Native pony, cob and wide horse saddle fitters alliance

Native pony, cob and wide horse saddle fitters alliance

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Native pony, cob and wide horse saddle fitters alliance, Equestrian Center, .

21/03/2022

Am I too big/heavy for my horse or pony ????

A common question and a delicate one to answeršŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

1. Horses come in many different sizes and builds so actual height is not a good guide as many very large horses shires in particular can often have quite short weak backs as they were bred for pulling not carrying and some of the larger natives have quite large bodies with wide strong backs with good length for a saddle but only have short strong legs so can be much smaller in height but are capable of carrying a much heavier rider than the taller horse

2. You could have two riders the same height and weight one rider is a complete novice never ridden before does little exercise and has no core strength the other is an experienced rider who rides often is riding fit and has good core strength the fit rider will ride lighter on the horse they will be in balance with the horses movement they wonā€™t get left behind the horses movement they will sit central and will sit lighter in the saddle as they are holding their own body up rather than slumping in the saddle

Lead weight was used in eventing to make all riders an equal weight but isnā€™t used now as the dead weight of the lead was causing excessive fatigue in horses with lighter riders who had to carry more lead as apposed to the horses with heavier riders and no lead

THE MORAL HERE IS TRY TO RIDE LIKE WILLIAM FOX PIT NOT A LUMP OF LEADšŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

3. Most people donā€™t know this but a horses back can stand 2 pounds per square inch of pressure (psi)
Ideally closer to 1.5psi if you have 2.2 psi you will cause soreness if you have 3psi you will cause damage and actual sores how do you work out you psi divide you weight by the square inch of surface area on the panels of your saddle ie the area that is touching your horses back

So if you have a narrow short backed horse the size of saddle it can wear will have a small surface area so will need a lighter rider no matter the height of the horse

If you have a horse with a shorter back but it is very wide through itā€™s back the horse can wear a saddle with much wider panels and seat so you can get more surface area remember the surface area is created not just by the length of the panel but also the width so if your horse has plenty of width in its back make use of that by fitting a saddle with wider panels

Think of your horses back as the sea and your saddle as a boat
You can land a plane on an aircraft carrier but it would sink a dingy so make sure your saddle isnā€™t sinking

IF YOUR HORSE DOESNT HAVE ENOUGH ROOM ON ITS BACK TO TAKE A SADDLE WITH ENOUGH SURFACE AREA TO CARRY YOUR WEIGHT THEN YES YOU ARE TOO BIG FOR YOUR HORSE NO MATTER WHAT SIZE OR BUILD IT
IS

4. You donā€™t weigh much but you have long legs and are riding in a small saddle
A saddle works by spreading the riders weight evenly over its surface area so the rider needs to fit in the saddle so their seat is central if your hip to knee is long when you sit in the centre of your saddle your knees will be over the knee rolls if you knee is in the knee roll your seat will be pushed to the back of the saddle causing you weight to all be at the back of the saddle increasing the psi in that area and turning a light rider into a heavy one
There are different styles and shapes of saddle and placing of front blocks to help sort this out

IF YOU DONT FIT IN THE SADDLE THAT IS ON YOUR HORSE THEN YOU MAY NOT BE TOO BIG/HEAVY FOR YOUR HORSE BUT YOU ARE TOO BIG/HEAVY FOR THAT PARTICULAR HORSE AND SADDLE COMBINATION

If you think you are on the talk heavy side for your horse it is even more important that your saddle is regularly checked to ensure that it fits in balance and sits you central and distributes your weight evenly a lot of older saddles have narrow panels and gullet channels and canā€™t cause a Hugh amount of damage and discomfort to your horse
But itā€™s not hopeless as there are a lot of brands of saddles now that are made specifically for smaller cobs and natives with adult riders using many different techniques to achieve more surface area on panels and support for the rider to help them sit central making small saddles that fit big

21/03/2022

Why does my saddle slip ????

