When you have read [{WP:CITE]] and WP:UNDUE, we can discuss this further.  Length is not the issue, focus and balance is.  You might think "most" readers want to know the history of the garment.  I think "most" readers are people who like horses and want to know about riding clothing, thus a modern focus is needed.  And we cannot break this impasse because I am pretty sure that no one has taken a poll of what readers of wikipedia want to know about jodhpurs.  There is a place for a history section, but there already is a link to the Maharaja, so a lot of what you proposed probably needs to go there.  But for the ref, links to images are seldom accessed anyway,so footnoting is perfectly proper and in line with wikipedia's manual of style. If the actual images can uploaded to commons, then I think adding one good historical image to the article is useful, but otherwise, they are awkward in the text.  I also have no beef with clarifying that they aren't precisely breeches, as they go to the ankle, except that no one has yet provided a dictionary definition or either term.  One problem is that you and I both noticed that flared-hip breeches worn with tall boots get called "jodhpurs" in popular culture (the aviator/Hollywood/Military look), even thought they are technically breeches.  And I don't know the solution because who wants to argue with, say, Ralph Lauren?  (talk)