Memorial Day weekend is one of the few times I actually tell people to shop. Not because the deals are always earth-shattering, but because if you’re going into a full summer of schooling, shows, and long barn days, this is the moment to refresh before the real heat arrives. And if you’re already on the FRE catalog fence — about a second pair of breeches, a sun shirt that actually does its job — this weekend is when to stop thinking and just buy the thing.
Three pieces I’d grab right now: the Lux Zip Breeches, the Lux Hybrid Breeches, and the Sara Sun Shirt. Here’s why each one earns its place in a summer rotation — and who each piece actually suits.
This post contains affiliate links. If you shop through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you — and you’ll get my reader discount. I only feature gear I’d actually put on my own horses or wear for a full day in the saddle.
Lux Zip Breeches: The One You Reach for Every Day
At $95, the Lux Zip is FRE’s workhorse breech, and it has earned that title. The fabric is lightweight enough that you’re not losing your mind in a July schooling session — it breathes better than most knee-patch breeches at this price point, and the weight doesn’t trap heat the way heavier technical fabrics can.
The zip-front waistband is the feature people either immediately understand or completely underestimate until they’ve used it once. After a long ride where your core has been working and your waistband has been fighting back, that zip matters. It’s not a gimmick. It’s functional, and it makes the waistband adjustable in a way that a standard pull-on simply isn’t.
Fit notes: The Lux Zip runs true to size in the leg but the waist can feel generous on narrower frames — size down if you’re between sizes and carry more of your measurement in your hips. The knee-patch grip is enough for flatwork and hunter/jumper schooling, but if you’re doing deep-seated dressage work or want more grip through a full-seat, the Hybrid (below) is the better call.
Color-wise, this is the most stocked line FRE makes — fourteen colors including Sand, Ocean, Periwinkle, and Beachy Green for riders who want something other than black on a hot day. I’d lean toward Sand or Ocean for summer if you’re adding a second pair. Lighter colors show sweat less obviously than you’d expect, and the fabric doesn’t go transparent — something worth confirming before you buy a white breech from any brand.
With 170+ reviews per colorway, this is one of the most vetted breeches FRE makes. That review depth matters. It means the sizing consistency holds across production runs, not just one early batch.
Lux Hybrid Breeches: For the Riders Who Need More Grip
Same fabric as the Lux Zip, different construction — and the differences are meaningful. The Lux Hybrid is a pull-on waistband with a full-seat silicone grip, which puts it in a different category entirely from the Zip.
Full-seat grip changes how you sit. If you’re working on steadying your position, if you ride a horse that’s unpredictable through the downward transitions, or if dressage is your primary discipline, the full seat gives you security the knee-patch version simply doesn’t. The silicone grip on the Hybrid is well-placed — it doesn’t climb too high on the seat or extend too far down the thigh, so it grips where you need it without feeling like you’re stuck to the saddle.
The pull-on waistband is a clean, flat band — no zip, no bulk. This makes it a better choice under show coats because there’s nothing at the front waistband to create a ridge. If you’ve ever had a zip-front breech show through a fitted coat, you know exactly why this matters.
Who this is NOT for: if you have any waistband sensitivity, the pull-on has less adjustability than the zip. It also has the most reviews of any FRE breech — 450+ — which is worth noting because that’s a large enough sample that you can trust the sizing feedback in those reviews. Read the recent ones before ordering if you’re between sizes; the community is specific about how this one fits across body types.
At $95, the Hybrid and the Zip are priced identically. This is not a “better” or “worse” question — it’s a function question. Knee-patch and zip-front for daily schooling variety, or full-seat and pull-on for grip-forward riding and cleaner show-ring lines. Ideally, you own both.
Ready to try the Lux Hybrid? Use code ELEVATED10 for 10% off at Free Ride Equestrian → https://shopfre.com/elevated10
Sara Sun Shirt: The Sun Protection That Doesn’t Cook You
The Sara Sun Shirt is FRE’s UPF sun shirt, and it does the job a sun shirt is supposed to do — protect your arms and shoulders from direct sun without making you feel like you’re wearing a second skin in 92-degree heat.
I’ve talked about sun shirts extensively elsewhere on this site — if you want the deeper breakdown of what actually works in extreme heat, the podcast has a full episode on summer riding gear. The short version here: UPF coverage only helps if the shirt actually breathes, and this one does. The fabric is lightweight and moves with you rather than bunching at the elbows when you’re posting or folding forward on a jump approach.
Available in Raspberry, Navy, and Periwinkle. Navy is the practical pick — it photographs well, it’s appropriate at shows, and it works as warmup-ring coverage if you’re showing on a hot day and want your arms protected before you put the coat on. Raspberry is the one I’d grab if you want something that doesn’t look like a medical garment or a fishing shirt, which is the aesthetic problem some sun shirts run into.
Honest note: the Sara is newer to the FRE lineup and has fewer reviews than the Lux breeches — three to six per color at the time I’m writing this. That’s not a red flag given where FRE’s other products land on quality, but it does mean there’s less community sizing data to pull from. The fit is consistent with the rest of FRE’s tops. If you’ve ordered an Amelia or Cassidy and liked the fit, the Sara will feel familiar through the shoulders and torso.
Who this suits: outdoor riders, anyone showing in the heat, trail riders, anyone who has dealt with sun damage and is finally taking it seriously. Who it doesn’t suit: if you exclusively ride indoors in a climate-controlled arena, a sun shirt is not your priority purchase this weekend. Spend that money on a second pair of breeches instead.
At $65, the Sara is one of the more practical buys in FRE’s summer catalog. Sun shirts from other brands frequently run $80–100 for comparable UPF ratings. Getting this one now, before the peak of summer, means you have it broken in before the worst riding months.
The Case for Buying During a Sale Weekend
I want to say something plainly about sale timing, because I think there’s a tendency to overthink it: the Memorial Day window is real for a few reasons. Summer show season kicks into full gear in June. FRE’s color options in the most popular sizes (typically 28–32 in breeches) deplete through summer. And if you’ve been sitting on the fence about a color — that Ocean Lux Zip, that Raspberry Sara — the fence-sitting has a cost when the colorway sells out in your size by July.
The 10% off with ELEVATED10 stacks on top of any existing sale pricing. It’s not a dramatic discount on a $95 breech, but on a pair of breeches you’re going to wear four times a week for the next four months, $9.50 off is $9.50 you didn’t have to spend.
If I were shopping this weekend specifically, I’d buy: one Lux Zip in a color I don’t already own, one Lux Hybrid in Black for shows and dressage schooling, and the Sara Sun Shirt in Navy. That’s a complete summer kit for around $250 before the discount — which, for what you’re getting in terms of daily wearability and durability, is reasonable.
Ready to build your summer kit? Use code ELEVATED10 for 10% off at Free Ride Equestrian → https://shopfre.com/elevated10
