In a sport steeped in tradition, Martin Ryan has seen the occasional raised eyebrow at first sight of his new design of a horse’s saddle.
Unlike other sports such as golf or cycling where new technologies have been embraced, the world of equestrian events has remained largely static, resulting in a saddle which has not changed for centuries, he says.
His attempt to bring horseriding into the 21st century comes in the form of the lightweight Bua Saddle, a new take on the seat which uses modern materials and production techniques. In effect, it creates two saddles: one which fits the rider, and a second which both better fits the animal and allows it to move more freely.
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“I was using perfectly good saddles but they weren’t particularly comfortable. People didn’t really ask questions of them because they were there for so long so they had just become a norm,” the Irish designer says.
Ryan, now 32, started riding horses aged five, and competed in eventing and showjumping. Like others, he used a leather saddle which had a structural piece called the “tree” that supported the rider in a balanced position and was then padded underneath to fit the shape of the horse.
The problem he saw with the traditional saddle was that this semi-rigid object was being wedged between two very different types of body – the rider and the horse.
“You have a totally rigid object on a dynamic animal and so when the horse’s muscles are moving, then this is resisting it to some degree depending on how well it fits the horse’s back. Whereas if you offer a little more flexibility, you are just allowing a little more freedom for the horse.”
Although the saddles have only recently gone on sale, the original design was thought up when Ryan was a Dublin student 10 years ago. The idea drew on his detailed study of the biology and movement of the horse.
The tree of the new saddle is a piece of thermoplastic composite which is bent into a U-shape, a cantilever design, which effectively separates the unit into two different saddles.
One part of the saddle is customised for the rider and the other side of the curved tree is designed to fit the horse’s back, allowing balance for the rider and comfort for the horse. There is a natural suspension as the two parts are joined at the front.
This allows for the weight of the rider to be more evenly distributed on the back of the horse, gives more shock absorption when the rider comes down on the back and gives the animal more freedom to move, says Ryan.
“You always want the rider to be as natural and as free as possible and not restrict movement but at the same time you have to hold the rider in that balanced position in order to guide the horse.
“If you put some piece of clothing on you that is restricting you and then you have to go and jump over something, that is not going to assist your jumping.
“The best situation is to not have anything on the horse’s back but we have to carry somebody so it is how best to do that and still allow the horse to have free, unrestricted, shoulder movement at the front. When a horse jumps, it has to gather up its front legs - if you are restricting, it can’t gather up its legs and then it is more likely to knock the fence.”
Weighing 4.1kg (9lbs), he says it is the lightest saddle on the market, well below the 6kg-10kg average for conventional saddles. The shape and size of the saddle’s tree caters for 80% of the market and the company plans to produce variations as the business expands. There is also adjustable suspension at the back of the saddle which switches between sport and trekking modes. The modular system – in which parts of the saddle can be swapped in an out – allows it to be used for different equestrian disciplines.
Ryan and his partners at Bua Sport are mainly aim to sell the saddle to showjumpers, although it is also suitable for endurance, hunting and leisure riding. It is not thought ideal for horse racing, he says, though there are plans to develop a version for ponies and children in the future.
Priced at at around £1,500, it retails at the lower end of the price range for professional grade saddles, which typically sell for between £1,100 and £7,300, says Ryan. However, it still remains well outside the budget of most riding schools, which usually go for cheaper options at around £300.
Since it was launched in August, a decade after it won a Dyson award for design, 80 saddles have been sold and the Irish company projects revenues of €1m (£730,000) for the first year. The UK is the next target, said Ryan, where 1.1m people ride a horse every month.
A survey from the British Equestrian Trade Association put the number of horse-riding consumers in Britain at 19m. In Belgium and Germany, equestrian activities rank second only to soccer in popularity, he said, and frequently amateurs will use professional grade equipment.
The sport remains conservative however, says Ryan, and change is slow to take hold. For some, the different colours of the Bua Saddles “is a shock to the system”.
For the main market to embrace the new design will take up to two years, Ryan says, after people see that the saddle will last. It has received positive reviews from some riders. Sam Dempsey, an Irish international event rider, said it was a step forward to make a ride more comfortable for the horse and easier for him to communicate with the animal.
The UK equestrian market
The value of the equestrian sector has jumped from £3.8bn in 2011 to £4.3bn across a wide range of goods and services, according to the British Equestrian Trade Association.
Six out of 10 enthusiasts take part in competitions. Women make up 74% of the riders, and there has been an increase in the number of young people taking part.
The spend on items associated with equestrian sports - hats, body protectors, clothes - has risen from £557m in 2011 to £560m, according to the association. Last year, an estimated £3,600 was spent on each horse, compared with £2,650 in 2011.
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