The Kerrits Griptek II Fullseat Breech in white, black, tan and storm. Images courtesy of Kerrits.
I am very much a creature of habit. Ask anyone who knows me. Once I find something I like, I tend to stick with it, whether it’s my favorite pizza recipe or my favorite pair of breeches. When I do happen to venture away from my faves, I usually end up right back there. Kerrits is one of my favorite equestrian clothing companies. Their story is impressive, their name is cool, and their clothes are functional, fun and budget friendly.
My “horse” closet tends to be 80 percent Kerrits and 20% everything else. And when it comes to breeches I am strictly a fullseat girl. No knee patches for me. No sir! I am all about any extra “stick to the saddle” I can get. I love Kerrits’ fullseat options, particularly the Flex Tight II, so when the GripTek series was introduced, I was quick to put them to the test.
Specifically marketed to eventers, I originally ordered a pair of Griptek II Fullseat Breeches in Bluestone, which is a bright, royal blue. Since my cross country colors include royal blue and lime green, they fit right in with the rest of my closet. I thought I would test them out. If I liked them, I would order another pair in a more traditional color, like white or black; if I didn’t I’d have an extra pair of schooling tights.
I needn’t have worried. I love them! The color is amazing and contrasts wonderfully with the sticky black of the fullseat. They are flexible where they need to be, sticky where I want them to be, breathable where they should be, and as a bonus, they don’t show all those little unsightly (ahem!) dimples we older (cough! cough!) riders want to hide. The GripTek pants are infused with Coolmax fabric technology, which is an added bonus in the humid-filled South. However, my two favorite features are the pockets (a must have for my spearmint greedy pony) and Kerrits’ Fool Rise waistband, a feature developed by Kerrits that helps keep the junk in your trunk hidden by making the waist of the pants “taller” in the back while still being lowrise in the front.
Kerrits puts a lot of time and energy into color coordinating each season’s selections of styles so that they can easily be mixed and matched. They function like a true fashion house in that sense, discontinuing the previous season’s trending color selections for new ones, while holding onto the basics such as white, black and tan. My favorite bright blue color is currently on closeout (bummer!) This season’s hot color for GripTeks is a gray-blue hue called Storm. Retailing at $119, they are a steal for a high quality pair of full seat breeches with maximum stick. The white and the tan are “horse show” perfect for dressage, stadium or cross country, and in my world you can never have too many pairs of black breeches.
I am the proud owner of three pairs of these fabulous pants. Whether you need breeches for schooling or for show, I highly recommend them for any rider looking for high quality, fashionable fullseat pants on budget.
Check ’em out on the Kerrits website here.
Go Eventing!
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