NEW PRODUCT: SMART™ Pad Cover

The eagerly awaited SMART™ Pad Cover is specifically designed to use in conjunction with SMART™ saddle(s)*. It is the perfect solution for housing SMART™ dorsal pads and shims, enabling easy transfer of your SMART™ Balance Pads between horses and/or saddles.

 

The SMART™ Pad Cover features a non-slip silicone print on both sides ensuring your SMART Balance Pads' remain in place between the saddle and saddle cloth, whilst the stretch material flexes around your horse’s back shape without pulling down.

 

Offering a wide range of potential benefits, the SMART™ Pad Cover has value in many scenarios:

 

ü  For large yards using the same saddles on multiple horses:

o   encase each horse’s pads/shims inside a SMART™ Cover for ease of tacking up and rotating saddle cloths

ü  When using the same SMART Balance pad set up with multiple saddles

ü  Simply transfer the SMART™ Pad Cover complete with inserted pads between saddles at competitions:

o   seamless transfer of pads and shims from your everyday saddle cloth to your competition saddle cloth

ü  Where multiple SMART balance pads are required

ü  For a neat and tidy finish in warmer climates:

o   Where saddle cloths need to be frequently washed.

Features:

·         Lightweight & breathable stretch material

·         Non-slip silicone print

·         Velcro central seam for easy insertion/removal of pads

·         Generous gullet width

 

Product details:

·         Suitable for size 3 – size 6 saddles

·         Use with: SMART™ Dorsal Pads, SMART™ Shims, SMART™ PRO Pads

        Black, One Size.

·         RRP £70

Introductory offer: £70 including FREE UK postage

SMART Balance Pads must be purchased separately.

*Excludes SMART Native range and Solution Original saddles

**SMART Saddle Cloths are advised for optimal fit and performance of your SMART™ Saddle

Be RoadSMART with our new hi-vis collection!

Be safe, be seen with Solution Saddles’ new range of high visibility and reflective saddle accessories, designed specifically for the SMART™ saddle range.

The innovative RoadSMART collection ensures that you can be seen from behind and on both sides and, should you and your horse become separated, you can be safe in the knowledge that your horse will continue to be visible to other road users. With a combination of hi-vis and reflective materials in a range of colours, these simple but effective designs are suitable for use year-round.

RoadSMART Reflector strips 

Compatible with ALL SMART™ and Solution Original saddle models, the SMART™ Reflector strips can be attached to the rear thigh block Velcro to catch the attention of other road users, helping to keep you and your pride and joy safer on the roads.  

£25 per pair. (Introductory Offer: Free UK Shipping)

Available in 8 x different colours; coral, orange, white, pink, yellow, blue, neon, black. 

RoadSMART Cantle

Improve your visibility to others when you are out and about with a new hi-vis RoadSMART Cantle; quick and easy to interchange with your everyday or competition SMART Custom Cantle designs in seconds.

Compatible with any SMART™ saddle that has the Velcro cantle feature. 

Prices starting from £40. (Introductory Offer: Free UK Shipping)

February Newsletter 2022: SMART Dressage and Seasonal Offers

 

SMART™ Elite Dressage The SMART™ Elite Dressage saddle has been carefully developed with enhanced features for both horse and rider, including: Elite seat – superior balance, with the closest-contact feel yet Contoured base – readily fitted to the modern sport horse back profile  Generous fixed gullet width - broad spined horse? No problem! Elegant design – classical meets contemporary Customised to your taste – with decorative cantle and multiple knee block options Our most popular straight cut saddle model, suitable for most horse shapes. If you'd like to find out more about the SMART™ Elite Dressage saddle, email or complete an online enquiry form:

Book a SMART™ Elite test ride

Is it time for you to upgrade to the award winning SMART™ Elite saddle?

Long term SMART™ Customer, Lori, noticed a huge improvement in the temperament and performance of her sensitive homebred:  "I think the saddle freed up his whole front end. Long story short, I was mind blown!!! "  Lori Rogers, USA.

Read their recent story here

SMART™ Native Dressage saddle

For rounder back profiles: The ever popular SMART™ Native Dressage Saddle is the perfect match for traditional types with little wither profile and round back shapes. SMART™ Ambassador, Sam Gorman, who competes at Advanced Medium and is aiming for Grand Prix with her traditional cob 'Porridge' says:

"I love training him, he's such a happy chap, and really appreciate the value of the best and most comfortable equipment for my horses."

