Pros And Cons Of Dressage Saddles
The market is chock-a-bloc with horse riding necessities, and it could be a serious pain in the neck selecting something when you’re out to buy. When you are a beginner, whether you are buying at a physical store or online, the variety you run across may leave you in a state of total undecided confusion. As you get more experienced, naturally, you will develop a real knowledge of exactly what you want and whereabouts to find it, though even at this point, you will hesitate over the limitless selections available.
You’ll probably have the most difficulty in selecting saddles. Off-the-shelf saddles are fine for general purpose use, for most horse-related activities and for horses and riders of all ages, abilities and experience levels.
But the off-the-shelf generalpurpose saddle has its uses, but it is not at all acceptable for specialized use. Employing a general purpose saddle for a specialist equine event is like employing a family sedan in a Formula 1 event. Every specialised saddle is made for a specific equine discipline and a specific riding style. These saddles come with features that reinforce the performance of the pony and its rider. Like the name implies, the general saddle is a product that is supposed to suit all purposes without suiting any one purpose in particular. The all-purpose saddle can’t meet the more refined needs of advanced horse riding at the highly competitive or professional level. Every discipline calls for a particular kind of saddle. Consider the dressage saddle. Obviously, it is designed especially for dressage events, and the features incorporated in it may not make it appropriate for any other equine discipline. As a serious dressage rider, you aren’t going to get the maximum out of yourself or your pony if you are not utilizing the right saddle.
The cantle and pommel are higher than ordinary, and the panels are wider, with less padding. This permits the rider to maintain close touch contact with the pony and that in turn makes sure better coordination between the rider and the pony.
For perfect performance in dressage, the rider’s legs stretch out almost straight down below him. This is facilitated in dressage saddles by long saddle flaps that are straight cut and stirrup bars that are set somewhat further back than normal to make it simple for the rider to keep his knee down and his thigh back. The dressage saddle’s straight cut architecture also grants a good deal of freedom round the shoulder area to the pony.
Another feature of dressage saddles is longer billet straps and shorter girths that go around the horse’s stomach. This allows the rider to keep closely in touch with the horse through leg cues, as the buckles do not get in the way of the rider’s legs.
While they’re great aids, dressage saddles are an absolute must: lots of riders have been observed to ride as well as participate in dressage events all through their lives, using just general purpose saddles. Dressage saddles are really most appropriate for riders and horses who concentrate on the highly advanced levels of dressage. If you are an all round competitor who features in more than one equestrian discipline like hunting and show jumping, you won’t find it worth purchasing a dressage saddle.
If you buy a custom saddle for each event you want to participate in, you might find yourself laden with several saddles, which will naturally add significantly to your cleaning and maintaining chores!
From the other perspective, if you are dead serious about dressage as the one pony riding discipline you completely wish to master, then laying out some money on a top quality dressage saddle would likely pay off.
Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about riding hats
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