There are a number of reasons why saddles slip

1. Your saddle doesn't fit your horse most horses have one shoulder bigger than the other usually the left one if your saddle is too wide or too narrow or not the right shaped tree it will cause restriction to the shoulders in some cases both shoulders will push the saddle backwards and in others the saddle will just be tight on the bigger shoulder and in most cases get pushed over to the right by the bigger left shoulder

2. Most riders don't sit straight this becomes more apparent if you have a barrel shaped horse with no wither as if you don't sit in the Center of your saddle it will slide to the side that has more weight in that stirrup. If as a rider you much prefer to circle on your left rein and struggle with right canter lead you probably have more weight down your right side and are twisted to the left if you prefer right rein you are prob the other way .Most people sit to the right and usually people who sit to the left are left handed or mainly use their left hand.Try standing on two weighing scales with one foot on each and your eyes closed and see which side has the most weight on it šŸ˜³šŸ˜³

3. The flocking on your saddle has become uneven prob due to the rider sitting with more weight on one side but after time the panel on that side will become noticeably flatter and you saddle may suddenly start to slip to that side

4. Horse that has uneven muscle along its back usually a horse that has had a past injury or been very lame even for a short period i.e. Foot abscess as the horse compensates by using its good side more it becomes bigger on one side usually resolved quickly once the horse is fully sound and back in work (nothing drastic should be done to the saddle in this case as once horse has evened up the saddle will slip to the opposite side of it's been flocked to compensate)

5.A horse that is misaligned through its pelvis some horses have a very obvious drop to one hip bone causing the back of the saddle to sit lower on this side some horses can be greatly straightened by physio and mctimony manipulation but always get veterinary advise first as these treatments can only legally be booked with veterinary referral

6. A saddle with too thick a panel on a round horse this will raise your Center of gravity causing the saddle to slide when going round corners

7. Sudden and unusually saddle slip i.e. Your saddle used to go to the right a bit but now has suddenly started going left this can sometimes be the first indication of hind leg lameness so shouldn't be ignored if your fitter can't find a reason for your saddle slipping that direction then it is worth mentioning it to your vet.

These are some of the reasons saddles slip saddle fitting has got harder as horses have got wider as in years gone by most horses had quite a lot of wither which stabilised the saddle giving the impression that in the old days we didn't need saddle fitters and never had problems with saddles slipping šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ no the saddles didn't slip but if I look at old photos most of the horses had severe muscle waistage behind their shoulders from wearing too narrow saddles times have changed and horses shapes have changed but sadly as English saddles are built to last there are still many saddles out there in their 20's and 30's an older nice as it is to preserve this craftsmanship sadly they don't fit today's haylege fed horses .

If you have a proper saddle fitter out they will firstly asses your horse to see if they have any problems going on that will effect saddle fit and ability to be comfortably ridden if there is a problem this will be picked up and advise given on what to do. The correct saddle will be fitted and adjusted to your horse and the correct remedial shins will be fitted if needed not just bunging a riser on w***y nilly often causing more damage. The rider will be assessed for straightness and made aware of any problems and maybe advised where to seek help there are some really good rider straightness clinics to help you realise your weaknesses and fix them.

Don't suffer in silence help is out there if you have the dreaded saddle slip but please seek advise from the correct professionals šŸ‘šŸ‘šŸ‘šŸ‘

21/03/2022

The art of saddle fitting

Fitting a static object between two moving objects, that can change shape at any timešŸ˜³šŸ˜³šŸ˜³

I love the challenge of going to a customer whoā€™s been told they will never find a saddle that fits them or their horse, or is struggling to find a saddle that doesnā€™t slip. Taking on these customers can be the most rewarding part of my job, and Iā€™m more that happy to accept the challenge, but on one condition.

Itā€™s important that as a horse owners we start to take some responsibility for the way our saddle fits, and continues to fit or not fit our horse.

