Plus-sized Riding Apparel

In the spotlight, Life as a Globetrotter

We’ve heard firsthand the trials and tribulations of curvy globetrotters trying to find plus-sized equestrian clothing that actually fits and makes them look and feel good.

Recently we hosted a live video about globetrotting as a plus-sized rider and invited our beautiful friend Stacey West to write a blog post on the topic. Combined with our experiences designing and selling GT Apparel, it’s got us thinking about what makes for the best, comfiest horse riding gear for fuller figures.

So, naturally, we did a bunch of research, asked our trusty globetrotters and compiled this list! Read on for the best plus-sized riding apparel on the market today.

Fuller Fillies – This is far and away the brand most recommended by our globetrotters. They sell boots, jodhpurs, breeches, half chaps, socks and belts, with plans to add more products in the near future. Globetrotter Chelsey Parish sent us an email absolutely raving about this company:
“Sharing a win – I have discovered Fuller Fillies! They are a UK brand of plus-sized riding clothes, boots and chaps. I range between a size 14 and 16 and can’t find a riding jean or jodhpur that fits over the thighs and doesn’t sit so low over my bum that the rider and horse behind me have an extra view of my bum crack while in the saddle! Don’t even get me started on finding a half chap that will zip up over my calves…
Fuller Fillies have made my dreams come true. There are some Aussie stockists, but I have found it faster to order straight from their website. Just thought I’d share for any other ‘fuller fillies’ looking for riding gear that fits, supports and instills confidence. (Lol, I’m not sponsored I promise!)”
Globetrotter Sarah Cee added: “Fuller Fillies is great. Highly recommend their chaps if you have big calves!” – Fuller Fillies stocks fancy gaiters, leather half-chaps and washable half-chaps.
We were so impressed by this brand that we decided to interview the founder and designer, Suzanne Wild. Click here to learn about Fuller Fillies straight from the horse’s mouth.

ROMFH – We love the statement that welcomes you to the ROMFH website: ‘We embrace every equestrian, no matter their size, age, gender or skill level. Every Body deserves top quality and style when doing what they love.’ We also love the fact that when viewing a product, you can click ‘See all buying options’ to be shown every online store and every brick and mortar store that stocks the product. So easy!

Irideon – A popular brand, Irideon creates a wide variety of clothing for horse riders and many products are available in plus sizes, up to XXXL. Read our review of their riding tights here. To find an Irideon retailer in your part of the world, just Google search ‘Irideon’ followed by your country’s name.

Kerrits – Another brand whose riding tights we love so much we wrote an article about them! Kerrits’s plus-sized equestrian apparel includes products designed to keep you cool (a must on our warm climate horse riding holidays!), waterproof jackets, competition gear, training gear and ‘horse-casual’ clothing (did we just coin a new term?).

Equetech – A leading equestrian outfitter in the UK, Equetech has a clothing line called Curvy Riders with sizes from 18 to 24 (UK). Their range of show and hunting jackets is impressive and they also boast two styles of denim breeches. Click here for a list of their online stockists.

Wrangler – for plus-sized riding jeans, look no further (although if you want to, we have a whole article dedicated to riding jeans!). Q Baby Ultimate Riding Jeans come highly recommended, but at the time of writing there are 6 styles of plus-sized jeans to choose from including straight leg, wide leg and boot cut.

Ariat – another big name in equestrian apparel, Ariat makes a huge range of English and Western-oriented gear. They have a fair range of plus-sized apparel going up to XXXL, including jeans, breeches, shirts and jackets. Aussie globetrotters can shop here; international globetrotters can shop here.

Royal Highness Equestrian – Offering both English and Western gear, Royal Highness Equestrian (a.k.a. RHC Equestrian) has a line called RH+ which includes ladies’ boots, breeches, shirts, coats and half chaps in a HUGE range of sizes. Their website is not the easiest to work with, but they’re easy to contact if you need assistance.

Performa Ride – avid plus-sized globetrotter Stacey West has more than a few pairs of Performa Ride tights and wears them on all of her horse riding holidays! The brand has been size inclusive since the very beginning and believes strongly in the importance of plus-sized representation in the horse world.

Stickyseat – ‘Made with love in the USA’, Stickyseat specialises in pants, breeches and tights, most of which have a patent-pending ‘sticky seat’ designed to help you grip the saddle. Sizes go up to XXL (US size 22) on many products and some even have a ‘tall’ sizing variant!

FITS – known for their patented PerforMAX breeches, FITS is a high-end brand with clothing designed to provide outstanding performance while looking classically stylish. Most of their products go up to XL, but some, like these summer breeches, go up to XXL.

Fat Pony Equestrian – This is a good option for Australians as it’s a Victorian business that ships across Australia but, at the time of writing, not internationally. The brand sells a wide range of equestrian apparel for women ranging from size 6 to 26 (AU), as well as men’s and children’s apparel.

Tuffa Boots – As the name suggests, this British brand specialises in riding boots. There’s a nice range of plus sizes including different calf lengths and widths. They ship internationally, so if you can’t find a stockist in your country, you can buy direct.

GT Apparel – Not to toot our own horn too loudly, but we’re trying our darndest to cater for our beautiful big globetrotters in our clothing designed especially for travelling the world on horseback. Our tough cotton work shirts go up to a women’s size 18 (AU) and a men’s XXL, as do our women’s and men’s polo shirts. We’re working hard on expanding our range and hope to see our fave riding pants, bombachas, as well as our vests in plus sizes very soon.

Rubenesque Rider – A bonus entry for our Aussie globetrotters, on this website you’ll find plus-sized equestrian gear from the following brands: Fuller Fillies, Tuffa Boots, Equetech, Kerrits, Stickyseat and FITS.

Are there any other brands or products that you think should be added to this list? Let us know in the comments!

P.S. Want to know what it’s like to be a plus-sized globetrotter, and which horse riding holidays are the most accessible for curvy peeps? Click here!