English Track

Treeless Saddle ARTS-26001

An advancement on the traditional bareback pad, treeless saddles commonly use stiff, bendable pads and layers of foam as a foundation for bearing the rider's weight. They are made of synthetic materials or leather, and are available in all varieties of western and English saddle styles.

Treeless saddles are often said to be more "natural," more comfortable for riders and/or horses, or more universally fitting for all equine back shapes and rider seats.

Leather Bridles ARLB-27001

Bridle Leather refers to the way that a piece of leather (cow hide) is finished at the tannery. Bridle leather has both the Flesh and Grain side of the leather stuffed with greases and finished with wax. This is generally a labour intensive process, thus expensive!

The purpose of bridle leather is threefold;

It's expected to look good. That is, it must have good depth of colour that changes over time and use and be attractive to look at, it must age well and it must not have natural imperfections that weaken the leather.

It is expected to be smooth, comfortable and flexible to handle. It is designed for use in bridles, so must be comfortable for a horse to wear next to the skin. Therefore the treatment of the flesh side is as important as the grain side as the flesh side is typically worn next to the horses skin and must be smooth.

It is expected to be both strong and durable. The riders life literally depends on bridle leather not failing unexpectedly. Its is subjected to quite high loads, and must tolerate this time after time. An item of saddlery is typically expected to last for 10 or more years of use, so not only must the leather be strong, but it must survive poor weather, dirt, everything being in contact with a horse throws at it for many years.

English Saddle Pad ARSP-31001

The fundamental purpose of horse saddle pads is to provide a thin layer of cushioning between the horse's back and its saddle. A saddle pad protects against friction caused by the saddle rubbing against the horse, and it helps protect the saddle by absorbing some of the horse's perspiration.

A saddle pad (US) or numnah (UK) is thicker, usually with layers of felt, foam or other modern material sandwiched between a tough outer cover on top and a soft cover on the side in contact with the horse. The best designs absorb shock and minimize fatigue for the horse's back muscles.

Jumping Saddle ARJS-21001

The jumping saddle, sometimes called a "forward seat" or "close contact" saddle, is designed for show jumping, hunt seat equitation, foxhunting, and the show jumping and cross-country phases of eventing. Like the All-Purpose saddle, the jumping saddle usually has three short billets.

A saddle designed for jumping only will require your stirrups to be short to have the appropriate support from the saddle. It will help you while jumping to stay balanced over your stirrups with a secure leg and allow the horse to do his job well by keeping the rider balanced and secure. Some riders may find it harder to do flatwork in or hack in, (especially longer, walking hacks), as it requires shorter stirrups than may be comfortable. A jump saddle that fits the rider well, will allow the rider to shorten the stirrups as short as needed to have a secure and stable leg.