It seems like I’ve had a lot of people ask me lately about breech sizing, especially in regard to Aztec Diamond. I decided to pull out all of my breeches (sadly my collection has dwindled since last fall, but I still have 11 pairs across several different brands. Caveat – a couple were given to me and either I don’t know the brand or I haven’t really worn or looked closely at them yet, so I did not include those here) to measure, compare, and photograph. I’ve tried to put as much information in here as I can think of regarding each brand, how they fit, how they wear, and main features. If there’s something I didn’t cover, please feel free to ask and I’ll add it in. Hopefully this helps someone out there! I took pictures of one pair of each brand so you can see what they look like on a real person vs a model. It’s very interesting to see pictures next to each other like this… you can really tell which ones are most flattering to me vs which ones are not!
2 pairs of low rise Trophy Hunter front zips, one knee patch euro seat (size 30R) one full seat (size 30L)
Fabric: 73% cotton 20% polyamide 7% lycra
Measurements (knee patch pair):
Waist: 15.5″
Hips: 19″
Rise: 11″
Inseam to bottom: 24″
Compared to 30L Trophy Hunter full seats: the full seats are 1/4″ smaller in the waist, hips 1″ smaller, inseam 2″ longer, rise is the same.
Features:
Velcro bottom
Two pockets
Belt loop size – 2 1/8″
no euro seat lining
Stain resistant (on a scale of 1 – 5, with 1 being least resistant and 5 being most resistant): 2
Do they stretch out with wear: Yes
Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: Stiff, I usually toss in the dryer on no or low heat for a minute after they’re dry to soften them back up.
Do they dry quickly: Meh. Average.
Are they thick or thin: on the thinner side but not particularly thin
# of wears (approx): My knee patch pair I bought new last spring and have worn approx once a week since. The full seats I bought used and have worn twice myself.
Is there any fading? Yes. It’s not very noticeable with the tan obviously, but the green have already faded a good bit.
Is there any pilling? Not on the knee patch. There is a little pilling on the full seat material of the tan pair.
How well do they hide thigh cheese: Pretty well.
Any fit issues: The waist is a bit gappy on me, I have to wear a belt or they constantly slide down my hips. Especially since the more I wear them, the more they stretch and the worse they sag. Really a size 28 fits me best in the waist, but then the thighs are obscenely tight, so I buy to fit my thighs and deal with the gappy waist. Also – they always do that weird pointy thing to my butt. Always.
one pair of size I-42 and one pair of size I-44
Somehow I have two different sizes of these. The smaller ones were purchased when I was thinner, and although they’re tight now, they still fit. I know they’re two different models but they’re so old I don’t remember the names of them. If I’m able to find out I’ll come back and update.
Navy size I-42
Fabric: 90% polyamide 10% elastane, Euro seat lining 90% polyester 10% elastane.
Measurements:
Waist: 15″
Hips: 18″
Rise: 10″
Inseam to bottom: 27″
Inseam to start of sock bottom: 21″
Tan size I-44
Fabric: 90% polyamide 10% elastane, Euro seat lining 90% polyester 10% elastane.
Measurements:
Waist: 15.5″
Hips: 19″
Rise: 10″
Inseam to bottom: 27″
Inseam to start of sock bottom: 21″
Features:
4 pockets on the navy, 2 pockets on the tan
sock bottoms
lined euro seat for comfort/anti-chafing
belt loop size – 1 3/4″
silicone knee patches
Stain resistant (scale of 1-5): 4
Do they stretch out with wear: No
Do they dry quickly: Fairly quickly
Are they thick or thin: somewhere between average and a little bit thick
# of wears (approx): On the navy pair – a lot. I’ve had those for years and worn the heck out of them. On the tan pair – probably a dozen wears.
Is there any fading? The navy pair has just finally started to get the first beginning signs of fading.
Is there any pilling? At the back of the knee on both pair.
How well do they hide thigh cheese: Pretty well. The navy more than the tan, obviously. The fabric has an almost elastic feel to it that kind of helps to smooth out your more unfortunate areas.
