The dressage saddle is made up of the same basic items that any saddle is made up of. There is a seat for the rider, stirrups, a pommel and reins. What differentiates the dressage saddle from other saddles is the placement of these components and how they are used when riding. There are major differences in this type of saddle from the other types of saddles as is going to be illustrated here.
A dressage saddle uses a dressage saddle pad that is thinner than those used in other saddles. This is so that the horse can feel the slight commands that are given by the rider when going through the dressage routine. It is vital that both have more ability to feel these slight pressures in order to effectively have the skills that dressage requires.
For this reason, the saddle is going to sit lower than that of other saddle types. This gets the rider even closer to the horse which again allows for more subtle contact. There is not much room between the saddle and rider so any slight shift in the rider’s movement is going to be translated to the horse.
The treeless dressage saddle is the same as any other saddle in that the stirrups are longer than in some other types of saddles. Since there is not any jumping involved with dressage, they do not need to be up high like a hunter’s saddle would be. Again, this allows for contact between the horse and the rider.
Anyone who is looking for this type of saddle can go online to find a dressage saddle for sale. These are easy to find and in some cases, there are used dressage saddles that can offer the same quality without the huge price tag. Anyone who wants to ride dressage is going to need this type of saddle.
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