If you have been riding for a long time, you probably have some ideas about various apparel brands. You might even have written off some brands as being “not for you” for whatever reason. I have been in the horse world for 25ish years, and one of those brands I had written off was Kerrits. I found their overall aesthetic to be a bit too loud for my own personal taste. I also had a shirt or two of theirs from way back that just didn’t fit right, predominately being short in the torso and just an awkward shape for my body. I am sure I tried their breeches at some point, but I don’t remember exactly what my issue with them was.

Over the years I formed this opinion of Kerrits as just being a brand that didn’t work for me, and I never tried them again. If I saw their apparel while browsing a website I would just scroll right past it. Since I do a lot of my shopping online, I never really got a chance to see their clothes in person, or had the ability to try them on, so my “judgement” of them was definitely unfounded. As it turns out, I really really love Kerrits!

My mom recently got back into riding after a 20 year hiatus. Going to the tack store with her, I realized that the good deals I search all over the internet for are not easy to find for those new to the sport. If you don’t know what fits, you often have to to walk into a store and pay full price for whatever you find that works for you. While shopping with my mom, I realized I really didn’t have a clue about some of the brands with even close to affordable price points. I know what works for me, but I only shop sales or 2nd hand, and often scour the internet for it. Helping my mom find stuff that wasn’t insanely expensive but still good quality was pretty tough.

Enter Kerrits! Their spring line has some really nice options that really spoke to my sense of style. Subtle but still pretty colors, with fit and fabric that is SO nice. I got two of their breeches, a sun shirt (you can never have enough), and a raincoat, because I didn’t actually have one and the arena at my barn isn’t  covered and spring showers will be upon us soon. Let’s start with the breeches!

 

Crossover II Knee Patch Breeches

Price: $109

This is an updated version of the Crossover breech that is new with their spring line. Advertised as their “lightest weight breech”, they are not wrong! The fabric is super lightweight but still feels really nice and not like a tight (sorry if you love tights, I  just don’t prefer them because I want a bit more camouflage and support.) The Crossover II has a really nice mid-rise fit with an impossibly comfy 2 inch waistband.

I feel SO TRIM wearing them. They have front pockets that are deep enough to hold your stuff without losing it, but still really slim and magically don’t seem to add any bulk. I really like the knee patches too. Kerrits calls them “grip soft” but they are like a soft vinyl-ish material. Shockingly, the length isn’t too short on me! They are actually decently long which I truly appreciate. The size M fits me great. I’m normally a 28 in brands like TS and Romfh, but some 28s are a bit snug on me (like SmartPak Hadleys). Because they are pretty stretchy I feel like a size medium would also work for people who wear 30s. If you’re a 26 I imagine you could do a small, as the mediums are definitely not too tight on me.

My ONLY gripe is they were a tiny bit tight in the knees when I was driving in my car and my knees were bent at a 90 degree angle. The angle of my knees in the saddle wasn’t uncomfortable, but while driving I did notice a tightness of the fabric on my knee caps. I couldn’t really figure out why that was, because the fabric felt plenty stretchy and really comfortable everywhere else. This certainly wouldn’t  keep me from buying more pairs, but if you have fuller knees it might be a bit tight there.

I also appreciated the subtle but cute branding. I don’t prefer huge brand logos in general, and the Kerrits tag and carrot logo are super tastefully done. This is a terrific schooling breech that is comfy enough to do yoga in.

Affinity Ice Fil Knee Patch Breeches

Price: $139

Also a new addition to their spring line, this breech is their “top of the line” model. I will be completely honest and say that I would show in these breeches. They look TERRIFIC and fit perfect. The branding is super subtle, and they would fit right in in the show ring.

The material feels impossibly lightweight while still giving plenty of coverage. I won’t  lie,  I have cellulite on my thighs and I don’t  need that showing through skin-tone breeches. The waist band is also 2 inches and shockingly comfortable, and the mid-rise is equally flattering as the Crossover breeches. The silicone grip knee patches aren’t too grippy that they rub your knees when you post at the trot (yes, I have had breeches with silicone knee patches that do that and it’s ouchy).

These breeches are just as comfy as my Romfh Sarafinas with even lighter weight material and a better price point. The sock bottoms (on both breeches) also couldn’t be comfier. I literally have zero complaints about them. They are fabulous!

 

Ice Fil Lite Long Sleeve Shirt

Price: $59

I am a diehard Kastel & Asmar fan for shirts. Their shirts tend to be the only ones with sleeves long enough for me. So much so that I rarely stray from those brands when it comes to sun shirts. I bought 2 SmartPak sunshirts and although I like the material, the sleeves are comically shirt. I never thought I’d find a truly affordable option that actually fits and works in Texas summers. I bet you can see where I’m going with this… I was wrong!

The Kerrits Ice Fil sunshirt is a crazy lightweight, almost mesh, material. The sleeves are also a great length which was definitely a surprise. The size small is a great fit on me, it’s not too tight or clingy. No need to size up in these. If I’d sized up to a medium (like I do in some shirts) it would definitely be too big.

The lilac color is gorgeous, and I want it in every color now. I have no gripes about this shirt. I can absolutely tell it will be plenty cool in the heat of the summer. It was pretty warm this weekend (70ish) and I felt extremely cool in it. When one of the horses I rode slime drooled me it dried super quick and you couldn’t even tell it was there.

 

Rain Stopper Jacket

Price: $139

A good lightweight rain jacket is basically worth it’s weight in gold when your barn doesn’t have a covered. Even if it does, you’ll want one for horse shows. The subtle styling and thoughtful details of the Kerrits raincoat make it feel really luxurious. I adore the horse head pattern that isn’t “in your face” but still provides interest.

There is a back zipper that you can  unzip once in the saddle that allows it to fan out and nicely and drape over your leg as well as covering the back of your saddle. The fully seam sealed liner is awesome and definitely let’s me know I won’t have any leaking issues. Best part? It’s super lightweight and doesn’t  have that icky plasticky poncho smell that some raincoats have.

Texas isn’t known for being cold so I can already tell I’m going to appreciate the mesh vents (covered so they don’t let in water of course) on the upper back of the coat. The sleeves are plenty long, and the fit feels really nice. I got a medium so if it was cold I would have plenty of room to wear it over a coat and I’m happy with the sizing.

 

What else can I say? Kerrits is really stepping up their game, and I will no longer underestimate them! I’m really excited to be in  love for a brand at is at a more accessible price point.