Description
Our WESTERN DRESSAGE LIGHT is the perfect choice for riders wishing to pursue training or competition in Dressage oriented Western sports but not desiring to lift the weight of a full leather saddle. Seat balance offers easy access to vertical posture alignment, and saddle is versatile in the arena or beyond.
Comfort and freedom of movement for horse AND rider while performing precise lateral and vertically-oriented maneuvers are hallmark benefits of this model. Incorporating our SMARTFLX foundation with traditional-looking western style, this saddle is a handsome functioning tool for the casual rider or serious competitor who enjoys close contact feel and amazingly sensitive leg communication with the horse.
- Easy to toss up on your horse’s back yet sturdy enough to take care of you and your horse like no other company’s lighter weight saddle.
- Leather components combined with durable, lightweight black wax wear for saddle skirts/body (covering the tree) and fenders.
- Soft cushioning under full length seat leather, with well defined seat pocket for rider comfort and security.
- Skirts are minimal in length and hug the tree closely. A special favorite for short-backed horses
- Front and rear rigging hang via our unique in-skirt engineering…but rear billets and cinch can be removed if desired for certain dressage maneuvers if rider prefers. NOTE: We recommend riding with rear of saddle secured. Use rear cinch rigging or easy-to-attach sleeve latigos attached to rear D and strung through main cinch and front rigging in V formation for stability.
- Free-swinging fenders for ease of leg aids and rider posture flexibility.
- Simple to adjust, extremely comfortable against rider’s leg and excellent for lightness in leg communication with horse.
- Versatile and athletic choice for those who don’t insist on/require an all-leather saddle for trail and arena sports.
- Exclusive Smartflx foundation – creating freedom & space for horse to
- achieve maximum comfort and efficiency in stride.
Suits all breeds. Our 2 foundation sizing choices and interface tools suit all sizes, back shapes and conformations. - The WESTERN DRESSAGE LIGHT horn is sturdy enough to use for securing rope and dragging up to a couple of hundred pounds, but saddle is not suitable for roping heavy animals or dragging hundreds of pounds.
Find out more about the features of our Western Dressage Light and/or design your own saddle on our WESTERN DRESSAGE LIGHT PRODUCT PAGE.
SMARTFLX™ TECHNOLOGY
“Welcoming” the horse’s back in motion requires that you MANAGE THE INTERFACE – which is the space between your horse’s body and the underside of the saddle. After incorporating a good saddle, this is the next most important factor for successful saddle fit when you want to give your horse the opportunity to enjoy the journey with you. With SmartSaddlePads.com saddle pads and tapered foam shims you are best equipped to custom fit the interface of your horse to adapt to individual age, top line shape and state of training.
SMARTFLX´S EXCLUSIVE, UNIQUELY SHAPED TREES ARE THE SUBSTRUCTURE AND MAJOR KEY TO SUCCESS OF ANY OF OUR SADDLES.
The very special SMARTFLX™ shape provides room needed for the horse’s back to come up in performance of any athletic maneuvers, especially ones requiring significant engagement or “collection”. Also sculpted into the SMARTFLX™ shape are the ergonomic considerations built in for the rider which enable feeling close to the horse´s body and it´s movement while securely balanced and unstressed in hip, knee and ankle joints. The “bars” and “groundseat” of the SMARTFLX™ western tree are a one-piece molded shape based on years of research and development incorporating thousands of horses worldwide. This molded piece is formed utilizing a particular, extraordinary elastomer compound material that is solid enough to support the rider and protect the horse’s back yet flexible enough to allow the horse to move as nature intended and the human to feel connected in harmony. It is amazingly thin and keeps you close to your horse. Our wooden forks and cantles provide the base stability to hold the bars at the attitude and angle that our research proved was optimal. Our english saddles are constructed with the same principles regarding the spacious, welcoming shape we know is necessary for healthy, comfortable movement. English SMARTFLX™ trees are handcrafted by Master Saddlers in England utilizing digitally sculpted, laminated beechwood bars reinforced by steel head plate and thin diagonal steel bands that support appropriate diagonal flexibility. Because the SMARTFLX™ trees are sculpted to welcome the expanded “moving” horse body, there is room to accommodate an enormous variety of horse breeds and sizes.
VersaFit unique shimming concept provides a simple way to offer dynamic custom fit. The welcoming “hug” of our saddles’ undersides provides for a physically and mentally un-restricted equine athlete capable of enjoying full physical potential under saddle.