Follow Porridge's story

February Special Offer

FREE Elite competition saddle cloth with any NEW SMART Dressage saddle ordered in February 2022. Pristine while with a silver trim and embroidered logo. Simply select the check box, February Offer: FREE SMART Elite Competition Saddle Cloth, when choosing your saddle options.

Seasonal Stock Clearance For a limited time only we have ex-demo and discontinued SMART saddles available at heavily reduced prices - only available via our Direct Outlet.T&C apply.

Plus these great SMART accessory offers:

SMART Leather Care Kit £25.00 FREE UK Shipping Clean, nourish, waterproof and protect all your leather items.   View Activate Your Horse's Core - Book & DVD £50.00 FREE UK Shipping Strengthening the muscles of your horses core. View SMART™ Deluxe Saddle Cover £18.00 Save over 25% Super soft fleece-lined cover, for all saddle models.   View Clearance SMART Cantle Design - ready to ship £0.00 Discounted stock Handmade designs, ready to ship View

SMART January Newsletter 2022 - SMART Resolutions & Special Offers

 

SMART™ Resolutions Try a SMART™ saddle in 2022 Plan ahead and book your test ride in plenty of time to avoid disappointment. Our typical lead time for new saddles is just 28 days, so contact us with your requirements in advance and we will aim to deliver as quickly as possible. Whether you are looking to revisit the SMART™ saddle range or try one for the first time, we are here to help. Book a fitting review If it has been a while since a SMART Advisor last checked your SMART™ saddle fit, book a refit visit to ensure your saddle is correctly fitted & balanced for the coming season. Check your kit Are you using the right saddle accessories for optimal performance? Is everything clean and in good repair? Keep your saddle in tip top condition with our SMART Leather care kit and don’t forget to check over your saddle for signs of wear and tear. If your saddle is ready for some TLC and new girth straps, please get in touch to book your saddle in at our workshop. To replace your well-worn shims or order a new girth, simply visit the SMART Shop online.

Try a SMART™ saddle

FREE SMART™ Essentials voucher worth up to £100 with all NEW SMART™ saddle orders in January!

FREE SMART™ Essentials We are offering a FREE SMART™ Essentials voucher worth up to £100 with all NEW SMART™ saddle orders in January.  SMART™ Essentials include a wide range of recommended accessories, for best fit and performance of your SMART™ saddle. Simply select which SMART™ Essentials*, up to the value £100, you would like to be included with your new SMART saddle: SMART™ Shims & Balance Pads SMART™ Saddle Cloths SMART™ Knee & Thigh Blocks SMART™ X-Over Breastgirth SMART™ Leather Care Kit SMART™ Home Consultation: use your £100 voucher to put towards your first post-purchase refit visit *All SMART™ saddles include 1 x pair of knee blocks of your choice and 1 x SMART™ deluxe saddle cover as standard. The £100 SMART™ Essentials voucher is in addition to these inclusions. T& C apply. Enquire »

Get in touch to book a test ride or order your new saddle today»

Clearance SMART™ Cantle Design - ready to ship From £25.00 Handmade in-house, we have a range of decorative cantle designs in our sale! From simple classics to the more colourful and creative, if you have a SMART™ Elite Jump or Dressage saddle, why not add another cantle design to your saddle. View

Listen to SMART™ Saddle designer, Dr Anne Bondi, discuss Solution Saddles' recent achievement and the success behind the innovative, flexible SMART™ saddle design:

SMART Customer Jo Szegota, Ride With Your Mind Biomechanics Coach and Masterson Method bodyworker:   "I was immediately impressed at the position I could maintain with the flatter seat and the changeable position of the knee blocks. My very sensitive horse was clearly happy so I decided to keep a SMART™ Elite Dressage on trial.  It's really important to me that I can maintain my position to enable the most effective biomechanics but I also need to feel really secure as my horse can really throw some shapes."

Contact Solution Saddles

Royal recognition for SMART saddle range

The Solution Saddles team, manufacturers of the SMART^TM saddle range of fully flexible, patented sports saddles, were in great company as they celebrated the formal presentation of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation.  The official presentation was made by the Queen’s representative Mrs. Elizabeth Fothergill CBE, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire, at the Van Dyke Hotel on Thursday 25^th November. Representatives from a wide range of stakeholders within the UK equestrian industry, including manufacturers, saddle fitters, trade suppliers and riders, joined together with local dignitaries to mark the occasion, which was a remarkable milestone for Great British saddlery design.

