Kerrits Breeches Contest Winner #1: The Fantasy Riding Tight

One of the winners of the 2016 Kerrits Kid Designer Breeches Contest is Mei-Ying Higashi. Mei-Ying Higashi, 11, has tried several different styles of riding, including western and jumpers. She is currently taking up dressage.

Mei calls her design “The Fantasy Riding Tight,” and dreamed up clever, functional ideas to make it special as well as stylish.

“I came up with the idea by thinking about what I looked for in a riding pant and what kind of things kids would like to see in a breech,” says Mei. “I focused on function (the phone pocket), safety (the reflective stripe on the side of the leg), and style (the colorful blue, purple, and pink accents). It’s the perfect combination! I designed them for a kid who loves to have color incorporated in their outfit, but still wants the classic equestrian design of breeches.”

Mei also has ideas for other more basic riding tights to mix and match with colorful and decorative tops; back- packs or carriers for all of your horse gear would also be part of Mei’s future collection.

Contest Winner #2: The Eventer

The other winner of the 2016 Kerrits Kid Designer Breeches Contest is Haley Geraci. Haley Geraci, 17, events with her Morgan cross, Winston. They are training and working hard to go to the United States Pony Club Championships this year.

“Showing and horsemanship are my passion, and I love to do it in style!” she says. We can see this from the careful thought Haley put into her design.

“I looked at a tack shop catalog and noticed the breeches’ designs, shapes, structures, material, and color choices all had a specific purpose,” says Haley. “I took note of the ones that caught my eye and rolled with it. I decided it would be best to go with a basic breech, but with unique twist. I think the main draw of the design would be its flatter- ing shape and eye-catching colors.”

Haley even has a plan to expand her collection. On the heels of “The Eventer,” she envisions “Lady Dressage” as a follow up, with the perfect amount of crystal accents to catch the light.

“There’s always a demand for the latest and greatest equestrian style,” says Haley.

Want to enter this year’s contest? Visit kerrits.com/pages/junior-designer-contest for details and an entry form. This year, designers will create breeches and a T-shirt for a #KerritsROOTD (Ride Outfit of the Day). Deadline for entries is July 1, 2019!

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Contest Winner 5-12 Age Group

The 2018 Kerrits Designed to Ride Breeches Contest winner of the 5-12 age group was Cora! Cora, who has turned 13 since she entered the contest, is in the process of adopting an off-track Thoroughbred for eventing. In the meantime, she has been riding a bay Quarter Horse gelding named Bo and a dapple-gray Welsh/Arab cross pony named Penny.

“Jumping and dressage have always been my favorite things to do,” says Cora. “I also have experience doing hunters, western and ranch.”

Cora’s riding background was helpful when it came to creating her dream breeches. They had to be multi-talented, just like her! She calls her design “The All-Around Rider.”

“I designed my breeches to be durable and ideal for all English riding,” she explains. “I put full seat and knee patch padding to provide enough grip for dressage, but not too much for jumping.”

Careful thought went into every detail, as Cora explains the reasons for her choices: reflective striping for safety; mesh for comfort and airflow on hot summer days; comfortable, boot-friendly stretch cuffs; and pockets for practicality. Even the colors—green, orange and yellow—were meant to resemble the carrot in the logo, which she added as a final touch to look cool.

“I was so happily surprised to see my design made into real breeches!” Cora says. “They made them with such high quality materials and they fit me perfectly—they look awesome from every angle. I am just shocked, excited and happy every time I see them.”

Contest Winner 13-18 Age Group

The 2018 Kerrits Designed to Ride Breeches Contest winner of the 13-18 age group was Sahale! Fourteen-year-old Sahale (pronounced suh-hailey) is a dedicated dressage rider who rides at least five or six days a week. She leases an 8-year-old Morgan named EMR Dauntless from her trainer, Sally Anderson, who bred and raised him.

“We are planning to compete at First and Second Level this summer after having a successful season at Training and First Level last summer,” she reports. “I can’t wait to see all our hard work pay off. Dauntless is an amazing horse, and we seem to click when we’re together.”

In addition to riding, Sahale has been helping her instructor train horses too. “I love all of it: riding, training, and competition!” she says.

Her winning design is called “Carrots for Kerrits.”

“It took me a while to come up with the idea for my design, but eventually I decided to use a carrot theme, since that’s what helped inspire the name of the company,” she says. “I just kept going with that all the way through, but I added personal touches like light gray stitching and accents, and a wide belt loop in the back with a Kerrits carrot on it.”

When Sahale first found out that her design was chosen, she said it didn’t really sink in.

“Seeing my breeches was amazing because it made everything feel real,” she says. “It suddenly seemed so huge that I had won and that I was able to design and wear my own breeches!”

Want to enter this year’s contest? Visit kerrits.com/pages/junior-designer-contest for details and an entry form. This year, designers will create breeches and a T-shirt for a #KerritsROOTD (Ride Outfit of the Day). Deadline for entries is July 1, 2019!

This article originally appeared in the March/April 2019 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Designed to Ride: 2018 Kerrits Breeches Contest appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Klassy Kerrits

The first winner of the 2017 Kerrits Kid Designer Breeches Contest is Daisy Erhard and her Klassy Kerrits design. Daisy Erhard, 10, has been riding since she was 6 years old and currently does hunter/jumpers. Her horse’s name is Maisy, and she’s a black Percheron/Pony of the Americas-cross. Daisy says that Maisy looks a little different than most of the ponies in her classes, but she’s fast and jumps high. She loves cuddles and the homemade horse treats that Daisy’s sister makes. Daisy’s winning design I called “Klassy Kerrits.”

“I thought of carrots because of the name Kerrits, and because horses love them, of course!” she says. “I made my pants pink and green because those are my two favorite colors.”

When she saw her breeches for the first time, Daisy says she was amazed that the breeches were exactly how she wanted them. “I put them on right away and showed them to my whole family. I have already worn them many times and everybody at the barn loves them. They all want a pair too!”

Baffled by Snaffles

Lia Quinn, 13, has always ridden and competed in hunter/jumpers, but she’s also done some dres- sage. She says the pony that taught her the most was a chestnut named Louie. “I jumped up to 3 feet on him, went on my first fox hunt, did trail rides, and even rode him without tack,” she says.

For her inspiration, Lia went straight to the horse’s mouth for a classic equestrian look.

“I included snaffle bits because those are the bits that I’ve used the most, and they made a great design,” she says.

Lia also added some great details, including stud accents and a Kerrits logo.

“I was so happy when I found out I had won the competition, and I loved the tights that were made from my design,” she says.

Want to enter this year’s contest? Visit kerrits.com/pages/junior-designer-contest for details and an entry form. This year, designers will create breeches and a T-shirt for a #KerritsROOTD (Ride Outfit of the Day). Deadline for entries is July 1, 2019!

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2018 issue of Young Rider magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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