PEACH BUZZ~DRESSAGE SADDLES

Dear Breeders,

While many of know what a saddle is and what we need to ride a horse, there are many different kinds of saddles designed to help the rider and horse achieve a certain goal.  Today we are going to learn about dressage saddles.

First let’s look at the history of dressage:

Dressage dates back to classical Greek horsemanship. The earliest work on training horses was written by Xenophon, a Greek Military Commander born around 400BC. Dressage continued to be developed by the military and during the Renaissance; European aristocrats displayed their highly trained horses in equestrian pageants. The Imperial Spanish Riding School of Vienna was established in 1572, and dressage training today is based around many of the principles from this era.

The word dressage is based on the French word that literally means training.

dres·sage

/drəˈsäZH/

noun

•1.the art of riding and training a horse in a manner that develops obedience, flexibility, and balance:

Today the purpose of modern dressage is to strengthen the horse and create a supple athlete. Maintaining and promoting a calm demeanor in the horse is also a key principle throughout dressage training.

While that is the technical definition, dressage riding can also be compared to dancing with horses. Done correctly, dressage riding is a beautiful form of art. Many of us associate dressage with the musical freestyles that remind us of ballet on horses. This is the pinnacle of the sport; nevertheless, it is a discipline that is open and accessible to riders at all levels.

So, let’s look at what a Dressage Saddle is:

A dressage saddle has a taller pommel and cantle then a traditional English saddle.  With the unique girth attachment system, it helps hold the rider upright and in place.  The deeper seat helps secure the rider to sit tall while controlling the horse’s various movements and gaits.                            

On April 27, 2019, with the 6.01 update, Amaretto released new starters with four brand new dressage saddles: The Dark Leather, Light Brown Leather, Black Leather, and Pale Leather. On September 22, 2020, Amaretto released Limited Edition Wasteland. The surprise was a Dressage Saddle Wasteland. On Jun. 15, 2021, Amaretto released the 2021 Fairytale Edition Horses.  Hiding in these horses were 2 new Dressage saddles, Alice and Queen of Hearts. On Apr. 18, 2022, Amaretto released Horse Update Version 7.0 which contained new starters with four new dressage saddles: Pink, Green, Red, and Blue. There are now eleven total Dressage Saddles.  I hope you enjoy putting your horses through their paces while sporting one of these beautiful dressage saddles.  This is Peach Buzz reporting to you on the latest trends in Amaretto.