How many do I have, or how many fit/do I actually wear?
I have lost a bunch of weight (over 100 lbs), so many are too big. They are all tights types, so I can still wear some of the too-big ones, they just sag a little.
If I had to guess, probably around 30.
okay. I don’t feel like I have a problem anymore.
I have a few pairs that I don’t really wear much, or at all.
I have two pairs for showing in.
I have 11 in regular rotation.
Like I needed any more excuses to add to my collection. I’m really enjoying the Hadley breech right now, though I could get into the ROMFHs as well. Most of my breeches are Pipers. I’ve had to take one in to fix a seam, otherwise, no complains with longevity.
Yaya: Congrats on the weight loss!!
I have done the same but not to the same degree. I recently lost 35 pounds. I’m not yet confident enough to throw the big breeches away, and some of them are in terrific shape. But they are in a trunk. I hope I never see them again.
Current inventory (size 26-28): 7 pairs, and I ride 6 days a week.
RJ Classics Gulf: 2 pair (blue and maroon)
Romfh Champion: 1 Pair navy
Riding Sport Uptown: 1 pair navy full seat
TS “Professional”: 3 identical “antique” side-zip beige pairs. Fit like a dream.
I’ll play:
1 Horse, ridden 4 x a week
4 pairs full-seat hadleys - these are my new favorites and I have had to hold myself back from buying more. 1 pair is 1 size too small for my current ‘winter’ waistline
probably 5 pairs full seat pipers - I used to think these were the bee’s knees until I discovered Hadleys. They do come in a much more fun color scheme, but due to their heavier weight I use these for colder weather rides. Some are the original rise, other are my much preferred modified rise.
1 pair Romfh full seat sarafina - bought on sale to see what the fuss was about. I really do like them, but the olive color makes them not my go-to breech.
1 pair ovation aqua-x full seats - someone recommended these to me and I ordered them since the color was gorgeous, but they really don’t fit well. I probably should have returned them since they do nothing but sit in my closet, but I think I am beyond the return policy window.
4 pairs of assorted Kerrits light weight full seat tights. I started buying these when the summer was so ungodly hot I really wanted something that would breathe. 2 pairs are ice fill, the other two are sit tight? Can’t quite recall
2 pairs full seat dublin cool-it gel tights. These were a risk but I’m glad I bought them. super cheap from RW and thick enough to hide middle-age bum imperfections but wear really well around the barn. Only bummer is that they don’t have a phone pocket .Good for hot weather.
1 pair of tropical rider breeches - bought a few years ago for hot weather riding but no longer fit in them, and I am far more careful with these than I am with the kerrits tights.
2 pairs show whites - 1 gooderider 1 piper. I haven’t shown in 2 years. I hope to get back into next year, so I’ll have to examine the fit of these since my weight can fluctuate a good deal year to year.
so all n all about 20 pair?
I love this thread! I’m considering it inspirational
I have 2 pairs of brown side-zip pipers in different sizes because they were soo on sale
1 pair Tan tredstep rosas (side-zip)
1 pair dark green ovation aqua-xs
1 pair Noble outfitters tights
1 pair who-knows-what burgundy winter breeches that are probably child sized which I got at a tack-sale for $5 :lol:
I have two questions for the experts!
what do you do with your breeches once they wear out? both the pipers I have are on the way out. Starting to pill, getting a bit stretched out after 1 wear, etc. Is there anything to do with them by way of re-use/re-vitalization?
how do the Hadleys fit compared to pipers? I love how they look, but I find pipers a bit too straight-waisted for me (hence the two sizes, one fits at the waist, the other fits my thighs)
@MissCoco IME the Hadleys are cut similarly to the pipers, but are higher rise. They are a really good fit for ‘apple’ shaped gals like myself. I gain all my weight in my stomach/waist as opposed to hips/thighs. Since you sound more hourglass or pear shaped the Romfh champions https://www.romfh.com/breeches/romfh-champion-euro-seat-breeches-468785 might suit your body type more.
As for used breeches, I have had good luck selling on ebay etc at a really discounted price since to my knowledge nothing can un-stretch what has already been stretched.
@MissCoco I find the Hadley’s fit more like the Romfh Sarafinas do for me. I agree with BatCoach that you might like the Romfh Champions better! As for worn out breeches, I have had good luck selling my pilling, worn Pipers on Facebook groups for cheap. People always buy them as long as I supply good photographs of the damage.
apparently i need more breeches! i have 5 or 6 schooling (colors) and 5 show (tan) that I sometimes have to ride in at home if I haven’t done laundry. I ride 5 horses 5-6 times per week. Thank you for enabling me to buy more.
I have more than a few pairs. I just counted up my winter breeches alone and there are 5 schooling fleece pairs, so…yeah.
But I have some questions for the breech-aficionados here:
Silicone breeches. LOVE the feel, but why do they wear out so easily? I swear I get maybe one season out of them before the bumps wear off, and that’s with not wearing them too often and washing them inside out to try to prevent any excess wear to the grips. Is this normal for silicone, or am I not treating them with the kid gloves they need?
For those of you who have donated old breeches - where/what organization? I have a shelf of breeches that are now too large or gave me the saggy-diaper fullseat feeling that I don’t wear at all. Someone should get some use out of them.
