The Bates Isabell Dressage Saddle is a sleek, feature-packed masterpiece of saddle work. A lot of horse riders, myself included, believe it immitates that feeling of riding bareback. It allows the rider to maintain intimacy with the horse while maximizing the horse’s full potential. It also enables maximum control.

Sometimes being too close to the horse can cause discomfort, but this saddle implores innovative technologies which make the saddle comfortable while still maintaining closeness with the horse. The Bates Isabell saddle is the ideal saddle for those seeking to build repoire with their horse!

Features and Benefits

Making the rider’s ride enjoyable was the goal when Bates loaded this saddle with its amazing features. This includes the CAIR air system which allows your weight to be evenly distributed on the horse.

Many horse saddles have pressure points which make riding challenging , but with the Bates Isabell Dressage Saddle you get the amazing air distribution system that takes the strain off of known pressure points.

The Bates Isabell saddle also includes a feature, the newly released gullet system, which enables the rider to easily mainpulate the saddle’s fit. It is a given that horses will change shape as they are trained and developed, this feature allows them to stay comfortable. Whats even better is that it is simple for the rider to adjust, it takes just a few minutes.

The leather on the Bates Isabell Dressage Saddle is hand picked from the finest European leathers. It is tanned through a patented process that adds extra protection against sweat and weather without making the leather stiff.

Out of the box, the leather feels supple and like it has already been broken in. The leather and the tree are guaranteed to last the lifetime of the saddle by the manufacturer, which is said to be around 10 years.

The saddle also includes a number of ergonomic innovations that increase a rider’s comfort and reduce the strain on the riders joints. For example, the stirrup bar allows for a proper dressage position while also giving the rider the possibility to achieve close contact and increased communication with the horse.

Additionally, the recessed stirrup channel ensures that there is no interference like there is with many saddles, which increases the rider’s level of comfort. The seat, designed with performance in mind is deep so that the rider sinks into the saddle rather than sitting on top of it.

Some Small Drawbacks

The one drawback of the Bates Isabell Dressage Saddle may be the result of its greatest achievement, namely, it’s ability to simulate the feeling of being extremely close to the horse. While this is an amazing feature, it tends to wear the rider out on long rides. However, this is mediated by the saddles amazing ergonomic features that increase it’s comfort level.

Summary and Recomendation

The Bates Isabell Dressage Saddle is named for and used by the famous Dressage Rider, Isabell Werth. This speaks to the saddles excellent design and performance. To have a great name stand behind as saddle as well as a lifetime warranty, speaks volumes about how proud this company is of this sadle.

As you probably noted above, the saddle has an amazing list of features that ranks it among the most innovative in the saddle manufacturing industry. If you demand the best performance from your saddles, you should definitely take a closer look at this one.