PLN
After eighteen years in the saddle of one brand, it's hard to believe that a change of equipment can make any difference in training. Gabriela Jaworska – a rider with almost three decades of competitions – was convinced that a good saddle should simply "not get in the way." We talk about why she ultimately switched to the Prestige Italia Brillante K AS-X model, what she felt under the saddle during the first test, and how this decision translated into the work of her young horse.
Photo. Private archive Gabriela Jaworska
Table of contents
- Why this model is worth discussing
- Three decades in dressage and growing equipment demands
- What I really expect from a saddle
- Eighteen years with one brand
- Skepticism before the first test
- Horse's well-being over habit
- First test: a saddle that moves
- Tailor-made configuration
- The final saddle: custom-made immediately, no break-in period
- What has changed in the horse's training
- One saddle, several horses, and rider comfort
- Advice for the skeptic
- Brillante in a few words
- Summary: who is Prestige Brillante for?
Why this model is worth discussing
In dressage, equipment is rarely the star. It's about work, patience, and years of building understanding with the horse. And yet, every now and then, a saddle appears that even those most reserved about change talk about.
The Prestige Italia Brillante K AS-X dressage saddle (in the version tested by our interviewee: Brillante K, from the Prestige AS-X line) is a model best described not by a list of parameters, but by the rider's experience. That's why, instead of a catalog description, we offer a conversation – honest, at times skeptical, led by Monika Zastrzeżyńska-Rychwalska from Equishop.
This isn't a story about equipment that "does the rider's job." This is a story about what happens when a well-fitted saddle stops bothering the horse – and suddenly, a problem you've been grappling with for months disappears.
Three decades in dressage and growing equipment demands
Monika (Equishop): Let's start with you. How long have you been riding and how did you get into dressage?
Gabriela Jaworska: I've been riding since I was six. I started regular training, three to four times a week, when I was about ten, and I've been an active competitor since I was twelve – without a break longer than three or four months, and that was only to give birth. So, I've been competing for about twenty-nine years now, and I've been riding even longer.
Monika (Equishop): That's a huge part of your life spent in the saddle. You compete not only in the country but also in European and world-level competitions. What does this level mean for your equipment expectations?
Gabriela Jaworska: The equipment must be of the highest quality. At this stage – and actually, even striving for it, taking this path – you can't afford random or ill-fitting equipment. It's too serious a game to ride in any old gear.
Monika (Equishop): So equipment should open up development opportunities, not limit them?
Gabriela Jaworska: Absolutely. It can't hinder anything or get in the way anywhere. And it's not about making excuses – in the case of a horse, who can't tell us in words that something doesn't suit them, everything just has to be well-fitted for it to work.
What I really expect from a saddle
Monika (Equishop): How would you describe your riding style? What do you need most from a saddle every day?
Gabriela Jaworska: I expect it not to get in the way and to allow me the best possible contact with the horse. I want to feel every part of its body, how it takes steps, where tension appears. This is undoubtedly the most important thing for me.
Gabriela Jaworska: I've always been fixated on my seat and feeling the horse. I still am – I can get into a jumping saddle, but if it's ill-fitting, I can't even post. It's a huge discomfort for me.
Eighteen years with one brand
Monika (Equishop): For a long time, you rode in a saddle from another brand. What kept you with it?
Gabriela Jaworska: The fact that I had ideal contact with the horse. The saddle was well-fitted, didn't get in the way, didn't have overly large knee rolls, I didn't feel perched above the horse. I didn't have to use pads, and I really dislike them.
Gabriela Jaworska: Of course, there are situations – especially since I've been riding young horses for a long time – when correctionally you have to put something underneath for a while, until the young horse develops properly. But generally, I don't like any pads or fillers. The previous brand, with which I cooperated for eighteen years, gave me what I expected.
Monika (Equishop): That's a really long time. Was there a moment when you started thinking about a change yourself, or was it an external impulse that led you to it?
Gabriela Jaworska: During those eighteen years, of course, there were attempts to switch, even for a moment, but I never found what I had with the previous brand. The impulse to decide to change was definitely there. But in reality, it was about escalating problems that came from the horse towards me – and which I couldn't cope with. I had to make a change.
Skepticism before the first test
Monika (Equishop): Honestly – when the suggestion to try Brillante K came up, how did you react?
Gabriela Jaworska: I was very skeptical. I knew these saddles from almost twenty years ago, when they were completely different constructions – this model didn't even exist. I had seen them on other riders, I had ridden in other saddles of this brand many times, and I wasn't positive about the tests themselves. I immediately pointed out that I am very demanding. And that the horse, though young, is also very demanding.
