Adventures with silicon breeches

[Scribbler]

My usual breeches are full seat with faux suede. Happy enough with them.

I bought a pair of fleece breeches with full silicon seat this past winter. They were super comfy so I kept wearing them into cool spring days.

Now that I’m back in my regular breeches for warmer weather, I realize two things.

The silicon breeches made it possible for me to two point in canter in a jump saddle. This is fantastic.

But they mess me up trying to school dressage in a focused way. I was schooling walk lateral work, using a fair bit of leg I guess. I found I had to sometimes pick my leg up off the saddle to reposition it. No big deal. But at the end of the ride I realized I’d really done my lower back in and I was getting pain in my thighs. It was from having to continually pull against the silicon. I put on regular full seat breeches the next day, did the same routine, and I was fine.

This is all interesting because just hacking around, I didn’t feel they were much different from regular breeches.

I was wondering if anyone else had any surprising results from them.

[Nova2000]

I hate the silicone. I can tolerate it if it’s just knee patches, but won’t wear them in a full seat. I found I couldn’t make those little micro adjustments to my seat and legs without picking up my leg completely away from touching anything

[PNWSunnyDay]

I made peace with the Silicone Breech Gods by drying them with fabric softener (which the manufacturers print in all caps to NOT do.) The fabric softener knocks down the stickiness enough so it doesn’t feel like I’m riding against the breeches. Also, I will only buy the breeches if the silicone is a very finely-laid pattern. Any of the thick-lined patterns were WAY too sticky and I just gave those breeches away. I hate feeling like I’m moving around in the pants while they’re stuck to the saddle. Ack!

[CanteringCarrot]

Can’t deal with them. I have one pair in a finely more sparse pattern but still too sticky. Even after washing. I use them to hack in the summer since the material is cool and they have a nice big pocket for my phone. The silicone does leave marks on my saddle that eventually go away. The manufacturer of my saddle does not recommend silicone breeches due to the markings and potential for damage on the leather.

Many seem to like to be stuck to their horse via their pants, but that’s just not appealing to me at all. They’re comfortable when not on the horse, but I don’t get the infatuation with them at all.

[Obsidian_Fire]

I do fine with the Kerrits but I hated the Smartpak - I think was Pipers. Those were beyond sticky - couldn’t even post.
Haven’t tried any other brands.

[wanderinglemon]

I have found the silicone pattern gets transferred to my saddle.

[WildGooseChase]

I have one full seat pair of silicone breeches. Not only do I feel like I’m fighting the stickiness, but the silicone left depressions in my saddle.

I still have them, but don’t think I’d use them for anything but trail riding.

[Heinz_57]

I have tried several…the only ones I like are the smartpak piper tights that have two pockets and the seat has dots - it’s got some kind of suede like covering on the silicone. Not too sticky. And they don’t leave impressions on my saddles, I don’t want that.

The too sticky pants just stay in the saddle and I end up moving around inside them not a pleasant feeling. It’s getting much harder to find affordable, decent quality full seat schooling breeches that don’t have silicone.

[Scribbler]

I was once gifted a pair of sock slippers with silicone grip on the sole. I couldn’t wear them because the sole stuck on the floor enough that my foot was getting rubbed by sliding across the bulky acrylic yarn.

I also once found myself posting inside my new fake suede full seat breeches, but just the first ride.

My only silicon breeches are these B Vertigo winter breeches which I got because they are somewhat water repellant and were on deep discount. I ended up liking the fit and feel. They don’t do anything extreme for stick, I only finally noticed that they help jump seat two point and hinder dressage schooling. So they must have more stick but not sure enough to matter in a bronc moment.

It sounds like a people have decided against them for dressage for exactly the same reason as me.

I’m pondering getting a summer weight pair, though. If I can hold canter two point I could start thinking about starting trying to jump again. And I know pants shouldn’t make such a big difference but I’m not in my first youth, and it’s rare enough that a piece of gear actually makes a performance difference.

[Heinz_57]

When Kerrits first came out with the Sit Tights (which have since been renamed), the ones that have the pointy geometrical shaped full seat - the first version’s seat material was almost like rubber. I got a pair and thankfully rode in them at home before a show, because prior to a few washes those things were so sticky they SQUEAKED on the saddle with every move. My legs even squeaked together just walking around on the ground. They have been my go to XC breeches ever since.

