THE WINNING SOURCE IN EQUESTRIANISM SINCE 1975
EVENTING • DRESSAGE • JUMPING
Often described as the “ballet of horse riding,” dressage is an equestrian discipline rooted in discipline, grace, and athletic harmony. Whether you are just starting out or competing at the elite level, dressage serves as the essential foundation for every successful horse-and-rider partnership.
Effective dressage training is built upon a systematic progression known as the Scale of Training. To achieve excellence, riders must prioritize these foundational elements in order:
Rhythm: Developing a consistent tempo in every gait.
Suppleness: Ensuring the horse is relaxed and physically flexible.
Contact: Establishing a soft, steady connection through the reins.
Impulsion: Harnessing the horse’s natural energy and power.
Straightness and Collection: Balancing the horse for advanced maneuvers.
The journey through the levels of dressage is a marathon, not a sprint. As a team progresses, they move from Introductory and Training levels toward the pinnacle of the sport: Grand Prix. Along the way, riders master complex dressage movements, including:
Lateral Work: Exercises like leg-yields and half-passes to improve agility.
Pirouettes: Controlled turns on the haunches that demonstrate extreme balance.
Piaffe and Passage: Highly collected, rhythmic movements that showcase the horse’s ultimate athletic power.
The hallmark of a great dressage rider is the ability to communicate through nearly invisible signals. By refining the use of weight, leg, and hand aids, riders achieve a “silent” dialogue. This level of harmony allows the horse to perform intricate movements with ease, appearing as though they are dancing of their own volition.
To perform high-level movements, your horse needs complete freedom of movement. A custom-fitted dressage saddle is not just a luxury; it is essential for preventing restriction in the shoulder and back.
Our specialized saddles are designed to:
Support a Deep Seat: Helping the rider maintain a vertical, balanced position.
Allow Maximum Performance: Ensuring the horse can engage their hindquarters without interference.
Enhance Communication: Providing a close-contact feel for more precise aids.
These are a small selection of the saddles we carry in stock with immediate availability.
Fairfax Saddles are renowned for their scientific design, development and testing. They make saddles, girths and bridles that are proven to relieve pressure and improve the horse’s performance, which is why they are chosen by some of the best riders in the world. Experienced saddlers make their saddles in Walsall, England using a mixture of traditional techniques and cutting-edge technology. Their innovative designs are proven by science and protected by patents, their ground-breaking research is regularly published in reputable scientific journals and presented at veterinary conferences worldwide.
Since 1934, Bates Saddles have been driven by a philosophy of innovation focused on saddle performance and comfort for both you and your horse. When it comes to saddle fit and your horse’s comfort, Bates Saddles are the optimum choice. Our research and development team have pioneered modern saddle adjustability, and are responsible for many of the saddle features that address the comfort of horses today. We have earned our reputation as the industry experts in developing creative solutions to optimise horse and rider comfort and performance. We work alongside elite riders to develop highly specialised saddles in each of their chosen disciplines. Our success lies in identifying the changing needs of horses and riders. We are thorough in our research, employing every means available to us in evaluating our products. Bates Saddles enlists the services of expert physicists, veterinarians, and saddle fitters to assist in appraising our saddles, ensuring complete confidence in their proven advantages.
Prestige Italia has been designing, manufacturing and distributing saddles and riding accessories since 1974. The first company in the district of Vicenza, known worldwide for the art of tanning, Prestige Italia is internationally renowned for the quality and design of its riding products, specifically saddles and leather harnesses. Made in Italy by vocation, prestige Italia combines the ancient know-how of master saddlers with an industrial manufacturing approach, respectful of everyone involved in the production chain.
Handcrafted in northern Italy, a region renowned for its top-quality leather, Erreplus saddles are made from premium bull leather for exceptional performance. Designed for modern sport horses, our innovative saddle trees enhance comfort for those with regular or prominent shoulders. Adjustable, flocked panels ensure a custom fit, expertly maintained by our network of Society of Master Saddlers Qualified Fitters, keeping your saddle perfectly adjusted for you and your horse throughout its lifetime.
The Ideal Saddle Company is one of the largest manufacturers of all leather saddles on wooden saddle trees in the world, offering an extensive range of dressage, show jumping, eventing and showing styles. For over thirty years we have been based in Walsall, the home of English saddlery, and our range of saddles offers unrivalled choice in quality, style and performance, whether you’re a leisure rider, a competitive amateurs or a top level professional. With skilled fitting, the finest workmanship and our trademark flexibility we create the IDEAL saddle for you AND your horse, ensuring that you can both achieve your best.
Kent & Masters saddles are expertly made in England and are proud that all their leather saddles are handmade in England by skilled craftsmen and qualified master saddlers using traditional techniques. They combine this heritage with scientific research & testing plus saddle-fitting expertise to develop fitting solutions for even the trickiest conformation.
Albion’s guiding principle is simple. Blending traditional values and artisan craftsmanship with revolutionary innovation and state of the art technology, they take tremendous pride in producing beautifully handcrafted equestrian supplies. Established in 1985 with a core vision, the brand began to pioneer a truly premium range of equestrian supplies. Since then, they have gained an outstanding reputation for providing premium quality, excellent customer service and for being talented saddle makers.