Monika (Equishop): Plus, there were eighteen years of getting used to another brand.
Gabriela Jaworska: Absolutely. Everything was very important to me – the quality of the leather, and even its slipperiness. I am, so to speak, static: once I choose something, I don't like changes. Like most of us. And when it comes to equipment, everything had to be perfectly fitted.
Monika (Equishop): I remember that when I called, at first you preferred to stick with your saddle. What kept you with it?
Gabriela Jaworska: Firstly, I am constant in my feelings on this matter – I don't like radical changes. Secondly, I didn't believe, at least until then, that a saddle could free the shoulder or improve movement. I didn't want to believe it. From a riding perspective, I believed more that everything is achieved through work, and a saddle should simply not get in the way. That was my assumption.
Until the last moment, even when I first sat in the saddle, I remained skeptical. The only thing that convinced me was the knowledge that for my horse, I had to make a change.
Horse's well-being over habit
Monika (Equishop): So, ultimately, the horse's well-being was the deciding factor?
Gabriela Jaworska: Yes. The horse's well-being and its further development. I don't look at him solely in the here and now – that he's getting good results and is a good horse. I already see him as a Grand Prix horse. So I must provide him with all the conditions to become one.
Gabriela Jaworska: Without a good rider, of course, it's also not possible, but without well-fitting equipment, you definitely won't get there. There's no way.
First test: a saddle that moves
Monika (Equishop): Do you remember the first moment of the tests, when Ola and I came to you? We had a few configurations. What did you feel when you sat on the Brillante K and the horse moved?
Gabriela Jaworska: The first thing that surprised me was that I turned to you and said the saddle seemed to be moving entirely. I heard: yes, it's moving entirely. That was a shock to me – but a very positive one, because I saw how much looseness it gave the horse.
Gabriela Jaworska: I felt his relaxation, maybe it was just a warm-up, but I immediately sensed looseness in his body. This horse would immediately show discomfort in other saddles – he would hunch, tense his belly. Here, that wasn't the case. As if the whole problem disappeared in an instant.
Monika (Equishop): We also changed the girth then.
Gabriela Jaworska: Yes, and I'm also thrilled with the girth. I can't imagine saddling him any other way now. Previously, I didn't ride in ordinary, readily available girths, so I couldn't complain – but I've been confirmed that this is the only girth he truly likes, accepts, and works well in.
Monika (Equishop): What surprised you the most, differently than you expected – even during those first tests?
Gabriela Jaworska: The fact that the saddle works so well with the horse. I expected it to be a bit looser, that maybe he would stop tensing up so much, that the discomfort would be less. But I didn't think the difference would be so huge.
Tailor-made configuration
Monika (Equishop): The first saddle was a test model – not perfectly fitted yet, but good enough that you decided to order your own configuration. What convinced you to do so?
Gabriela Jaworska: My horse's work. Absolutely nothing else. I decided to trust you that my final saddle would be slightly different from the test one. I'm not someone who customizes everything so precisely – I think you did it brilliantly.
Gabriela Jaworska: I also remember the admiration of other people when I appeared with my saddle at competitions or at home. They immediately noticed that it was beautiful, that it had beautiful finishes. It is very characteristic and, I hope, still unique.
Monika (Equishop): You were able to create something that expressed your character. What was the process of choosing the final configuration like, including customization – even down to the piping?
Gabriela Jaworska: I completely trusted you. It's great that you matched it with the tailcoat I compete in – although at the last competition I was accused of being an Irish representative, a small mistake. I didn't think you could match so many details, down to every thread and stitch. It was much more precise and individual than I expected.
Monika (Equishop): The green of the saddle harmonizes with the green of your tailcoat – in photos from competitions, it looks very complementary.
Gabriela Jaworska: In dressage, such details are important. For us women, too. It's a very elegant discipline, so these small things build our image in the arena. There's no point in denying it.
The final saddle: custom-made immediately, no break-in period
Monika (Equishop): When did you receive the final saddle?
Gabriela Jaworska: Very quickly – I think it was two, maximum three weeks. I rode the test saddle for a really short time.
Monika (Equishop): And when did you first sit on it?
Gabriela Jaworska: I was also shocked, because it was perfectly fitted. In the test saddle, I had slightly longer flaps and larger knee rolls, so each time I had to "ride myself in" again and needed more time to warm up. My saddle is truly custom-made – I didn't have to break it in at all. I was delighted immediately, the horse rode very well and continues to do so. I see that nothing bothers him and he works well. I didn't delve into the technology, but this saddle isn't "inflated" above the horse, yet it's very soft.
