THESE BRILLIANT ROLLED LEATHER STRAPS FASTEN ONTO THE D RINGS OF YOUR SADDLE IN A DISCREET & UNOBTRUSIVE MANNER, BUT IF THINGS GET A BIT 'HAIRY', IT IS AMAZING HOW FAST YOU CAN GRAB THE STRAP TO ANCHOR YOURSELF IN THE SADDLE!
PERSONALLY, I AM COMPLETELY AGAINST THE USE OF NECK-STRAPS FOR THIS PURPOSE BECAUSE THEY MAKE THE RIDER TIP FORWARD - THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO BE DOING IF YOUR HORSE STARTS DOING 'AIRS ABOVE THE GROUND'.
IN COMPLETE CONTRAST, THE BALANCE STRAP CAN ONLY BE USED WHEN YOU ARE SITTING UPRIGHT & PROMOTES A DEEP & SECURE SEAT TO HELP YOU SIT TO ANY HORSE'S ANTICS.
WHETHER YOUR HORSE BUCKS, SHIES, PLUNGES, ETC, ETC, GRABBING THE BALANCE STRAP ENABLES YOU TO HOLD YOURSELF FIRMLY IN THE SADDLE & STAY UPRIGHT, WHILST STILL HAVING BOTH HANDS ON THE REINS - IT REALLY IS VERY EFFECTIVE!
FOR THIS REASON, A BALANCE STRAP IS NOT SUITABLE FOR JUMPING, WHERE YOU NEED TO MOVE YOUR HANDS FORWARD: A NECK STRAP IS RECOMMENDED FOR JUMPING.
IT IS ALSO VERY USEFUL FOR RIDING WITHOUT STIRRUPS, WHERE YOU CAN SLIP A HAND - OR JUST A FINGER - INTO THE BALANCE STRAP TO REBALANCE YOURSELF OR PULL YOURSELF DEEPER INTO THE SADDLE - & ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT MOVING YOUR HANDS FROM THE CORRECT POSITION AS THE STRAP LITERALLY LIES AT YOUR FINGERTIPS.
BRILLIANT FOR IMPROVING YOUR SEAT IN SITTING TROT; A FINGER SLIPPED INTO THE STRAP ALLOWS YOU TO PULL YOUR HIPS FORWARD, SIT DEEPER, FOLLOW THE MOVEMENT OF THE HORSE'S BACK, & IMPROVE THE SUPPLENESS & SWING OF YOUR HIPS.
IF YOU EVER FEEL A LITTLE NERVOUS, UNBALANCED, OR INSECURE; IF YOU EVER RIDE HORSES THAT ARE A BIT 'JOLLY', OR SPOOKY, THE BALANCE STRAP IS AN ABSOLUTE 'MUST-HAVE'. ONCE YOU'VE TRIED ONE, YOU'LL SOON WONDER HOW YOU MANAGED WITHOUT IT!
IT IS ALSO LEGAL FOR DRESSAGE UNDER ALL RULES. IN FACT, IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY AT MOST PHOTOS OF HIGH-LEVEL DRESSAGE COMBINATIONS, YOU'LL SPOT A BALANCE STRAP AT THE FRONT OF THE SADDLE.
PLEASE NOTE; THE PHOTO ILLUSTRATES THE BALANCE STRAP WELL, BUT IN PRACTICE, THEY DON'T STICK UP IN THE AIR IN THAT MANNER, THEY USUALLY LIE IN FRONT OF THE POMMEL - VERY DISCREET.
THE STRAPS HAVE BILLET HOOK FASTENINGS FOR A NEAT APPEARANCE & HAVE AN AVERAGE LENGTH OF 13.75 TO 14 INCHES, WHICH IS THE LONGEST YOU WILL FIND IN ROLLED LEATHER. THE LENGTH IS NOT RANDOM, THESE STRAPS ARE DESIGNED TO BE USED (OR GRABBED!) AT THE NORMAL HEIGHT THAT YOU WOULD CARRY YOUR HANDS WHEN RIDING. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT, AS IF A BALANCE STRAP IS TOO LOW (AS WITH USING A NECK-STRAP, FOR EXAMPLE), YOU WILL BE PULLED FORWARD OUT OF BALANCE, & IF THE STRAP IS TOO HIGH, YOUR HANDS & ARMS WILL RISE, WHICH CAUSES YOUR CENTRE OF BALANCE TO DO THE SAME. AS THE DEPTH OF YOUR SEAT IS WHAT ANCHORS YOU IN THE SADDLE, A STRAP THAT IS HIGHER THAN YOUR NORMAL HAND POSITION IS DEFINITELY NOT ADVISABLE.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND THE USE OF FLAT LEATHER STRAPS AS THEY ARE AWKWARD TO GRAB HOLD OF WHEN YOU NEED TO ACT FAST & DO NOT LIE COMFORTABLY UNDER JUST ONE OR TWO FINGERS WHEN YOU ARE WORKING ON YOUR SEAT, & I WOULD LIKE TO ACTIVELY DISCOURAGE RIDERS FROM USING SYNTHETIC STRAPS, AS THE 'ROPE BURNS' SUSTAINED FROM THAT TYPE OF STRAP ARE VERY UNPLEASANT!
WHATEVER YOUR LEVEL OF EXPERTISE OR PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES, THESE ARE AN INDISPENSIBLE ITEM & ARE USED BY EVERYONE FROM NOVICE TO OLYMPIC RIDERS ALIKE.
ONE OF THE MOST USEFUL ITEMS OF SADDLERY YOU CAN BUY & ALSO THE LEAST EXPENSIVE.
A BRILLIANT ITEM TO BOOST YOUR CONFIDENCE & IMPROVE YOUR 'STICKABILITY'!
ITEMS PAID FOR BY NOON, MONDAY TO FRIDAY, ARE DISPATCHED SAME DAY. OTHERWISE, GOODS WILL BE DISPATCHED ON THE NEXT WORKING DAY.
ALL BUYERS: IF BUYING TWO OR MORE DIFFERENT ITEMS, PLEASE WAIT FOR MY COMBINED POSTAGE INVOICE BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENTS. THIS IS ESSENTIAL TO ENSURE THAT YOU ARE NOT OVERCHARGED BY THE AUTOMATED CHECK-OUT SYSTEM . MANY THANKS.
OVERSEAS BUYERS: SHIPPING COSTS FOR YOUR COUNTRY ARE FOUND BY CLICKING ON THE 'POSTAGE AND PAYMENTS' TAB ABOVE THE DESCRIPTION. GOODS WITH A VALUE OF OVER 46.00 GBP ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO BE SENT WITH INSURANCE & TRACKING, WHICH IS PROVIDED BY THE 'INTERNATIONAL SIGNED-FOR' SERVICE. BELOW THAT VALUE, YOU MAY CHOOSE WHETHER TO USE STANDARD AIRMAIL OR INTERNATIONAL SIGNED-FOR, WHICH THEN COSTS AN ADDITIONAL 5.30 GBP.
DELIVERY TIME FOR WESTERN EUROPE IS APPROXIMATELY 3 WORKING DAYS; DELIVERY TIME FOR AUSTRALIA, CANADA, NEW ZEALAND & ASIA IS APPROXIMATELY 7 WORKING DAYS, & DELIVERY TIME FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD IS APPROXIMATELY 5 WORKING DAYS. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO GIVE DEFINITIVE DELIVERY TIMES FOR GOODS SHIPPED OUTSIDE OF THE EU, AS ITEMS CAN SOMETIMES BE DELAYED BY CUSTOMS WHEN ENTERING THE COUNTRY OF DESTINATION.
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