Prestige Technologies
Prestige Innovations: A Commitment to Comfort and Performance.
The philosophy of Prestige centres around the belief that every saddle, girth and stirrup leather should be designed to maximise comfort for both horse and rider. Their products represent the culmination of decades of experience, utilising state-of-the-art techniques and materials.
Their extensive experience has led to the development of various saddle technologies aimed at providing unparalleled comfort for horses. With at the top their award winning AS-X patented technology. Accompanied by Innovations like X-Technology, X-Breath, and CPS which are other examples of their commitment to excellence. They also offer customization options to ensure that each rider can achieve the perfect fit. For example, Prestige offers a unisex saddle specifically designed to offer comfort and stability for both male and female anatomy, enhancing comfort and performance for riders. More details on these innovations and technologies can be discovered further on.
Prestige offers over 60 types of saddles, catering to a range of budgets, from classic to luxury models. Their saddles are available for various disciplines, including dressage, jumping, eventing, endurance, leisure riding, and junior’s and trekker saddles.
Different innovative technologies of Prestige Italia.
Prestige has been a synonym of innovation since the beginning of its history, when the company developed a total brand-new tree in a synthetic fiber. This attitude has been kept and renewed throughout the years; technology is a distinctive pillar for Prestige Italia.
The famous Prestige tree
Right from the start their goal was to produce comfortable and durable saddles and the secret to a unique saddle lay in its tree and the way it is constructed. Instead of wood, Prestige decided to make their tree from an innovative mix of synthetic fibers: a cutting-edge solution to design a product adapted to the morphology of the horse and to the comfort of the rider.
Nowadays, the advantages of a synthetic fiber tree are clear enough. Starting from the shape, which does not change over time, because it is not deformed by humidity (a wooden tree for example changes over time). At the same time, it is customizable, since the tree width can be widened or narrowed according to the horse’s muscle development. Also, it is lightweight, and it does not require any metal reinforcements.
Every tree undergoes a quality control process: a stress test to detect any faults within a given batch as well as to grant a uniformity of the products and an absolute repeatability of the shapes.
All these elements make Prestige the only brand that provides a lifetime warranty on the tree, except in case of accidents, and that allow them to compete in the global market with different and highly innovative technologies.
AS-X Technology
What is it?
AS-X (Adaptive System X-Technology) is an innovative technology applied to the tree, an exclusive system, unique on the market, that makes it possible to have a tree, and therefore a saddle, that adapts to the movements of the horse’s back, maximizing its athletic qualities. This new tree entirely follows the horse’s movements while guaranteeing stability for the rider thanks to the combination of two technologies: The X-Technology with injected membranes that offer maximum stability in the saddle and the Adaptive System, a shock-absorbing system that allows the frame to make both a lateral/torsional and axial movement thanks to a joint in the central part of the tree.
Benefits
Close contact and stability for the rider.
Flexibility of the tree that maximizes the athletic performance and expression in the movement of the horse.
The unisex tree guarantees the same effectiveness of the technology to both women and men.
Who is it for?
- for riders seeking an ultimate performance and well-being of the horse.
- for riders seeking suppleness in their body and in the horse’s movement.
- for riders who don’t want to choose between riding effectiveness and freedom of movement of the horse.
- for riders who like a narrow twist and a comfortable seat. The X-Technology, with the wide integrated membranes, guarantees the same sensation for both women and men.
- for riders who seek a quick and responsive communication with the horse.
CPS Technology
What is it?
The CPS (Coccyx Protection System) is a new technology applied to the tree consisting of three membranes injected into its back section. Two on the sides in the area where the rider’s ischial bones are resting, one softer in the center where the seating position generates more load on the spine.
Benefits
These membranes shock absorb all stresses and movements while protecting the rider’s ischial bones, coccyx and back. They have been created considering both men’s and women’s anatomy.
Who is it for?
- For those riders seeking a more elastic and softer seat: the central grey membrane creates a shock-absorbing feeling for the rider’s spine and the horse;
- For those who want a physical benefit: the softness of the central membrane guarantees a reduction of pressure on the coccyx and the spine of the rider;
- For riders who are looking for a comfortable seat. The tree featuring this technology is particularly thought for women riders thanks to the wider back part;
- For riders who have a downhill feeling on the horse and struggle to find a balanced position;
- For the dressage riders who, having a downhill horse, struggle to find a deep seat feeling;
- For the jumpers who want to recover their balance faster after the jump.
