Dressage Saddles

Since the ancient period, dressage has been known to be a sport or a competitive meet in which warriors, knights and riders had been participating with their horses, in order to exhibit their potential as riders, and also their horse’s concentration levels and strength to learn, throughout history. Dressage is known to be around since the time of ancient Greeks (since abut 2000 A.D), where Greek knights and warriors used to participate in dressages for dignity and valor, organized in huge dressage arenas, to train their horses and exhibit the skills of the battlefield. Since that time, dressage has evolved a lot and has transformed itself into an able and a skillful sport. Just like any other sport, dressage requires utmost preparation on the part of both the rider as well as the horse. The preparation for the dressage involves the use of the right type of accessories which prove to be comfortable for both, the horse as well as the rider. One such class of accessories is the dressage saddles.

Dressage saddles are a very important part of the preparation process for any kind of a dressage event. A general saddle is a seating accessory which is placed on the back of the horse and is used by the rider to mount on the horse. The purpose that a saddle solves in ridding a horse is that it provides a stable platform to the rider, so as to place his body on the horse and to ride the horse comfortably. The saddle must also provide some desirable shock absorbing functions so as to prevent the rider from dismounting off the horse owing to the jumps and jerks he receives during the ride. A dressage saddle is also a general saddle, with a few added features. First of all, dressage saddles have a deeper cut seats and flatter flaps, that are cut straight, as compared to the saddles generally used for riding horses. The reason for such features is that dressage requires a steady mount on the horse for the rider and a greater contact with the body of the horse. This is much more needed in dressage. The close contact is helpful for the efficient cueing and direction of the horse to the vims and fancies of the rider.

Dressage saddles can be found to be of various different types and makes, differing according to the manufacturer, material as well as the specific application they are being used for. One of the most popular and widely used classes of saddles is the dressage saddle of English make. The advantage that these saddles offer is that they are highly customizable. You can easily customize them according to your requirements like adding longer, additional flap etc. They are very safe and strong except only one drawback. The leather used foe making English Dressage Saddles is not of the highest quality. Apart from these, there are various types of saddles available from different makers, that provide you with good quality leather, more comfortable mounting facilities, greater grips as well as better customizations. It all depends upon what kind of a dressage saddle you require.