What is a silicone seat?
While up until a few years ago, knee and full-seat panels made from leather were the most popular choice in equestrian sports, riders now prefer their grip to be made from silicone material. Silicone offers great grip in the saddle, which benefits your balance and your overall saddle stability. And there’s another advantage: silicone panels move along with the stretch of your breeches, which makes breeches with silicone grip very comfortable to wear with excellent freedom of movement.
Silicone-grip breeches come in many different varieties and colours, including a popular denim version. One some breeches, the silicone grip is added as a simple dot pattern or other subtle shape, but there are also brands who use the silicone grip as embellishment in the shape of their logo or a decorative motif, which gives these breeches an eye-catching look.
Full seat or knee grip?
Depending on the level of saddle stability you require, you have a choice between full-seat grip and knee grip. In general, knee grip starts just above the knee and reaches three-thirds down the bottom of the calf, which benefits your saddle stability and the stability of your knee position in particular. With silicone knee patches, your are more flexible in the saddle as there’s no grip on the buttocks and thighs that keeps you in place. This allows you to follow your horse’s movements freely, without being held back by your breeches.
Compared with knee grip, a full silicone seat offers grip on the entire length of your legs and buttocks, which provides more saddle stability. A full seat doesn’t only benefit your knee grip, but your balance in the saddle too. Some riders favour a full silicone seat over knee grip, while others feel that a full seat hampers their mobility in the saddle and their ability to follow their horse’s movements. In the end, it’s all down to personal preference.
Some manufacturers offer leg grip that reaches from the knees to the thighs and that leaves the buttocks free.
Order online or visit our stores
Epplejeck carries a wide selection of breeches with full-seat silicone grip and silicone knee grip. Apart from well-known brands, such as Equestrian Stockholm, Pikeur, euro-star and Kingsland, we also sell breeches by Imperial Riding, Harry’s Horse, Quur and our house brand Epplejeck. We’d love to welcome you in one of our stores, but you can also order online, from the comfort of your own home. If the article you ordered doesn’t fit, or does not meet your expectations, you may return it within 30 days.