About Cantante Saddlery
Tiago Cantante
A pioneering entrepreneur, his family-run venture exemplifies the dedication and passion of its founders. It all started with his career in bullfighting, where he spent over 25 years in Portuguse classical riding. He immigrated to Canada in 2018 and has been helping grow the quality of the Lusitano breed and spreading knowledge of working equitation.
The History of the Saddle
The Relvas saddle was designed by Carlos Relvas (Carlos Augusto de Mascarenhas Relvas de Campos) in 1880 as a type of schooling saddle used in the art of Manege. Relvas was a wealthy minor aristocrat with a passion for photography and horses. He grew up in the Outeiro Palace, Golega and his father was a wealthy landowner in the Ribatejo. He inherited great the estate and like many minor aristocrats of his era, he persued equestrian pastimes such as bullfighting from horseback, fencing, skill at arms and training horses in the school (manga in Portuguese).
He was moved to design a new saddle which would allow him to be more mobile in the saddle when schooling and performing in the bullring and so he brought together the best of the designs from English saddles produced for the export market in Walsall with the deeper seated models of the traditional Portuguese saddles which characteristic high galleries. The result was the Relvas which is considered the most popular schooling saddle in Portugal today.
Our Modifications
At Cantante Saddlery, we have modified the traditional Relvas saddle to benefit both horse and rider comfort. Our saddle features a flexible tree, which allows it to be more versatile on a range of horses. This also allows the saddle to change with the horse, as they are often changing shape and outline. This saddle also features a wide base for equine lumbosacral support. Widening the surface area of the panels helps to distribute the riders' weight better throughout the horses' back. Not only is there improved comfort for the horse, but there is extra padding to match both male and female riders.