The ideal horse and rider combination would be a fully mature (around 8yrs) 100% sound , fit, well schooled, well balanced horse that was kept in exactly the same feed and exercise routine every day of the year. Ridden by a rider that was fit,exactly the right size for the horse, had no past injuries(rider and no injuries two words that donā€™t go together šŸ¤£šŸ¤£), probably didnā€™t look after their own horse(all that heavy lifting, carrying hay nets on one shoulder etc doesnt help you stay straight) spent a lot of time perfecting their posture and straightness.
If this was the customer then I think a saddle could be fitted, and with very little maintenance that saddle would always fit pretty much the same (until the horse got into its teens, see further down)

Unfortunately for most of us, me included, we are along way from being the above combination. Life, work and family commitments and the fact most of us want to let our horses be horses and go out in the field for summer turnout(and get a bit fatšŸ¤£)or decide to take them to a summer camp with our friends or a beach holiday,and ride everyday(loose a bit of weight) not ride everyday in winter when itā€™s cold dark and rainy (loose some top line)

This leads us to the common messages we get as saddle fitters

I need you to come fix my saddle

This saddle youā€™ve sold me isnā€™t a good fit itā€™s slipping

So to start with we need to go back to the original fitting.

When your saddle was fitted were both you and your horse comfortable in it, did your horse go well in it (at least as well as in your own saddle if not better)
Did the saddle stay straight, did it stay in place not move forwards or slip back (sometimes a very small amount of right slip in left canter is acceptable as this is usually rider imbalance, but this should be pointed out and addressed at the fitting ). If you donā€™t feel all of the above now is the time to raise concerns, as if the saddles not fitting well now then the fit isnā€™t likely to get better over time. You know your horse better than anyone if you feel your horse doesnā€™t like the saddle in anyway address the issue now go with your gut instinct and donā€™t be pressured into buying a saddle your not 100% certain of. Make sure you try the saddle in all paces and over a jump if you jump.
If you and your horse are happy with the saddle then the fitter has done their job and correctly fitted a saddle to your horse on the day that your both happy with.

Now itā€™s up to you to take over responsibility for the continued fit of your saddle, as unless you keep your horse with your saddle fitter(or the fitter has a magic crystal ballšŸ¤”) you are the person who can notice changes in the fit.
To help you Iā€™m going to list below some of the things you should be looking for.

1. If you have purchased a brand new saddle it will bed in and the flocking will bed down, at the fitting your saddle fitter should advise you when you will need your first check, usually around 4-8 weeks depending how much you ride. If at the fitting the saddle fitter has noticed that your horses muscles are uneven (usually from previous badly fitting saddles)or that you donā€™t sit straight, your saddle may need checking before this to ensure the flocking isnā€™t getting squashed more on one side. In an ideal world we would send you a reminder, but as most of us donā€™t even have time to eatšŸ˜³itā€™s probably best you make sure you book this appointment yourself (I ask customers to fill out a booking form straight away for their first check)THIS FIRST CHECK IS POSSIBLY THE MOST IMPORTANT CHECK YOU HAVE AS THIS IS THE TIME THE SADDLE WILL CHANGE THE MOST DUE TO IT BEDDING IN. You then need to make sure you book follow up checks your fitter will tell you how frequently these checks needs to be.

2. Keep an eye on your horses shape, I know a lot of people use a weight tape but this wonā€™t help gauge changes in the saddle area. The best thing to do is buy a flexi rule and once a month (more often if you change your horses routine)measure your horse and trace it onto paper so you can check for changes. If your horse changes shape contact your fitter, even if everything seems ok, they might just get you to send pictures so they can see if these changes are affecting the balance of the saddle.

3. If your saddle seems to be lifting at the back or sitting low or to one side. Donā€™t listen to the yard expert and shim it or use a back or front riser or a grippy pad. Call or message your saddle fitter, shims and risers used in the wrong way can cause no end of pain to your horse by causing excess pressure.

