Bates Advanta - Does it really give you the ADVANTAge?
Bates Advanta - Does it really give you the ADVANTAge?
If you are looking for a new XC saddle you may have looked at Bates Advanta saddles for sale. Bates claim the Advanta gives you the ultimate competitive edge.... but does it?
Lets take a look at the Bates Advanta monoflap jump saddle and see what it offers both horse and rider.
Find Bates Advanta Saddles for sale here with a 5 day trial for UK Mainland customers, and international shipping available!
Who are Bates?
Bates are part of the Saddlery Brands International Family which includes Wintec and Arena. They are an Australian brand renowned all over the world for their adjustable gullet saddles with the unique CAIR cushion panels. Bates offer a selection of saddles for all disciplines from All Purpose, Show jumping, eventing and dressage. In this article we will be looking at the Bates Advanta monoflap XC Jump saddle so you can decide if this is the right monoflap jump saddle for you and your horse.
What is the Bates Advanta?
The Bates Advanta is a highly desirable monoflap jump saddle perfect for eventing as it offers an ultra-close feel between horse and rider. It has beautiful LUXE leather which offers a sumptuous and grippy feel to ensure the rider's security and comfort around the cross country course. It features external fixed knee and calf blocks known as Flexi Contour Blocs which can uniquely be positioned to suit the rider. Therefore offering unrivalled support yet a custom feel.
As with all Bates saddles, the Advanta features the HART (Horse and Rider Technology) which includes CAIR cushion panels and the Easy-Change gullet system.
Features of the Bates Advanta Jump Saddle;
- Synergy Panel - provides the best cushioning for your horse to reduce pressure points felt during jumping, combined with increase blood flow to encourage freedom of movement and muscle development.
- Sweet Spot - the saddle is perfect aligned to you to give you the best jumping position and balance. It has a narrow twist and keeps you in close contact with your horse.
- Moveable Flexi Contour Blocs - external blocks which can be angled to suit the rider, offering the optimum support. Simply unscrew the block underneath, position at the angle you want, and retighten the screws.
- Monoflap design - ultra close contact feel with your horse.
- Adjustable Ergonomic Stirrup Bar -enabling you to perfectly align and position your stirrup leathers and stirrups for a custom feel. Slide the stirrup bar back and forth and then lock in at the position that suits your leg.
- Quilted Panel points- to enable free shoulder movements, vital to get your horse round the XC course comfortably, quickly and to enable him to jump at his best!
What type of horse does it fit?
The Advanta Jump saddle works really well on low to standard withered horses with fairly flat backs. This can include anything from athletic sports horses to connemara's, to warmbloods, to Welsh D's.
However, with all Bates saddles minor adjustments can be made with the Easy Change Riser Shim system enabling you to make minor adjustments of 4 or 8mm to the saddle to achieve the perfect fit.
You can order yourself the Easy Change Riser System shims here.
What seat size do you need?
Bates measure their saddles in cm. The Bates Advanta is available in 42cm(16.5 inch), 43cm (17 inch) and 44cm (17.5 inch).
The seat size you require will depend on your height and weight as a rider, and the length of your horses back. It is really important not to get a saddle too long for your horse. Your saddle should not come past T18 or the 18th Thoracic vertebrae. If you are unsure on what size your horse can take you should consult your saddle fitter.
Learn more about saddle fitting here.
What width do you need?
To establish what width your horse needs you can use the Bates gullet gauge which will determine what size gullet bar you need.
You can order your Bates gullet gauge here.
However, we do recommend ordering the saddle with a few spare gullet bars to enable you to have a few options to try during your trial. You can add the extra gullet bars to your basket.
Our opinion
The Bates Advanta is one of our favourite monoflap jump saddles here at The Saddle Bank. It offers everything a rider wants in a close contact monoflap jump saddle. It offers an unrivalled closeness between horse and rider, lovely grippy feel in the leather, customisable knee and calf block positioning, fairly narrow twist, flat seat and of course the sliding stirrup bar to enable riders to achieve the optimum position individual to them.
It looks great on the horse, and does not look bulky or out of place. It comes in 3 different colour options and is price fairly.
Plus you can alter the gullet width really quickly and easily when your horse changes shape. This is vital as people don't realise how often their horses do change shape even just a fraction can make a huge difference to your horses performance.
Trial a Bates Advanta
Ready to test ride the Bates Advanta?
We know you will love it!
Shop Bates Advanta saddles here.
If we don't have the size/colour combo you want in stock, get in touch with our team on info@thesaddlebank.com who will be happy to help and order one in for you. (This should only take a couple of days)
For more information on how the trial works, watch our short video below.
