SmartPak Piper Mid Rise Breeches Review

It’s no secret I’m a Piper Breeches fan (it was one of the first product reviews I did on the blog}, and I found out recently that most of my barn besties are too! On the day I had the talented Lady Photographic come to the barn to take pictures for this SmartPak Piper Mid Rise review, I explained to my trainer, “I’m doing a Piper review,” and she said, “I love my Pipers!” and then there was a chorus of other “I love Pipers too!” that erupted from from near the tack room.

This was not planned. I swear. We really were all wearing Pipers that day.

“Let’s take a group shot!” I suggested. So poor Knight had to stand as our backdrop as we tried various poses ranging from Charlie’s Angels to Sorority Sisters to a backside shot that looked a little too risque for this G-rated blog. Here is our best picture: the riders of Le Cheval Sporthorses sporting Pipers.

You can see that we have different body types, but the Pipers are fantastic on all of us. Actually, J (wearing the tan breeches) said hers were the precursor to the Pipers and she bought them like 7 years ago.

My History with Piper Breeches

When I discovered Pipers via a SmartPak catalog a few years ago when I was first getting back into riding, I ordered two pairs, in two different sizes. I’m wary of ordering pants online so I wanted to maximize my possibility of sizing success.

My first Pipers were great–comfy and easy to wash, but I felt like I was truly in between sizes. The larger pair made me feel like I had on mom jeans and the smaller pair made me feel like I was “that girl” who tried to wear pants who were maybe a little too tight. But I did appreciate the “sucking in the gut” factor of the smaller size.

It’s important to coordinate your breeches with the jumps. (All photos by Lady Photographic.)

With both of these Pipers I had to wear a belt. If I didn’t have one with the little bit too large size would gap out in the back and I feared in the smaller pair I would have a plumber pants moment. If you don’t know what I mean by plumber pants, click here to read the Urban Dictionary definition. You’re welcome.

Back to my first Piper breeches. I still wear the mom breeches (at “that time” of the month) and I sadly outgrew the smaller ones and so I passed them along to a very appreciative teen rider at my barn. So this alone shows that the Piper line is extremely durable. (My “mom breeches” are now almost four years old.)

I love this particular blue with the orange trim.

Last summer I fell in love with SmartPak’s Hadley Breeches, and I thought it was over between Piper and me. The Hadley’s particular fit was much improved for this horse girl with hips. I always feel like I’m put together as they are a little bit more formal than the Pipers. Read my Hadley review here. 

So although I was now a huge Hadley fan, I had read on another equestrian blog that the Piper line featured other fits so I thought I’d give the Piper Mid Rise Breeches a go (thank you to SmartPak for sending me this pair for my honest review).

Mid Rise Pipers, where have you been all my life? That’s all I have to say.

This fit no longer makes me feel like I’m too “poured in” to my pants nor wearing mom jeans. And the colors are super fun like my Lapis blue with Orange Spice trim. Almost every time I have worn these breeches I have gotten a compliment. (Everyone loves this bright hue of blue!)

So if you have tried Piper breeches before and felt like they just weren’t quite right for your particular shape, you should definitely check out their Mid Rise breeches because they just might be your perfect match.

Leave a Comment: What breeches do you love the most and why?

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