4. If you notice white hairs your horse is not becoming an Appalosa (a customer did once say that about her Welsh cobšŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļø)white hairs are a sign that excess pressure is being placed on that area and the hair follicles are dying. Again call your fitter (please inform them if youā€™ve changed saddle pads recently)

5. Saddle cloth slipping back, this is a sign allā€™s not well usually tightness at the front of your saddle is making your saddle cloth walk backwards (be aware saddle either to narrow or too wide will cause this)only exception to this is if you just used a new saddle pad, check your new saddle pad is same thickness as your old one and also check itā€™s not made from slippy material( not all saddle pads are designed to be the best fit some are just made to look pretty)

6. At the saddle fitting make sure you use the type of Numnah your going to continue to use. If you suddenly change to a thicker or thinner one donā€™t be surprised if your saddle doesnā€™t fit. ( you wouldnā€™t have a wedding dress fitted then decide to wear a jumper under it on your wedding day, because it was a bit chilly that day šŸ¤£šŸ¤£)Also saddle cloth shape is important I prefer the high wither ones(even if you canā€™t find your horses withers)as this shape pull up into your gullet Chanel properly and wonā€™t cause pressure over the spine. Be careful with piping around saddle cloths make sure cloth is big enough that the piping is never under the panels of your saddle.

7. Your horse gets laminitis or EMS etc and your told to put it on a strict diet. You need to inform your fitter of this so we can monitor your horses saddle fit during this time. The amount of times Iā€™ve gone to see horses I know well and not recognised them due to the weight loss, only to find their saddles been sat on their withers for god know how long.

8. You or your horse suffer an injury, your horse physio tells you your horses pelvis is out of line etc all these things will have an effect on the saddle, if you feel your saddles doesnā€™t seem level get it checked(one customer was really surprised that her saddle slipped right suddenly, even though she could barely walk on her left foot)

9. Young horses, if you suddenly feel tipped forwards and the back of your saddle is lifting check your horse hasnā€™t gone bum high. Do not put a front riser on with out your fitter checking first as if your youngsters back is running at an angle and you lift the front of your saddle your going to put excess pressure on the back of the saddle area. It may be better to do a bit of ground work for a couple of weeks till they level up again. Young horse will need their saddles checking regularly as they change shape frequently as they grow .

10. Older horses, as horses get into their teens their stomach muscles arenā€™t as strong, so their backs start to dip. I feel thatā€™s there can sometimes be more change in a horses back at this stage in their life than in a younger horse. Itā€™s important to get regular checks as as the back dips a bit it becomes more curved which shortens the back length, so your saddle may become too long on the panel. Itā€™s also important to check for bridging (not making it contact in the middle of the back ) again due to the back changing shape. Unfortunately sometimes this does require a different shape saddle .

11. Reluctance to stand at mounting block, running to back of stable when tack arrives, not wanting to go in school, rushing when jumping, head tossing in canter transitions, reluctance or rushing down hills, chipping extra strides in and not making the distance in doubles, refusing jumps, falling in on corners. These are all signs your horse isnā€™t comfortable in itā€™s saddle. Horses are very good at compensating and generally just try to get on with it, once you get to the point where the horse is really misbehaving and throwing you off, the horse has usually been subtly telling you thereā€™s a problem for a while. We all say we wish they could speak, if you listen they do talk to us just most of the time we arenā€™t listening.

12. If you change yards and thereā€™s more or less grass. Or if is more or less hilly than the area you were in previously this will change your horses shape itā€™s usefully to book a saddle check after youā€™ve been there a little while so your fitter can check if your horse has changed shape due to this.

13. If you change rider, the new rider might not fit in the saddle properly causing it to sit out of balance .

When I fit a saddle I donā€™t see it as a one off meeting, but the beginning of a partnership to keep you and your horse performing to your best ability. As a saddle fitter Iā€™m happy and understand that as your riding progresses you might realise that you want different things from your saddle and Iā€™m always happy to take the saddle back in px against another one.