X-Technology
What is it?
It is a technology applied to the tree consisting of two membranes positioned in the rear part of the tree, where the rider’s ischial bones rest.
Benefits
The membranes help increasing the comfort and stability of the rider. In the female rider’s case, the sense of comfort and stability is even more evident on the trees that provide a wider seat in the back, such as those developed for the X-D2, X-Perience and X-Contact K models (Unisex-effect).
Who is it for?
- For riders looking for a feeling of greater closeness to the horse: guaranteed by the membranes that accommodate the ischial bones when the rider sits in the saddle;
- For those looking for a more comfortable seat while maintaining equally excellent sporting performance;
- For those riders who want greater stability in the saddle. X-D2, X-Perience and X-Contact K, thanks to the “Unisex-effect”, can give a sensation of stability in the saddle to women who, having a wider pelvis, often struggle to achieve a tight bond with the saddle.
X-Breath
What is it?
It is the technology applied to the tree consisting of an oval hole positioned in the center of the tree’s rear section, covered in elastic and breathable honeycomb fabric. In the X-Breath K, there is an additional hole in the front part of the tree.
Benefits
The holes ensure greater breathability and minimize the overheating effects exerted by the saddle on both horse and rider. The rear hole makes the seat more comfortable by relieving the spinal column of the pressures it is usually subjected to. Additionally, saddles with X-Breath technology are lighter.
Who is it for?
- For riders who like a breathable and comfortable seat;
- For those riders who want a physical benefit, reducing the stress on the spine and coccyx;
- For riders who are looking for a lighter saddle;
- For those who have a downhill feeling on a horse or thoroughbreds.
OTHER PRESTIGE TECHNOLOGIES: Panels
Flocked panels
The ideal solution for riders looking for a soft and adaptable saddle. Flocked panels provide freedom of movement for the horse and prevent the rider from weighing on the back of the animal. Available both in the classic version or with the LPF (Light Performance Fit) technology.
Classic flocked panels are lined with felt and then, through a flocking process executed with care by Prestige artisans, filled with the synthetic Dacron fiber, a resistant and highly adaptable material.
The LPF (Light Performance Fit panels) are made from a Dacron synthetic fiber, covered by an elastic honeycomb material (Airnet) and a layer of soft foam. This type pf panel is light, elastic and easily adaptable to the morphology of the modern horse. It combines the reduced thickness and the close-contact feeling with the horse, which are typical of latex panels, with the shock-absorbing and highly adaptability properties of flocked panels.
Both the Classic flocked panels and the LPF flocked panels are available as integrated with the sweat flaps, for closer contact. On the other hand, the free (non-integrated) panels are the most versatile solution for easier adaptability.
Latex panels
The solution for riders looking for a comfortable and high-performance saddle that requires minimum maintenance. The polyurethane used to fill the panel is a material that does not compress and does not deteriorate over time: it is a product comes from the motorcycling industry, specifically designed to stay unaltered over time.
Each rider can personalize their panel
For both latex and flocked panels the Shoulder Free option is available, with reduced front thickness to enable greater freedom of movement for the horse’s shoulder and trapezius muscle. The following thickness options are also available for flocked panels: ½ flocking, standard flocking, +1 cm and +2 cm for the rear part. For the LATEX are available: ½ flocking, standard and +1.5 cm in rear part.
Further technology: Special RP-Girth
What is it?
The RP (Relax and Performance) is an innovative technology applied to Prestige girths. It consists of a round panel connected by a mobile joint to a special girth. The panel is characterized by a round contour made of soft material that creates an air cushion between the horse’s sternum and the girth.
Benefits
It allows the girth to follow all the horse’s movements, eliminating any friction between the girth and belly of the horse; the pressure is distributed evenly over a larger surface area; the particular shape of the panel creates an air cushion that eliminates pressure on the solar plexus.
Who is it for?
For sensitive horses that are bothered by the use of a traditional girth and therefore find it difficult to work relaxed and supple; for those horses that show discomfort while pulling the girth; for horses that have the position of the girth far behind.
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