The SMART^TM saddle is the only saddle design to have ever been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise and one of only ten recipients within Derbyshire in the last ten years. The sense of achievement was clearly felt throughout the room as HM Lord-Lieutenant presented the Royal Grant of Appointment to SMART^TM Saddle designer, Dr Anne Bondi.

Accepting the award, Dr. Bondi said ‘’When my husband and I founded the company in 2006, we had no idea how many good friends we would make along the way. But, of course, innovators are not always universally welcomed. Innovation means change, and that is not always a comfortable place for a largely traditional and often rather conservative equine industry.’’ Dr. Bondi continued by extending her thanks to everyone present, noting that “you were confident enough in your own successful businesses to see that there was room for us to have our place in the industry too”. She ended by thanking everyone for joining the celebration of Great British design and manufacturing, saying, “It is a privilege to have your support”.

Managing Director, Charlotte Berridge, concluded: ‘’We have been overwhelmed by the positive response from the industry and we will continue to grow the success of the SMART^TM saddle range, both in the UK and internationally.’’

Dr Anne Bondi and the Solution Saddles team receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise from the Queen’s representative Mrs. Elizabeth Fothergill CBE, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Derbyshire in a special celebration at Van Dyk’s Hotel.

Dr Anne Bondi attends a royal reception, held exclusively for Queen’s Award for Enterprise winners, at Windsor Castle earlier this month. 

Treeless saddle myth #1: Treeless saddles do not distribute pressure evenly

 

A common misconception is that treeless saddles are not capable of evenly distributing the weight of the rider because it is commonly believed that this is the role of the tree. There are many different designs of treeless saddles and they vary hugely in standards of manufacture and performance. The market-leading, Queen’s Award-winning SMART Saddle range’s innovative, patented designs are rigorously tested and proven to perform well over time and in all disciplines. The unique design features ensure that the SMART saddle will effectively support and distribute the rider’s weight, thus promoting healthy back development and long-term good back health.

This video clip is an example of pressure mat readings taken at a recent research day, when the latest SMART saddle designs were tested with multiple horse and rider combinations:

Saddles provide the interface between two living, moving beings. The pressure under the saddle changes throughout the stride cycle, which reflects the changing dynamic forces exerted both from underneath the saddle by the horse and on top of the saddle  by the rider. This recording shows clearly how well the design and materials of the fully flexible SMART saddle range perform:

·        Consistency

 The different shades of blue represent consistent low pressure values across the whole of the surface area of the saddle base panels without any evidence of peak pressures under the stirrup bar area.

·        Balance from the left-hand side to right-hand saddle

The overall values are similar from left to right throughout the recording. There is a slight bias to the rear of the right-hand panel; however, the rider center of mass trajectory (image 3), shows that this rider had a tendency to sit slightly to the right-hand side during this data capture.

·        Clearly defined gullet area

The weight-bearing base panels allow for a clear gullet space to accommodate the horse’s spinous processes. Fleeting flashes of blue in this area, and at the front of the gullet, typically represent contact from the pressure sensor cover or the saddle cloth and do not indicate downward pressure from the saddle itself.

 

Although there are limitations to the use of pressure maps in this application (sheer forces cannot yet be measured), there is great value in their use to observe patterns and make direct comparisons. Existing literature serves to give guidance on acceptable pressures underneath the saddle, which is a helpful reference when looking beyond the visuals to process the data. The average pressure value in this clip was 4.8kPa, which is less than a third of Werner et al’s 2002 study which identified average pressure values > 15kPa as potentially harmful.

SMART saddles have been routinely tested throughout the design and development of the saddle range. We have developed and practiced a set protocol for the many data collection days that we have carried out over the years, ensuring that our results are meaningful. We are pleased that these objective results consistently reflect our subjective findings; a fully flexible SMART saddle can effectively support horse and rider, distributing rider weight without creating peak pressures and offering a viable and beneficial alternative to traditional treed saddle designs.

Although processing the data can be time consuming, we look forward to sharing more of these results in due course!