Fitting & Technology
A Strada truly is, the Ferrari of the saddle world!…
and what does the mean?
A completely precision designed performance masterpiece - that does everything it says it does!
It contains nothing it ‘doesn’t need’ in order the have superior function & precision.
The fit of a Strada saddle is completely unique to the saddle industry & our very own design, since 1997. A Strada is the only true close contact saddle on the market (aside from bareback!) which has optimal clearance of 2 inches/5cm from the spine for the ultimate feeling of closeness, being ‘around’ your horse & feeling every stride!
Take the time to learn about Strada's clever & unique saddle design...
Strada philopshy comes from our depth of knowledge about horses & saddles, as well as our understanding how to achieve the desired results of function & performance we as riders are all seeking in a saddle.
A Strada tree has 5 components that must match your horses fit based on their skeletal frame - these don’t change, our tree is designed for function of flexibility, designed for balance - balanced dsitribution of the riders weight & maintaining the centre of the balance that the rider needs to sit in for that horse.
The channel of our saddles (the gap between the panels) on a Strada is dictated by the tree - which clears the spine optimally - which our panels reflect by sitting directly under the tree - this is crucial for 100% correct weight distribution of the rider, that the muscles of the horses back never exceed pressure that would reduce blood flow. This is guaranteed by our therapeutic, muscle promoting panel design.
For all these reasons & more, we do not believe in adjusting the saddle - since all the components of a Strada & precisely made to play in important role in the performance - these must not be altered.
Our panels are designed not only to provide peace of mind for the rider that the horses back develops & remains 100% healthy, they have been specifically designed for zero maintenance - again removing the interference that any alteration would cause.
Strada Flex™ trees ~ a masterpiece in materials for function - no metal!
Firstly, our varying tree shapes are our fitting system - which completely removes ‘measurements’ and replaces them with proportions - in fact our trees don’t have gullets and don’t have seat sizes. Our proportion based tree shapes (tree types) have a VERY specific role to play, not only in the distribution of the riders weight, the flexibility to be influenced by the horses body and not stay rigid, while being stable enough to maintain stability under the rider. It’s the horses centre of balance that is paramount for the rider to sit exactly in sync! This allows any sized rider, riding that type of horse, to sit in that horses EXACT centre of balance. And THAT is where the magic starts! A rider sitting in an effortlessly, perfectly aligned position with their leg hanging easily from their hip & the inside of their entire leg completely connected around the horse - our trees flexibility & balance has the rider feeling completely in sync with their horse, easily feeling their horses backs move under them. Strada SuperFlex™ tree’s feature in our Dressage & GP saddles. Our Strada Jumping saddle features an AbsorboFlex™ tree, with more rail stability for cross country riding & higher level jumping. Our trees utilise materials for their abilities of strength, flexibility & longevity: Carbon fibre, kevlar, leather, birch ply, structural wood & leather. Strada specialist trees are made to the utmost precision and are not adjustable. These specific proportions establish which characteristics your horse has, which put’s them into a ‘type’. Our fitting on ‘types’ allows Strada’s to cater to all breeds of horses. This proportionate based fitting is of the horses skeletal frame, which means 5 characteristics per tree that fit together to produce the type: The head of the tree - which is the capacity of the shoulders shape & musculature The angle of the wither - which is the angle of the head of the tree to match the pitch of the wither. The balance curve - which allows the tree to stay balanced through movement The slope of the rails - which match the conformation of the ribs to the spine - either sloping or barrel The length of the tree - which stays within the correct/safe carrying area of the horses back & also dictates the centre of balance where any rider should sit to stay in balance with that horse. These 5 characteristics always appear together - to form our 4 most popular tree types: S tree - Thoroughbred type - a high wither with flatter shoulder blade, sloping rib cage & straight spine from the curve at the base of the wither. A longer space to carry the saddle. IC tree - Warmblood type - Muscular top line & shoulders with a sloping rib cage & curve at the base of the wither & slow rise towards the hindquarters. A medium to short space to carry the saddle. C tree - Cob type - flat & wide barrel shape, with huge shoulder mass (or mutton withered) sometimes croup high. Shortest back space for their saddle L tree - Native breeds type - an even larger shouldered, wider barrelled horse than the C, which more curve on profile (less flat). Same short back space for the saddle. We also have 2 more tree variants less commonly seen now, which is the older fashioned Iberian/baroque type (I tree) and a very small/narrow polo pony type (W tree). These trees are made to order if required. Horses breeds fall into categories of types, so we can cater to ALL horses & riders who have a love of a particular ‘type’ of horse, can usually rely on the fact that they can all share the one Strada saddle, not only making these saddles an easy investment, but super economical when your have multiple horses of the same type. That aside from the huge benefits of promoting strong, healthy back muscles & the panels requiring zero maintenance, no need to adjust the saddle and the same saddle used for a horses entire ridden career - There really is NOTHING capable of matching a Strada saddle on todays market… yet we have been making the amazing Strada saddle since 1997.
Strada Panels™ ~ therapeutic, pressure intelligent foam with zero maintenance!
Our specialised Strada designed foam panels are state of the art; Our special layered & contoured design, utilises the same foams used in the industry of medicine and health care. They are temperature-intelligent, extremely adaptable & instantly adjustable and motion absorbent for 100% pressure distribution and relief. They never degrade, last the lifetime of the saddle and require zero maintenance. Our thorough understanding of muscle function & development, especially for the horses back, promoting muscle health & improved performance, means Strada produces the most sophisticated, industry leading panels that completely change the face of saddle fitting & function. Not only does it do everything we say (it truly does!), but the panels require zero maintenance for the lifetime of the saddle. Riders can also learn Strada fitting to fully understand what their horses require, , how to asses & balance throughout their horses development. The foam panels match the temperature they are against - they are firm when they are cold & are malleable when they are at body temperature. The foam cannot degrade & they do not accumulate heat, they only ever match the temperature they are against. Once at body temperature, the panels feel like unflexed muscle. The foam is highly absorbent of movement by adjusting instantly to pressure or release. This allows the saddle to be extremely stable on the horses back, mimic the horses back movements to let the rider really feel the horses back rather than the saddle… The same Strada saddle can be used for a horses entire ridden career & can be used on multiple horses within the same type. Establishing your horses correct tree type from the beginning, or using your Strada for multiple horses, makes the Strada an easy choice, not only for the health benefits of your horses back, but the economy of never requiring another saddle! While your saddle is never altered, the fit is customised to your horses balance requirements which we accomodate with our specifically designed pads & shims.
All New Zealand made Strada saddles are pure leather (no synthetic piping).
Our latest designed Elite Seat™ is NEW for all C treed Strada’s, which is a game changer for the complete stability of the riders pelvis in our widest trees - making it even easier to relax & get on with riding even the widest horses! The Elite Seat™ also available by choice on our L trees. Our Esprit II jumping saddles all feature the new Elite seat™. These latest Strada models are the Esprit II range & offer completely new features, to enhance our dedicated dressage saddle - including a raised cantle, floating thigh block so the riders knee sits flat on the flap without interference, dual buckle guards that remains in place & our gorgeous & distinctive new emblem marks the Strada brand on the flap. We know all riders & their horses who love Strada’s are not only thrilled with the newest design, but are blown away with the improved feel through the Elite Seat™. Note that extremely small riders that require a shorter space seat, can have a completely customised *Petite Seat™ on any tree type - available only on request (*conditions apply).
