FORHORSEPEOPLE • ABOUTHORSEPEOPLE
SIDELINES JUNE 2014 67
fabrics they wore in competition. “In the performance apparel
industry, we were really starting to push the envelope,” Sheryl
said. “At Speedo, in the ’80s, we were looking for fabrics and
finishes that could functionbetter for theathletesand reducedrag
in thewater.”
Sheryl returned to the saddle in hermid-30s, first with eventing
and then later focusing on her newfound love, dressage. Upon
her return to riding, she quickly realized all of the advances in
sportswear and athletic apparel she’d been a part of had yet to
affect her most beloved sport. “As a child, I always thought riding
clothes were very uncomfortable and restricting. When I began
riding as an adult, after workingwith the best of the best in terms
of technical apparel brands and fabric, I was shocked riding
clothinghadnot progressed fromwhat they hadbeenwhen I was
a child,” she said.
At this point, Sheryl began her own study of everything she
felt was missing in riding breeches, particularly full seats. For
years, she kept notes on different fabrics, styles and materials,
paying close attention to ways she could improve fit, form and
functionality. She talked with fellow riders about her ideas and
made sketches, working to solve all of these problems that
plagued somany riders in different Englishdisciplines.
Even with all of her experience in performance fabrics and
design, Sheryl had hesitations about beginning her own apparel
company.Regarding thechallengesshe’sencounteredwithFITS,
Sheryl said the biggest was “simply making the leap to actually
do it.” As someone who grew up in a family business, she knew
very well owning a company would not only require a financial
commitment, but also a lifestyle change due to the time demands
of owning a business.
To test thewaters of theequestrianapparel market, Sheryl first
developed a line of embellished, equestrian-themed shirts. With
bigger and better things in mind for the future, she named her
T-shirt line Fun In The Saddle, knowing its acronym, FITS, could
easilymake the transition to a performance apparel line and take
onanew title, Functional InnovativeTechnology inSport.
In 2004, a personal loss inspired Sheryl to take her plans for a
new kind of riding breech andmanufacture it for themodern-day
horsewoman. She introduced the A600 Original FITS Performax
Full Seat, a breech that has undergone minor changes but
continues to be a best seller to this day.
Notable for their unique segmented deerskin leather design, all
FITS breeches are carefully created to ensure the rider has a full
rangeofmotionwhile in thesaddle, somethingSheryl findscrucial
as a rider. “When I started eventing, I put on a pair of full seats
for the dressage phase andwas utterly appalled by theway they
totally restricted my ability to move with my horse,” she said. To
allow for a close-contact feel all over, all breeches also feature a
gusseted, seamless crotch design and a powerful but breathable
stretch fabric at the inner calf and ankle. FITS breeches strive,
and are consistently praised for, their ability to flatter a rider’s
body, specifically a woman’s. This feature is intentionally and
thoughtfully designed by Sheryl, who describes herself as slow
andmethodical. “I like to design and then ponder and test over a
lot of time,” she said.
Nearly a decade after its first pair of breeches was released,
the company now offers a wide variety of innovative products
to equestrians, including knee-patch breeches, technical riding
shirts and show coats. In order to protect the unique designs
painstakingly developed by Sheryl over many years, FITS also
holds two U.S. utility patents for its full-seat breeches and is
working on obtaining patents in Europe. Currently, the company
only manufactures riding apparel for women — though Sheryl
knows of some prominent male riders who enjoy wearing FITS
breeches in the saddle.
As for Sheryl, when she isn’t working on the latest FITS
prototype, she canbe found spending timewithMonty, a15-hand
WelshCob she bought five years ago as a 10-year-old unbroken
stallion. “I hadhimon trial for sixweeksasastallionand I thought,
Even if I don’t geldhimandhe stays thisway, I coulddo this
,” she
said. “He was exactly what I wanted as far as size and price, so
I bought him.” Sheryl did end up gelding Monty, whom she now
shows in second level dressagewhileher trainer has takenhim to
third level, going as far as towin the freestyle competition at their
USDF regionals last year. “He’s a rock star, he really is,” Sheryl
added.
Looking back at her years with FITS, Sheryl said, “It’s been
an amazing ride from the beginning. We’ve been profitable from
day one and have grown annually year over year. I’d anticipate
this trend to continue, especially as we have some new breech
technology in development at this time that’s very exciting.
Currently we’re very strong in eventing and growing in dressage
nicely. We see tremendous opportunity for FITS in other riding
disciplines,” she said.
One thing is certain. Sheryl and her company, FITS, will never
stop trying to revolutionize ridingapparel,making the timespent in
thesaddlebyamateursandprofessionalsalikemorecomfortable,
productive andenjoyable.
Formore information onFITS, visit
.
About thewriter:After leavingbehindachildhood inTexascenteredaroundhorses,
Kaitlin Christopherson went on to graduate from Loyola University New Orleans
where she studied literature, communicationsandFrench. Now, she’s reentering the
world of equestrian sports as a young adult amateur based in Lexington, Kentucky.
As a
Sidelines
writer, she shares her perspectives on the challenges, triumphs,
people and horses she encounters while pursuing lifelong dreams of riding and
competing. ReadKaitlin’s “TheHopeful Amateur” blog on the
Sidelines
website.
Photos courtesy of FITSRiding
Oneof FITS’ newest designs, theZephyr ShowCoat.
