ALBION TREE DESIGN
COMBINING TRADITION,
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
Did you know that all Albion Trees are made in our own factory in Walsall, England?
Albion has responded to the needs of the sport horse, creating trees that allow freedom of shoulder movement and panel stability within each and every saddle. Paul Belton, Chairman and Chief Designer at Albion and the in-house design team have taken tree design to new heights of precision and ergonomic performance by using cutting edge computerised technology from the aerospace industry.
Since 1985, all Albion saddles have been manufactured with a factory adjustable saddle tree.
In 2013 Albion launched ‘Adjusta Tree’. It is believed to be the first British precision engineered adjustable wooden saddle tree.
‘Adjusta Tree’ has been specifically designed for adjustment using pressure by any local Albion saddle fitter. The fitting can be altered without damage or distortion to the headplates or rivets of the tree assembly using Albion approved pressure systems, whilst remaining within the saddle.
‘Adjusta-Tree’ has been robustly engineered to withstand weight loading and pressure induced spread. It has been rigorously tested and proven by Albion’s own ‘in-house’mechanical spread testing equipment and was further tested and proven by a specialist Independent Engineering Laboratory using approved heavy load testing systems.
Albion’s trees are engineered to be accurate and symmetrical to within +/-2mm complying with the British Standard specification BS6635. Every tree made in Albion’s workshops is quality controlled and checked for accuracy and symmetry on an approved British Standard engineers inspection table before leaving the workshop.
“Precision saddle fitting can only be achieved if the tree is completely accurate and symmetrical”, comments Paul Belton. Paul who is a professional rider, qualified design engineer and past President of the Society of Master Saddlers (UK) is passionate about continuously improving the comfort and performance for every horse and rider.
The Albion tree warranty is 5 years – for breakage while subject to normal usage and conditions.
All adjustments to Albion trees must be carried out by authorised persons and approved equipment only.
- ‘Adjusta-Tree’™ is suitable for pressure machine adjustment by approved pressure systems
- Platinum trees are suitable for interchangeable adjustment
- All other trees must be returned to the Albion factory for adjustment