


The Cantilevered Tree
Martin Ryan, equestrian and designer of the award winning Bua saddle, saw the common issues that arose from the traditional, single tree design of equestrian saddles, and sought to design a new saddle concept that would allow for a more comfortable and harmonious connection between horse and rider. After endless hours tucked away in the University of Dublin’s Veterinary library researching the anatomy and biomechanics of the horse and its natural movement, two key conclusions were most notable: for the rider, the saddle is necessary to provide support and balance, central to achieving this is the tree design; for the horse, the saddle must distribute the rider’s weight evenly across its back while at the same time offer flexibly so as to minimise any restriction to horse stretch and freedom.