Who wears these and who should wear these? Is it usually dressage riders? Do they make any difference to one’s riding?
Many (most??) dressage riders wear them, don’t know about other disciplines, probably eventers. As to whether they make a difference I think they do help keep the seat from sliding around on the leather. However, its a personal preference. Some people don’t care for them.
I personally like them; they add just a little grip and security and I find it helps keep my leg in place. I know some people who don’t like them because they feel too locked in.
You mostly see them in dressage; they’re not popular in hunters, but not illegal either. I always show in them in both disciplines at the local level.
There was a discussion on a group that I was reading over the weekend with people discussing how they like to wear their full seats for jumping as well. The western trainer at the barn wears some.
I never had them as a teen, I love having them now. They feel good to wear. Maybe I shouldn’t rely on them for a more secure seat, but I love the way they feel.
I like the full seat breeches as I stick better in the saddle. The use of synthetic fabrics is helpful, as full seat breeches made from real leather are very heavy and expensive.
I just bought my first pair this past winter and really like them. But I really miss full chaps which hunter/jumper riders did wear to school back in the day.
My only issue is the full seats I bought are winter weight and so far having trouble finding summer weight full seats I like as much.
I LOVE them. I have too many pairs to count. They add a little extra grip in the seat, which is really nice. If you’re lucky enough to have a bull hide saddle, your bum won’t budge with full seats on.
I also like the way they look (totally superficial I know, but you should enjoy the things you wear.) The ones with contrast seats are super pretty.
I really like SmartPak’s Pipers and the Dover brand plaid ones. I event.
They offer a little more protection to the seat bones, and don’t wear as quickly as knee patch breeches, if you are sitting in the saddle a la dressage, also.
I don’t find the synthetic seat ones particularly sticky, unless they are those “sit tight” ones, which I personally hate!
I got my first pair when I got tired of the seat wearing out on knee patch breeches. Since I was working and riding full time, I needed something that was going to hold up so I turned to full seats. I come from an eventing/dressage background, but I do own one pair of tan knee patch if I ever have to venture into H/J land. Everything else is full seat. I’m slowly working on collecting the Ovation Slim Secret full seats in every color.
I love my full seats. There are so many out there that if you are wanting to give them a try I would recommend trying different brands. I love FITS as they have a ton of freedom. I have a pair of Good Rider FS that I got from Tack of the Day and they are crazy comfy, I could wear them everywhere. Kerrits makes a pair that have an extremely grippy seat but they have other pairs that allow more seat movement in the saddle. If you’ve never ridden in them before they might feel a little odd but you might find you love them.
I have yet to find full seats which seem to comfortably fit my shape except the Goode Rider Jean Riders. Every other brand the seat sags lower than my crotch, so there’s bunching when I sit.
I stick just fine without full seats, so from now on until I am able to try some on before buying and love them, I will be buying knee patch only. (I’m another dressage rider, and one of my horses is a complete bronc if he’s tired and doesn’t feel like working, if he’s hyper and work is boring, if another horse trailers in for a lesson, if he doesn’t like the other horse in the ring…)
New pair of the Kerrit’s “sit tight” ones (I believe they have modified the brand since then…got my leg halfway over and the stick got stuck to the saddle. I was well and truly glued, and had to pick up my leg with my other hand to get my leg down. ACK!
I like full seats ok, but mostly because they wear better. These were terrifying though - repositioning yourself was very tricky
Personally - I have tried a few different types of full seats - and I am not a fan. I don’t like the feeling of my pants sticking to the saddle, or the “heavy diaper” feel that my leather full seats give when walking around.
I find my full seats not as stretchy and non restrictive as my knee patch breeches.
Obviously they have their fans! I am from an eventing, and hunter jumper back ground - and just don’t like wearing them! (And I ride youngster, start horses under saddle - ride unknown auction pulls - I still prefer that my butt not be “sticky”)
I love my full seats but only the style where the seat and legs are separate (like FIT’S or Kerrits make). When the full seat is one big piece of material, I find them extremely uncomfortable and feel like I have droopy diaper butt. Not a cute look.
I am old with a well behaved but athletic and at times spooky gelding so I appreciate the added stick factor when he levitates or insists on jumping a creek.
I had never ridden in full seats until less than a year ago. I had a pair of knee patch breeches I really liked that were getting old, and I asked my husband for an identical pair for the next birthday/xmas whatever. He dutifully went to the local tack shop and got me a pair of full seats in that brand…which didn’t fit, even though they were the same size.
So I went to exchange them, but pickings were slim (small tack shop). They talked me into trying a pair of FITS full seats and OMG my life has never been the same :lol: I think it’s partly because they are better quality than what I had been wearing, but I do like the full seat on my greenie – it does make a difference in how secure I feel with his random scoots etc. I recently put on a pair of old, cheap riding tights I used to ride in all the time and I could really feel the difference.
I love full seats. I bought my first pair just a few years ago (I came from hunter land where it was all varieties of beige and knee patch) but now that I’ve discovered the glory of full seats, I’ve been on a mission to acquire them in all sorts of fun colors and textures.
I have some Kerrits (including the Sit Tight), and find that the fit works great for me. My favorites are the CrossOvers - the seat is grippy but not too grippy, and they’re so comfortable through the hips and waist.
I also just got the Pipers by SmartPak, and the fit isn’t quite right (maybe too low of a rise, but there’s also some extra fabric in the crotch when I sit, it’s weird) but they’re comfortable and wearing them all day I find them very flexible and forgiving. Tried the Goode Riders (love the look of them) but they fit me horribly.
The feel of full seats when riding is wonderful, and I really prefer the look over knee patch. I’m generous through the booty and hip area, so having contrasting fabric seems to break it up a little and is more flattering than just a wide, vast sheet of beige across my rear. Might as well wear a burlap sack for as good as they make me feel. Give me some fun-colored full seats with a contrasting colored seat and I just feel so darn pretty. 
As a recent convert from reining to dressage I dutifully bought full seats and loved them. Then I finally got my own saddle and found that the grippy calf leather seat and full seats is enough to make me feel trapped. So now I have 2 new pairs of knee patch Pipers that I love and 2 pairs of Piper full seats moldering in my dresser.
I use full seat breeches for fox hunting for some of the reasons stated above- the grip and extra security being the main reason.
Ovation makes many styles of full seat and I found one style from their brand that fits my middle aged body and is very comfortable. I picked up a no-name brand at Rolex a couple years ago that I love and of course it’s a style the vender no longer produces. 
I’m one of the few dressage riders that is NOT a fan. I prefer Euroseat (looks like a fullseat, but just the breeches fabric with stitching in the shape of fullseat, so I still “look the part”), so I don’t stick in one place. They do help you STICK, but that becomes an issue when you are trying to NOT stick. And in the heat (I’m in a hot area), they chafe. Nothing like blisters on your butt to really make riding fun.
So, my vote is dressage patch (Equissentials makes them - a slightly longer knee patch that goes up the thigh a bit) or Euroseat.
I see people wear full seats in many disciplines - jumpers, eventers, dressage.
I have a pair of saddle seat full seat jods. They’re very comfortable to wear but I certainly don’t feel the need to ride in them on a regular basis. Last time I rode in them was a few years ago. I don’t think they do much for me one way or another. Back when I was college and riding hunt seat and jumping fairly regularly I wore chaps quite often- but I didn’t think even they were that important as far as grip. But they looked cool and kept my legs warm in cold NY winters.
However, I have always ridden in jeans, so they’re a little grippier than polyester. I wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t have long suede knee patches on my (worsted wool) show jods.
