​Salli Riding Pad – perfect product development

Ponitaivas Riding School first tested the Riding Pad developed by Salli Systems in the spring 2018, and the new product was praised already then.

–  Salli Riding Pad is comfortable and thick enough. The surface kept both the rider and the pad in the right place. The final touches in the products was superbly put and on the whole it looks and feels like a high-quality product. In addition, there are wonderful colours to choose from, said Lia Merimaa, the owner of Ponitaivas.

Development suggestions

During the first test, Salli openly asked Ponitaivas for development suggestions and also received some to reflect on.

– The attachment of the girth could be further back. Also the handle at the front is slightly too small. The stirrup straps could be behind the girth, Merimaa suggested.

However, already at that time Merimaa gave praise to Riding Pad's functionality and features, and was delighted with Salli's product development and interest in increasing user-friendliness.

– It's really good to get new products on the market so everyone can find a functional solution. It's great that Salli develops them with user-friendliness in mind.

Article continues below the picture. Suvi Päivärinta who takes care of the animals in Ponitaivas tested Salli's renewed Riding Pad with Tintin Lipstikka, a.k.a. Ihuna.

Second test in autumn 2018

After the test in last spring, Riding Pad was further developed in Salli's product development, in the small rural village of Rautalampi. Riding Pads are handmade in the same production facilities with Salli Saddle Chairs.

Ponitaivas tested the new and better, more practical version of the Riding Pad in this autumn. Merimaa’s first comments are about how well the product development has succeeded.

– The changes have definitely increased the comfortability of the product and it feels very good to sit on it. The girth and straps are now in the right place and the Pad stays well in place.

Fast actions in Salli’s product development

Merimaa says that it feels great that Salli updated the product on the basis of customer’s experiences.

– It's wonderful to work with a manufacturer that takes into consideration all the practical points. Salli's R&D and their reacting to customers’ needs are fast and highly customer-friendly.

The owner of Ponitaivas sends greetings to Salli's production, product development and customer service.

– Thanks a lot, keep up the good work.

Article continues below the picture. – Salli Riding Pad is really warm, even in winter, Suvi Päivärinta from Ponitaivas says.

For a rider it feels like coming home!

The newest representative of the Saddle Saddle Chairs in Finland is the entrepreneur of Fysio-Origo and the responsible teacher of Erottaja Massage School, Heli Onikki, who is also a rider. Onikki is very versatile in her field and she has wide expertise.

– I am a trained masseuse, sports masseuse, physiotherapist, sports physiotherapist, and personal trainer. I also compete in kettlebell sports.

Relief on horseback

Horses and riding have been part of her life for about 26 years.

– I have had rental horses and three horses of my own, the last of which I sold last summer in sad feelings. I competed for many years, mainly in show jumping, instructed riding lessons and rode different kinds of horses as a horse trainer a lot, but nowadays I, sadly, only ride occasionally. Sitting on a horse's back has always brought relief to my back problems, and although different horses move in different ways, there is something really therapeutic about the movements of all of them.

The leading expert on sitting health

The inventor of Salli Saddle Chairs, Veli-Jussi Jalkanen, was also looking to relieve his own back problems when he invented the chair almost 30 years ago. Jalkanen, who has been riding for all his life, carried his saddle from the stables to his office and placed it on a stool after realizing that his back was better when he was riding and worse when doing office work. A lot has happened since then. During the decades, Salli Saddle Chair has become invincible when the ergonomic features are concerned. The two-part width-adjustable seat, swing mechanism, new reflexological base and Salli’s holistic sitting concept have made Salli the world’s leading expert and pioneer of continuous product development of sitting health. And it all started on horseback.

Article continues below the picture. Veli-Jussi Jalkanen shows how to do it! Salli Riding Pad is suitable also for jumping up tp 120 cm.

Ingenious saddle chair

Heli Onikki, the training and sitting health professional, regards Salli’s global success as a victory for ergonomics and wellbeing.

– The development of Salli has gone into a brilliant direction - the direction of movement that is the healthiest thing for our bodies. The swing mechanism allows natural movement that promotes back health also while sitting.

Onikki also wishes to point out that, whether you are an exercise and training professional, a rider, or just an ordinary person who is trying to keep fit, it is not sensible to reset the good effects of exercise already achieved by sitting passively on an old-fashioned chair eight hours a day when there is a healthy alternative.

– It is important to bring forth this information. Old-fashioned sitting is even dangerous for the body and standing the whole day is no solution either. There are already many studies on this topic.

Article continues below the picture.  Physiotherapist Heli Onikki thinks that Salli's product development is going into the right direction.

Therapeutic movement

Onikki invites riders to try Salli’s  swing models, if not for another reason but just to make themselves happy.

– When sitting on Salli, the correct position is similar to the correct position of the rider. Ankle, hip, shoulder – all are in the same vertical line and the natural curves of the back remain. The aim is to sit in a relaxed and upright position, both on Salli and on horseback – and it is also possible. Sitting on Salli creates a happy "It feels like home!" experience for a rider. Therapeutic movement is therefore possible also elsewhere than on horseback.