Any fit issues: With the navy pair, no. The tan pair are just a hair big in the waist, so they can slide down a little without a belt. I’m really kind of in between an I-42 and I-44 right now.
Flight breeches and Houndstooth Luxe breeches, UK size 12
Fabric: 94% polyester 6% spandex, Euro seat lining 92% polyester 8% spandex
Measurements (the Flight breeches):
Waist 15.25″
Hips 18.5″
Rise 10.5″
Inseam to bottom 25″
Inseam to start of sock bottom 18″
Compared to Houndstooth pair: all identical measurements except Houndstooth are 1/2″ bigger in hips/upper thigh
Features:
4 pockets on Houndstooth
3 pockets on Flight
Belt loops: 1 3/4″
sock bottoms
silicone knee patches
lined euro seat for comfort/anti-chafing
Stain resistant (scale of 1-5): 4
Do they stretch out with wear: No
Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: Soft
Do they dry quickly: Very quickly
Are they thick or thin: on the thin side
# of wears (approx): The Houndstooth I got in the summer and have worn a lot since. They’re probably my favorite pair. The Flight I just got and have worn twice.
Is there any fading? No.
Is there any pilling? No.
How well do they hide thigh cheese: Pretty darn well.
Any fit issues: None, honestly. They fit like they were made for me and I find these to be the most comfortable.
2 pair of full seat breeches size 30
Fabric: main body 65% cotton, 30% poly, 5% elastane. Seat – 88% poly, 12% polyurethane.
Measurements (hot pink pair):
Waist: elastic lined. Not stretched – 14″. Stretched – 16″.
Hips: 17″, easily stretch to 19″
Rise: 11″
Inseam to bottom: 25″
Compared to same model in Tardis Blue: waist 1/4″ bigger in the blue pair, hips/rise/inseam identical.
Features:
Velcro bottom
2 pockets on one pair (pink), none on other (blue)
Belt loops: 1.5″
Stain resistant (scale of 1-5): 2
Do they stretch out with wear: Yes
Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: a little stiff, I usually toss in the dryer on no or low heat for a minute after they’ve line-dried to soften them back up.
Do they dry quickly: For full seats, decently quickly.
Are they thick or thin: on the thin side
# of wears (approx): Probably about equal on both pairs, around a dozen times each.
Is there any fading? Not yet.
Is there any pilling? Slight pilling behind the knee. A very slight fuzziness to the fabric has started as well.
How well do they hide thigh cheese: Not that well.
Any fit issues: I don’t think they’re very flattering around the tummy area, but they’re comfortable to wear.
one pair of Sit Tight Supreme full seat size Large
We have dubbed these “The Unfortunate Crotch Pants”. Luckily the crotch looks normal when you’re in a riding position, it’s just not so cute when you’re standing around. I was in between the size measurements of a Medium and a Large so I sized up rather than possibly end up with a gross thigh situation. That makes them a bit big for me in the tummy area.
Fabric: body 90% nylon 10% spandex, seat 82% PU 18% poly
Measurements:
Waist: elastic. 14.5″ unstretched, 16.5″ stretched
Hips: 19″ unstretched, 20″ stretched
Rise: 11.5″
Inseam to bottom: 29″
No other pair in this brand for sizing comparison
Features:
Neither velcro nor sock bottom – breeches taper to ankle
No pockets
Full seat is lined with Coolmax material
Belt loops: 2.25″
Stain resistant (scale of 1-5): I have not worn them yet so can’t comment on that. Will update after I wear them.
Do they stretch out with wear: see above
Are they stiff or soft out of the wash: see above again
Do they dry quickly: keep seeing above
Are they thick or thin: Thin. Like I don’t think I would wear these without an underlayer , but maybe I’m being paranoid. I’m not wearing an underlayer in the photo.
# of wears (approx): None.
Is there any fading? See first response.
Is there any pilling? Keep seeing it.
How well do they hide thigh cheese: Actually, for a thin white breech – better than you’d think. They are decently flattering on me (aside from the crotch), for what they are. I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re actually all-out flattering, but they aren’t bad.