I have a couple of pairs of Horze schooling tights with little silicone hoofprints (or something like that) in a full seat pattern. I’ve absolutely worn the crap out of one pair, and I definitely don’t treat them with kid gloves (they only get washed inside out if I happen to pull them off inside out)…I only wash them once every few rides, but I wear them close to every day through the late spring/summer/early fall and have washed them more than a hundred times in the two years I’ve had them. The silicone isn’t “sticky” anymore, but it’s still there and they’re still a little grippy. And then several of my high end breeches (Equiline, Animo, etc.) have silicone that’s not only stayed in place, but stayed super sticky/grippy over the course of 4-5 years use (granted I only use them at shows, but most are white and get washed every ride because…well…white). Oh, and come to think of it, I have a pair of “cheapie” breeches (Equine Couture) that I’ve worn quite a bit that have also stayed grippy and lasted forever. So my guess is that it’s a brand thing. Though with that being said, I suppose it’s possible that if your horse is unusually animated or you’re just a little loose in the tack and causing friction between the silicone and your saddle that could also contribute to wearing breeches out?
Let’s see: in the “dead” category, I have Kerrits and FITS treadlites - no grip left at all on them, and only a little stain/mark where the silicone used to be. I show in white Horze silicone FS - those have been in use all year and are fine, but then again, only worn for competition. I love the Ovation Aqua-X. Those ones I bought in the spring and have worn 1-2x/week and are OK, but the very edges of the stripes are beginning to wear. Hopefully they’ll can survive through next spring/summer 
So - maybe I’m just moving around in the tack too much for them? 
Too many! I ride one horse, 3-4x/week.
My favorites are my Romfhs - I have 2 pairs of full seat Sarafinas (though one is to replace the other pair and is still new in packaging!) and one knee patch. They are a light material that wicks well and is stretchy, but maintains structure. The color of the full seat has definitely faded with washing.
I have 2 pairs of Piper silicone full seats, which I really love for their stickiness - and the material is great at maintaining structure, but they are made from very thick fabric, and can get pretty hot for me (I live in FL). The waist is also quite low, and not so flattering for my long-waisted shape.
I have 2 pairs of Tailoreds - one purchased on super sale due to missing a stitch in the knee patch. Would love more, but hearing negative things about TS management has really put me off them. Overall, I like the fit and fabric, but they have lost some dye/aren’t as saturated as they were.
One pair of Kerrits winter breeches, one pair of Kerrits crossover knee patch (like the fabric, but the KP material is super stiff and makes me sweat a lot at the knee, really strange!), and several pairs of Kerrits tights. I’ve come to prefer the structure of breeches, though tights are cooler.
I wash all of my breeches in cold water (with similar fabric, so synthetics with synthetics only) and hang to dry, for longevity 
I have a drawer in the closet for breeches and that’s how many I can have. Adding up what I wrote below gets me to ten.
Schooling - two Romfh Serafina (probably my favorites), two Hadley, one Tredstep Rosa, and one Ovation in a mix of colors including blues, greens, gray, and one rust.
Show - two Tredstep Rosa, one Ovation, and one of those old Ariat ones that wear like iron, all in beige.
I ride five times a week.
Used to love the ovation breeches because I could always count on the fit. Now, they just seem too heavy for hot weather and prefer a more technical fabric.
Love my blue Romfhs - paid the most for them than any pair I’ve ever bought but had to have them.
All told I have about 15 pairs that are in rotation. Two are pull on tights, three are white breeches that I’ve yet to wear, three pairs of ovations, two pairs of corduroy (I had a thing for corduroy ever since I saw someone wearing a pair and thought they were the bees knees), one pair of Grand Prixs, one pair of FITS, two pairs of Romfhs, and various and sundry others. Except for one pair, they are all full seats.
I ride one horse 5 days a week and one other 1 - 2 days a week.
Update: I just bought two more pairs :o
I have this problem where I set a limit for myself: I know which brands work for me; and I don’t want to pay more than $50/pair for breeches. So, the problem is that whenever a brand I like comes up on mega-sale, I feel compelled to buy a new pair :rolleyes:
Only have one pair so far (just ordered 6 more pairs), have been riding in jean style leggings (which was fine for temporary but now I’m focusing more on training and wearing full boots as opposed to short boots and half chaps) and so now I’m upgrading to breeches. I’m only posting because I need more fit tips from you seasoned breech riders (thanks everyone) and I want to be able to reference this info. When I’m done buying I assume I will have at least 15 pairs so I can accumulate enough for my regular 7 day a week schedule (1 horse) and doing wash can wait longer than a week if necessary. More will probably come later when I find a few that I prefer, I guess. This is a necessity, not a luxury item.
I think fit has a lot to do with personal preference. For me, I have long legs and a weird shaped torso. The higher rise breeches tend to be uncomfortable in the crotch. Low rise tends to fit me better. So Pipers were my go-to for ages. I’m really liking Hadley’s right now because of the fit and fabric though.
If you decide to try Pipers or Hadley’s out, buy a few different styles and colors so you can try on what you like. Some people love the low rise, others hate it. Some like the mid-rise (me? I hate it) SP offers free return shipping. So just return what doesn’t work.
Other than that - where are in So. Cal? If you’re near LA, I suggest going to a larger tack store such as Broken Horn so you can try on various brands. Once you find a brand or two that work, you’ll know.
Thanks for that tip. Shopping is tough timewise for me lately… so I am going to let what I ordered roll in and see. I have long legs too and I don’t know how to classify my butt and hips… cripes… (I prefer not to see my rear or acknowledge it’s existence other than as an aide when riding…) I have a couple of Pipers, a couple of Devon-Aires, and an Ovation on order… (all sale items) we’ll see from there where I go. I probably live closer to Calabasas Saddlery if I get a chance to try on stuff… if they have a decent selection. It sounded from quite a few people in this thread that the Pipers would be good. Fingers crossed they work for me!
I’ve driven by a million times but have yet to stop in. There is also Demoore’s near LAEC. I tend to be just outside the realm of ‘normal’ for breech sizes (36L) so tend to have better luck online.
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