Gabriela Jaworska: What's more, I also use this saddle on my second horse, who is still young and growing. Thanks to you, I know where and what to put under it for now – and this horse also started working completely differently in a saddle that moves with him.
What has changed in the horse's training
Monika (Equishop): What has changed in your riding and in the horses' work since you started riding in the final Brillante K?
Gabriela Jaworska: In essence, everything has changed. From the moment the saddle arrived, we made a huge leap in the quality of training.
Gabriela Jaworska: I bought Rysiek when he was about a year old – he took his first steps under me. From the very beginning of breaking him in, I felt he had enormous movement potential, but also huge tension issues. Until that year, these tensions somehow "played" with him all the time. The saddle, improved work, and his age had such an effect that he made incredible progress in training. The last three months have seen avalanche-like progress.
Monika (Equishop): I know you also ride a young horse – Bonaparte – in this saddle. So, does the fact that the tree works with the horse's movement allow the young horse to develop more possibilities?
Gabriela Jaworska: Yes. We removed all those tensions, and the saddle along with the girth allows him to move his whole body better and find balance with the rider. Bonaparte is very young, I've been working with him for three months, so he's just learning this balance. And that's not easy for young horses, especially during intense growth periods.
One saddle, several horses, and rider comfort
Monika (Equishop): What does the change to Brillante K mean from a future perspective?
Gabriela Jaworska: I think a lot. It's clear that I can't ride ten horses with one saddle, but I have more room to maneuver. I can adapt it individually to several horses, and it's perfectly fitted to me.
Gabriela Jaworska: I'm not very large, which also matters. Having a narrow pelvis and sitting on a wide saddle, I experience enormous discomfort and pain during training. Here, because the saddle works and adapts to the horse, I don't feel a difference whether I'm riding a bigger or narrower horse. For me as a rider, it's an incredibly comfortable saddle to work in.
Advice for the skeptic
Monika (Equishop): What would you say to someone who is where you once were – attached to their saddle and reluctant to change?
Gabriela Jaworska: It would probably be hard to find another skeptic like me. But nevertheless, I would remind them of the old saying that change is good and encourage them to try. Just try – it does no harm and costs nothing. A good training session in a good saddle will certainly not have a negative impact. You can always back out, though I suspect that after one try, it will be difficult.
Brillante in a few words
Monika (Equishop): If you had to describe Brillante K in one sentence?
Gabriela Jaworska: Perfectly fitted for both rider and horse.
Monika (Equishop): Complete the sentence: changing my saddle was for me…
Gabriela Jaworska: A big change in my life and a developmental leap.
Monika (Equishop): What were you afraid of before the change, and what turned out to be an unnecessary fear?
Gabriela Jaworska: I was afraid we wouldn't find a solution to the problem that arose with the horse's development. But it turned out to be unnecessary stress.
Monika (Equishop): Brillante K in three words?
Gabriela Jaworska: Precision, perfect fit – that's two, so there will be four – and perfect appearance.
Monika (Equishop): And finally: the best thing about this saddle is that…
Gabriela Jaworska: It works with the horse.
Summary: who is the Prestige Brillante for?
The conversation with Gabriela Jaworska is not a story about miraculous equipment that will replace hard work. Rather, it's a reminder of how much a saddle can change when it stops hindering the horse – and allows it to move its entire body freely.
Dressage saddles from the Prestige Brillante K AS-X line are worth considering, especially if you recognize yourself or your horse in this story: if you are looking for close contact and precise feel of the horse, if you are struggling with tension in a young, developing mount, if you care about a saddle fitted to both the horse's back and your body – and at the same time you value the possibility of personalization down to the detail of stitching and piping.
It's worth remembering three things from this conversation. Firstly, that even a long-term skeptic can feel the difference from the very first ride. Secondly, that a well-fitted saddle is often a condition for the horse's development, not just an adornment. And thirdly – in the rider's own words – the best thing about this saddle is that it works with the horse.
The construction and fitting philosophy of the AS-X line are described by the manufacturer on the official Prestige Italia website. If you want to check if the Prestige Brillante K saddle suits you and your horse, the best starting point is a saddle fitting consultation. We invite you to the Equishop Fitting Center at Oświęcimska 9 in Ruda Śląska, where saddle fitting begins with the back of a specific horse, not with a catalog.