Any fit issues: The big hips/tummy in comparison to thighs. Wish they were a little smaller up top. Also, they’re quite long. I’m 5’6″ and they work ok for me but I’d imagine a short person would have a lot of extra fabric to deal with.
If anyone else wants to participate and has other brands or other sizes, please send me the info and I will keep adding to this guide for reference. Hope this helps!
breedrideevent.com 
What a great guide! thank you for comparing all of them, it was definitely nice to see how the Aztec Diamond compares to the TS, for when I want to order a new pair of breeches!
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This is amazing! I think I may do a run-through of my breeches as well since I’m a very different body type – shorter and way more hips/booty. PEOPLE WHO MAKE/SELL BREECHES – THIS IS WHAT WE NEED.
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Please do yours! The more, the better!
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FOR REAL. I am going to add mine — I also have breeches on the cheaper end of the spectrum, so we can see how well/poorly those have held up to these nicer ones.
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I commented to someone else that I wish I’d done this all along, because by now I’ve owned just about every brand of breeches on the market. From now on, it’s a new mission! Please everyone do their own breeches and lets create an awesome online reference guide!
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Ok devastation has struck… I took the photos but can’t find my soft measuring tape!! I must get a new one so I can finish my info!!
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Errr quick question. What is “thigh cheese”?
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Cellulite 😉
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Gotcha!
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Very helpful. 🙂 I LOL’d at the phrase thigh cheese, but it’s the perfect phrase.
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BEST POST EVER, very helpful! 🙂
Also, I particularly loved the ‘keep seeing above’ lol
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Ahh!! This is awesome! 🙂 Great idea for a future post! I’m short with some thunder thighs so maybe some of the other fellow shorties out there might find it helpful to know what brands I’ve found to fit well. I love the look of the ADE, but I worry about the thinness of the material.
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The material is thin on the ADE breeches, but it covers exceptionally well and is very comfortable. Admittedly I haven’t tried on a lot of breeches in recent years and went ahead and ordered the same size Amanda wears. However, they didn’t fit when I received them. I was clearly too ambitious on size and should have gotten something larger. Realistically, I wear a 32, possibly even a 34 in some sizes. I have some extra “fluff” in the middle and that was my biggest problem with the size I selected. I emailed ADE for measurements of the waist on the next two sizes larger and went ahead and ordered the larger of the two (ADE’s 16) and I have been very happy with the fit. The waist is maybe a hair big if I’m being picky, but I like the fit. I am down to only 3 pairs of breeches, as I don’t even own an english saddle right now, the two pairs of ADE and a pair of FITS Kate winter breeches.
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This is a great post!!!
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yep i might jump on the bandwagon too – this is awesome bc i’ve definitely struggled with some of this stuff – particulary with ADE (never pulled the trigger) and Annie’s (bought the tardis blue and returned bc the full seat patch was somehow cut in such a way that it just didn’t work… tho everything else fit fine and they were cute). thanks for laying all this out!
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It was funny to me just how similar all of my current breeches are, measurement wise. You can tell that I don’t keep ones that really don’t fit well or whose fabric I really don’t like.
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Yes! Yes! Great post, very thorough and helpful!
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I remember a thread years ago on COTH where people took measurements of their breeches and posted along with sizes as a reference. Was very interesting to see the variability within certain brands! I can definitely contribute too, I have quite a few different brands and a few brands with several multiples!
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It was interesting to me to see confirmation that the biggest variation with the same brand went to Tailored Sportsman. I’ve always thought no two pairs fit the same.
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In case anyone is curious on other ADE measurements, I have a pair of Fantasia in size 10 and Houndstooth in size 8 that I measured. For what it’s worth, I’m a 25/26 in jeans and a 24/26 in most breeches. The 10s are a bit on the looser baggies side, and the 8s are a bit more snug but still very comfortable and look great!
