with a built-in phone pocket that holds it securely and cushions it while you ride. More on that in our piece on why we added a phone pocket to a saddle pad.

Frequently asked questions

Do touchscreen gloves work for horse riding?

Yes. The conductive fingertips let you operate a phone's touchscreen without removing the glove, which is handy for ride-tracking apps, photos, and staying reachable. Just make sure the glove still fits snugly and grips well, since those matter most for riding.

Which fingers are touchscreen on riding gloves?

At minimum the thumb and index finger, which are the ones you use for most taps and swipes. Better gloves add conductive material to more fingertips for easier typing and scrolling.

Where should I keep my phone when riding?

Keep it secured so it can't fall or hit you in a fall. Good options are a zipped pocket close to your body, an armband, or a saddle pad with a built-in phone pocket that holds and cushions the phone while you ride.

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