All that we ask as saddle fitters is that people understand itā€™s our job to go out a fit a saddle to the horse and rider that we see on the day of the fitting. Itā€™s quite hard to predict what might change with that combination in future months. Iā€™m happy to come out a check your saddle as often as you like, I will also advise you if I think your saddle can be left longer between checks ( I donā€™t want you to have expenses you donā€™t need).
Iā€™m also happy to change things on the saddle for you such as flaps block shape etc, but you will be charged for this (I only ever charge cost price for alterations)because much as I love my job it costs me money in fuel and vehicle running costs etc, the visits that you need to maintain your saddle are your running cost to ensure your saddle continues to fit even if your horse changes shape. Also if you have a saddle for a couple of months then decide you donā€™t like it, itā€™s probably not reasonable to expect a full refund as that saddle wonā€™t be able to be sold as new plus most companies will have had to charge VAT on the sale which they will loose.

I do know of companies that sell saddles that include all follow up checks but these saddles are around the 5k mark. If anyone wants to pay me Ā£5000 for their saddle Iā€™ll happily check it for free for youšŸ˜‰.

Please also remember at this strange time we might not always be able to get to you straight away due to local lockdowns etc, Iā€™m more than happy to check saddle fit from pictures and it can be posted back to me for flocking etc.

Thank you for taking time to read thisšŸ˜Š

21/03/2022

What is most important the way the saddle fits my horse or if it fits me????

Its a common thing for owners to say to me that as long as the saddle is a good fit for their horse they don't care if its good for them they will make do.

So firstly lets start with horses saddle fit

It is very important that your saddle fits your horse well that its not too Long in the panel that its the right shape tree that it doesn't restrict the shoulders all things that most of us are now aware of.

But lets also look at the rider and how they fit or don't fit in the saddle will also affect how the horse goes in the saddle no matter how well the saddle fits the horse.

1. Saddle is right length for the horse but the rider doesn't fit in it.
This can be for two reasons one the rider is too heavy for the panel surface area of the saddle this will cause damage to the horses muscles due to overloading them.
Second type rider is lightweight but tall or long legged so they don't fit in the saddle properly so they end up sitting on the back of the saddle placing too much weight in this area causing muscle wastage in this area.

2.Saddle is a good fit for horse and rider but flap shape and block positioning doest suit the rider.
This is a funny one as it wont cause any physical problems to the horse but if the rider isn't secure and confident in the saddle it will affect the way they ride they may hang on to the horses mouth to balance themselves causing the horse to not go forward they will grip with their legs too much which might cause the horse to rush forward if the rider isn't confident that they are going to stay on this fear can be passed to the horse and cause napping and reluctance to hack out etc.

3. wrong type of saddle for activities you are doing.
I go to customers quite often who are wanting to jump and have been sold a straight cut saddle sometimes even a working hunter saddle (which is basically a show saddle) they've been told they need a straight cut saddle because of their horses shoulders. The problem with this is that if you want to jump you need enough saddle infront of your leg to allow you to ride a little bit shorter and to go forward over the jump if you cant do this you end up without realising sitting bolt upright over the fence and not really giving with your hands which causes your horse to jump in a very square up and down way Which doesn't feel good so causes you to sit up even more eventually your horse will stop jumping as you are making very hard for them to use themselves properly over the fence which can cause them to repeatedly knock the fence with their hind legs.
I know we all know someone who jumps in perfect style and balance in a very straight cut saddle but not all of us are blessed with such a good seat and core strength me included.

4. Block is wrong size and position for our body shape/leg length.
The new trend is for very large surface blocks on dressage saddles if the block is in the right position for you it will feel amazing and secure if it isn't it will be your worst nightmare.
If the block is pushing your leg back from where you can physical ride you'll probably end up with your knee slightly on top of the block this will push your knee out and bring your leg away from your horses sides making it hard to use your legs in effect it has just made your horse about two inches wider each side.
If your horse is very wide its sometimes necessary for your knee to be slightly more forward than the classic dressage leg this is bacause it wont put as much strain on your hips with your legs like this again this varies from person to person but if its painful to ride you wont be riding to your best ability.

