Chiron Horsesaddle

red dot
red dot award: design concept 2008

design:

Katja Gnielka

The intention of the Chiron saddle concept was to take a traditional object (which has barely changed in terms of design and materials since the eighteenth century), reinterpret it, look at new materials and techniques, and consider every need of both horse and rider.
 

As people discovered the horse as a riding steed in the third century BC, they initially rode bare back. The motive for this discovery was most likely to have been the movement of goods rather than people. During the course of that century, the saddle was developed more so as an aid for horse riding as a sport, rather than to ease and assist people’s movements.

 
Chiron has been designed for sports such as dressage, jumping and versatility. The design approach lay with the reduction of the form to its main components equipped with all of the anatomical prerequisites for an optimal shape to fit both rider and horse. The basic saddle frame is produced from carbon in a range of tensile strengths, whilst the rider’s seat and the surface in contact with the horse’s back can be manufactured in leather or plastic. This results in a fixed basic shape, which can be adjusted in a range of ways through materials, colours or structure.
 

Every horse is unique, with different dimensions across its back area. Throughout its life, these dimensions alter due to an increase or decrease in its muscle mass or body fat. One can therefore assume that a saddle that has been fitted to a young horse will no longer fit to the same horse as it ages and undergoes the associated changes. In order to cater for these changes, the angulation of Chiron is adjustable. In order to simplify adjustments to the length of the stirrups, necessary for mounting, dismounting and supporting the rider’s legs during riding, a roll-away unit has been integrated into both sides of the saddle. Both units are coupled with each other and the manual releasing of the stirrup belt shortens and lengthens them using spring force.