Fantasia size UK10
Waist: 15.5″
Hip: 16.5″
Inseam: 26.5″
Thigh: 9″
Rise: 8″
Houndstooth size UK8
Waist: 14.5″
Hip: 16.5″
Inseam: 24″
Thigh: 8.5″
Rise: 8″
The measurements of the ADE houndstooth breeches are near identical to those of my Trophy Hunter front zips in a girls 16, except the ADE thighs are 0.5″ smaller.
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Thank you for adding this!
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This is great data you’ve compiled, Amanda! I am printing this and taking it to shows to help customers buying gifts for friends or when they’re too rushed to try things on. People are always asking, “my friend wears a size blabla in TS, what size should I buy?”, and it’s always a guess, as every brand fits so differently for the stated size. Thank you!!
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No problem! I hope it helps someone.
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Fab guide, thanks so much!
Love the sound of the Animos, I think I’ll add them to my dream wishlist for when I finish furnishing the flat and can start splurging on equestrian things again *sigh*
Really i need to win the lotto (and prob buy tickets to achieve this miracle)
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Excellent post. I love how a similar piece of equipment can fit so differently.
And by love, I mean “it makes me crazy and this is why I hate buying breeches”.
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Awesome to see the comparison and very helpful, thanks!
I have the same Full Seats from Kerrits, and the crotch fit on myself is not baggy- but still unfortunate. Because of the shape of the point where the full seat material meets the white at the crotch it looks, erm, like my breeches are a bit *too* tight in the crotch, if you get my drift. I like to think they don’t look so bad riding (and these things are crazy sticky, so I’d love to hold on to them), but it makes me want to cover myself just walking around.
Just sayin.
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Ha! That’s part of why I opted to keep these instead of sizing down.I feel like the opposite problem would be worse. 😉
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I was wondering about Annie’s. They seem okay, but hiding thigh cheese is very important to me 🙂
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Yeah, that’s my only real bummer with them. They win on comfort and fun factor, for sure, but I wish the fabric was a little bit more forgiving of cheesier thighs. Still, I wear them regularly for schooling dressage, because I might as well own that thigh cheese (when not that many people are around, of course).
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This makes me want to pony up for Animo. What a difference.
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I know, right? The butt alone is an amazing difference.
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Is your stain scale 1 being least resistant, 5 being most resistant to stains?
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yes. Sorry, I should specify that – will go and edit.
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Thanks! Great guide 🙂
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This is seriously the most helpful thing ever! Great guide to help others see if they should size up or down. Love it!
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Glad you find it helpful! All of my measuring was not in vain. 😉
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Absolutely not! Everyone needs to read this. If I wasn’t such a breeches snob and only wore three different brands I would add my own.
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Thank you for taking the time to do that!
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I will definitely do this once I’ve lost all the baby weight 🙂
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Really good post. Too bad about the crotch on those Kerrits. Coolmax sounds great for summer riding, and they’re quite flattering from the side view.
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Awesome post! I’ll have to chime in on some of mine. I do find my pair of Kerrits Kombi breeches, while thin, compress the thighs enough (I went down instead of up, so they’re tight in the thigh but fit my waist) to be flattering. I love the lined full seat, too. They are my favorite pair right now, despite being somewhat unfortunate in the crotch. That goes away some after laundering, and mine being smaller probably helps, too.
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Great post!! I’ll be sure to bookmark it for the future.
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Thank you for this!!!
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Looks like my next breeches will be Axtec diamond! I love the comfort of my Annie’s but agree that they are not flattering at all and stretch quite a bit. I wish I would have ordered a size down to suffer through the first wear, then they would fit me perfect!
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Great post! Maybe I will do one for ladies with a big ol’ ghetto booty like myself :p hahaha
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Great post!! Giggled at the Unfortunate Crotch ones though!
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Wow those Kerrits are bad! They are aptly nicknamed!
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I’m still laughing at the unfortunate crotch pants nickname. Wow. Just wow. I’ve never heard of the Italian line, but they look very nice. Must Google.
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Ohmygod I love this post I want to print it out and read it forever haha I wish more people did analysis like this of their breeches because I am a total review whore.
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