[Viranh]

My saddle manufacturer’s warranty actually is voided by using silicone breeches because they are sticky enough to cause damage to the leather. It’s been a challenge to find summer breeches without them though. They have become so common, which I don’t understand. They’re too sticky and don’t last well.

[DawgLady]

I hate the stickiness, but only because it feels like cheating. I want a stable seat and leg because I’m riding well, not because my arse is glued to the saddle.

[Jackie_Cochran]

I have summer and winter Kerrit’s full seat silicon breeches.

They most definitely do NOT stick to the saddle tightly. I have never posted “out” of them. I can get up into two-point with zero problems from my breeches.

They do prevent my seat from sliding across the saddle’s seat when the horse moves.

One time last year I put on a pair of my older synthetic knit breeches. The horses were not pleased because my seat was wandering around in the saddle as they moved. I felt like my security in the saddle was destroyed.

I have MS and the balance, coordination and proprioceptive problems that come with MS. Due to my handicaps I find that the Kerrits silicon full seat breeches/tights make me a much better rider and the horses agree with me about this.

I would probably hate any breech that literally glued me to the saddle, at times I need to move my seat then return my seat to its previous position. I could not do that if I was literally glued to the saddle. That is why I read every single post in the COTH Forum about silicon breeches before I got my Kerrits silicon full seat breeches.

These breeches/tights are entering their third year of use and they are still going strong.

[Scribbler]

@DawgLady

Yeah I totally get not wanting to “cheat” but gear can help or hinder

I have an older cowhide jump saddle. It’s not going to be damaged by silicon, but it isn’t nearly as sticky as a calf skin French saddle (which wouldn’t fit my horse). I’ve ridden in one a few times on another horse. Lovely.

I remember as a teen once trying to ride after school in polyester dress pants with panty hose underneath. Never again. And that was probably during my best seat best balance years!! And in a Western saddle.

So full seat fake suede is in fact a performance boost for me over riding in say yoga tights or sweat pants. The silicon seem to be a boost over traditional full seat for two point jump seat, but they diminish my performance in dressage.

I’m not in my first youth. I don’t yet have any real chronic physical issues but I always pay attention to what @Jackie_Cochran has to say about gear and modifications and stability. If gear can give me a little boost, I’m OK with that.

[DawgLady]

@Scribbler

I remember as a teen once trying to ride after school in polyester dress pants with panty hose underneath. Never again. And that was probably during my best seat best balance years!! And in a Western saddle.

This made me LOL.

[Scribbler]

Then there was trying to ride in a tube top. Once.

[atr]

They are much cheaper to manufacture, I’m sure, so this isn’t market driven!

[Scribbler]

Oh yes I’m sure cost is huge. Cheaper to make but sell at a premium as new and better.

[Jackie_Cochran]

A little story about my adventures with my Kerrits silicon full seat summer tights.

I had been riding in my FITS deerskin full seat breeches. I thought they were simply wonderful, until I tried my silicon full seats. The next week I GAVE my riding teacher both of my FITS breeches, the deerskin ones and the “ink dot” summer weight ones. I told her she deserved to have a pair of GOOD breeches, luckily they fit her. She likes them quite a bit, but then she is not disabled with MS like I am.

I never looked back. I do not miss my FITS deerskin full seat breeches at all because I was still slipping around some in the saddle. The FITS had better grip that regular synthetic knit breeches, but nowhere as good as the Kerrits silicon full seat summer technical fabric and winter fleece lined silicon full seat riding pants, plus the Kerrits were a LOT cheaper.

When I tried on regular full seat breeches with the synthetic “suede” I feel like I am wearing a diaper, which is why I never bought any. I have bladder problems with my MS and have to wear a diaper every night, I just could not see feeling secure in a pair of breeches that fit like a diaper, not to mention what they would do for my “feel” in the saddle.

My saddle has that awful (to me) calf-skin covered leather. I have not noticed any wear or marks on the leather from my silicon riding pants, but I have not tried any other brand than the Kerrits ones.

[Scribbler]

Ah I’ve been fortunate to find comfy fake suede full seats and I like the protection for longer trail rides. I agree I am no longer happy in knee patch breeches!