New on the scene in the Sport of Kings is innovation in saddle technology. Polo star Nic Roldan helped develop the Polo Gear Elite Saddle with the help of veterinarians and an equine chiropractor and masseur. The design of the saddle has two goals; optimize performance for the rider while providing more comfort and less strain on the horse. According to Wired.com, “Conventional polo saddles place the rider’s weight directly on the horse’s shoulders. Doing so elevates the rider but places great stress on the animal by limiting the range of its joints and stressing its bones…[Polo Gear Elite Saddle] optimizes the rider’s position by keeping him elevated but maintaining his weight on the animal’s back, not its shoulders”Polo is a sport steeped in tradition. Even the adoption of basic safety equipment (such as helmets) has been a slow process. This saddle is one of the first of its kind to really focus on the health and comfort of the horse. It weighs 14 pounds and at $4,000 apiece, costs about twice as much as a standard saddle. Small first runs of the saddle sold out quickly suggesting the tide of new technology acceptance may be turning. This may be especially true if the technology offers the athlete a competitive advantage. In the case of these new saddles, the general manager at Polo Gear, Mike Myers, claims that riders are seeing 25 to 30 percent increases in the speed of their horses. Traditional or not, those are some statics that demand notice.
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