Resources for the Plus Size Rider

I am fat AND mighty. And in need of appropriate clothing.
I'm a fat person. And dammit I'm reclaiming that. It's just a fact about me for now. Maybe it will change, maybe it won't, but I'm not going to let it stand in the way of my enjoyment of my horse. I practice body positivity and this will be a fat positive space. There is a time and a place for comments about my body and this is NOT the place or the time.

So I'm going to use this space to list companies and brands that are plus size rider friendly. It's hard, as a fat rider, to find clothing that fits. It's even harder to find to show appropriate clothing that is also affordable. Because let's face it, horses are an expensive sport. And when you potentially need custom everything, it pretty much gets 10 times harder. I dream of shopping off the rack in tack stores. Dream.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any links I provide here. I DO NOT get compensation for any purchases. I will offer reviews of products where I have personal experience. If there is no review, then the link is here so I can save it for future reference and use.


Footwear

Equitector 
It appears this company has a wide range of tall boots, half chaps and paddock boots that come in calf sizes up to 20.5 inches. They do offer custom work if you can't buy off the shelf for what seems like a reasonable price for custom. Available in the US, though made in Great Britain. Additionally, you can buy 'fit insurance' if your self measurements don't result in a boot that fits you, even for non-customs. That sounds pretty good to me!

Tredstep
**I own a discontinued Plus/wide dress boot that I found on Tack of the Day**
The product is currently only available in the UK/IRE but the Donatello Plus/Wide fits up to a 20in calf. If you are able to get this product, the boot fit me out of the box, I'm still breaking them in, however and haven't ridden in them yet. I cannot speak to longevity or comfort.

Fuller Fillies
My full summation of this company is in apparel. They do offer boots and half chaps/gaiters up to a 23 in calf.

Apparel
Kerrits
Their sizes are listed up to a 2x on some items, which is a US street size equivalent of a 20-22. I have a pair of their 2x winter powerstretch and I'm an 18/20/22 depending on jean brand. These things are SUPER stretchy. They were comfortable for me to wear through my pregnancy with room to spare. I've got a lot of belly, if that gives you an idea. In Kerrits, I'm probably a 1x, but I can stretch an XL (I have a pair of ice-fil tights) and 2x is super roomy. I love their tech shirts too. Additionally, they are likely where I will purchase a show jacket as they offer plus sizing. I really want them to have their trail pant in a 1x. It looks like everything I want for endurance.
Also a bonus, you can purchase directly from Kerrits, as often tack sites like Dover or Smartpak won't have the whole size range available. But smartpak is a competitor ;)  Speaking of...

Smartpak Equine
Smartpak has a whole section just for plus size riders. They also have their own line of breeches and riding tights with expanded sizing available. A warning note: I don't consider everything in their plus sized section actually plus sized. Like the tredstep deluxe half chaps only have a calf size of up to 17 inches. Bull shit. That's just regular muscular calves. So don't get your hopes up unless you see the sizing info on individual items.
The Piper line is pretty great for riding pants. I have a pair of their bootcut pipers. They come in sizes up to a 46!! (Equivalent to around a 24/26 US street size) I also have a pair of white show breeches that are almost too big for me, which is a fantastic problem I've never had before in riding pants. There's a lot of material in the ankle, thin but a lot of it, which will make boot fit interesting.

Buckwild Breeches
I do not have personal experience with these breeches however I've heard them raved about pretty consistently by plus sized riders. Their price point is a bit more expensive than smartpak but still reasonable by breeches standards.  They have lots of fun colors for schooling and two serious as well (a white with gray full seat and tan with tan knee patches) for showing. On principle I like that they model their 'curvy mare' line with an actual fluffy model, which helps me visualize how they'll fit.

Fuller Fillies
This is a UK company but they do, according to their website, ship worldwide. I have a pair of their breeches that has held up well with decent material but they are older.  They also offer gaiters/half chaps. A word of warning, however, I've seen some stories pop up that their customer service is less than stellar and bad reviews are removed from the website. Additionally, the materials used seem to have declined in quality. They have pretty much everything you'd ever need for showing including coats and show shirts as well as casual wear as well.

RJ Classics
This company has a line of coats that goes up to a street size of 24. Specifics on measurements can be found on their website. They have a range of pricing and their cheaper coats do come in the expanded sizes (with an additional $14 of cost for size 18 and up. I haven't gone through their full offering, but not everything available has larger sizes.

Irideon
This brand is another that offers womens sizes up to 3x for some of their products. I like their powerstretch tight. It's great for colder weather riding and has held up well over the years (mine are around 10 years old). As with all things, not all of their products are plus size friendly.

No comments:

Post a Comment