Saddle Review: Erreplus Elena

SADDLE REVIEW

Erreplus Elena

Designed in collaboration with a Norwegian technician, the Elena dressage saddle has an open seat and anatomically shaped knee blocks.

Anne Smith grew up on a grazing property in South Australia. There were mobs of sheep, some cattle and a dog or two – but no horses. “At Biscuit Flat all the mustering was done on bikes,” she recalls, “nobody in my family was interested in riding.”

Her earliest horse encounter was when she was nine and friends with the daughter of a Pony Club instructor. Subsequently obsessed with all things equine, several years later she convinced her parents she was sufficiently dedicated to have a pony of her own. “Fluer was a 13.3hh Australian Stock Horse cross Quarter Horse. She was very green but I was determined to educate her.” Anne did just that and together they became Pony Club enthusiasts competing in eventing, showing, endurance, games and jumping.

Her love of dressage was ignited when she was fourteen after purchasing a six-year-old OTT. “She was brilliant cross country and her show jumping was pretty good too, but her dressage needed improving. As I worked on this with her I became passionate about the discipline.”

Anne has since trained scores of horses and hundreds of riders. She has worked as a personal trainer, is married to Adam, a businessman she describes as the ultimate horse husband, and has two children, Lockie, 10, and 12-year-old Chilli who has her own pony and loves dressage.

Today, Anne is one of South Australia’s leading equestrian coaches, educators and competitors. At home in Angle Vale she rides on her all-weather arena, often in the company of German trainer Elke Schoeberl. “She keeps her horse with me and I’m very lucky to have her as my ‘eyes on the ground’. I also run Lyrical Acres, an agistment property named after Lyric, my retired Grand Prix horse, who won championships at almost every level.”

Her present FEI horse is nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood Shadows Tollinski, by Tuschinkski out of a Pritzen mare. “The Erreplus Erena was bought for him. He’s not an unusual shape but is a sensitive sausage and a bit of a princess. His saddles have never been quite right, even the one I had custom made for him. Friends suggested I contact The Saddle Hub and now I have one that’s perfect. I rode him in it for three days and then he made his debut at Prix St Georges with no problems at all.”

She was impressed with The Saddle Hub’s efficiency, its customer service and range of brands. “They sent me four to choose from, two Erreplus styles, a PDS and an Equipe. The saddles arrived quickly and in good condition, and all my questions were answered swiftly – they’re excellent people to deal with.”

The Saddle Hub has a wide variety of top quality second-hand saddles, so why wait? All saddles come with a two-week trial, finance options, and a courier right to your door. Terms and conditions apply.