5. Seat shape doesn't suite the discipline.
In dressage a deep seat is nice it holds you in position and feels nice and secure.
So you may think that would be a good idea for your jumping saddle too, but sadly this would cause you no end of problems when jumping.
As you go over a jump your upper body goes forward but to do this your bum moves backwards if your seat is high at the back this will smack you up the bum in some extreme cases actually firing you forwards as the horse throws it hind end up over the fence believe me this is not a very nice feeling a lot of people don't realise this is whats happening and wonder why they keep falling off after the fence sadly a lot of people actually give up jumping without ever finding out it wasn't their riding but their saddle that was letting them down.

So please bear in mind in future that its equally important that the saddle is right for you as well as your horse as I've been to many customers who have lost their confidence and aren't getting the full enjoyment out of their horses down to a saddle that just doest enable them to ride to their best ability. When fitted with a different saddle they have quickly come on in leaps and bounds going out competing hacking out by themselves so make sure your saddle is working in partnership with you and your horse as there are plenty of new options of saddles out there to suite every horse and rider.

21/03/2022

How do you pick a saddle fitter?

I know this is something that causes great worry to a lot of people, getting it wrong can cause you great financial loss, and worse still cause your horse damage.

So Iā€™m going to try give you some tips as to what you should be looking for from a saddle fitter.(please note this is only my opinion)

In this day and age itā€™s easy to do some research and look for reviews on particular fitters or brands, I quite often see posts asking what brand people think will fit someoneā€™s horse, unfortunately if the comments were to be believed pretty much every brand out therešŸ˜³šŸ¤·ā€ā™€ļøwill fit your horse.
It would possibly be better to ask if anyone recommends a saddle fitter in your area rather than a brand.
Unfortunately even the best saddle fitter out there is unlikely to have made every single customer happy, so you will need to look at the bigger picture and see how many good reviews someone gets compared to the odd bad one, if thereā€™s more good than bad great, if thereā€™s more bad than good probably worth avoiding.

If you know people that have used a certain saddle fitter find out what the after service was like, a good saddle fitter will be very busy and will probably be unable to answer your call or message straight away but you should get a reply within a couple of days(the odd message gets lost, so donā€™t be afraid to message again)
Selling you a saddle is only the beginning of the relationship with your fitter, you need them to be able to offer follow up fittings (sometimes these may need to be online due to current climate)

Check that the people who have given you the recommendations have a similar type of horse to yourself. Itā€™s no good using the saddle fitter that sold your friend a close contact jump saddle for her TB eventer, if your needing an # # saddle for your cob, as that fitter might not have saddles suitable for your horse.
I go to a lot of customers who say theyā€™ve had several fitters out and theyā€™ve all said I donā€™t have anything wide enough for your horse, yet Iā€™ve had quite a few saddles that are wide enough, itā€™s not that the other fitters arenā€™t good saddle fitters, itā€™s just that I specialise in wider horses so my saddle stock is geared for that shape of horse. If you book me to come out to your narrow high withered horse Iā€™ll be the one scratching my head with no saddles to fit your horse šŸ˜‚

I personally believe to be a good saddle fitter you need a good knowledge of horses, including riding to a decent level. If you donā€™t understand how a horse moves how can you see when a saddle is restricting the horses way of going. If you donā€™t ride how can you know what a rider is wanting to feel from their saddle, and what kind of support they will need for the discipline they are wanting to do.
Also as a saddle fitter your not a vet or a physio, but you do need to know when a horse isnā€™t sound or has sore muscles etc so you can advise the owner to seek treatment. Several times recently Iā€™ve been out to check saddles fitted elsewhere only to find the horse has a serious medical issue that it had when the saddle was fitted, one of these customers has had a serious fall from the horse due to its discomfort.
So donā€™t be afraid to ask your potential saddle fitter what equine experience they have other than saddle fitting.

Qualifications, this is a confusing part for a lot of people I see comments saying only use a qualified saddle fitter.
So what is qualified ?
Unlike a vet or a farrier or a physio itā€™s not a legal requirement to be qualified to fit saddles, thereā€™s no set course that people can do to become qualified.

Some people may do a short course sometimes just a few hours to become a qualified fitter of a particular brand of saddle.

Some people may attend the society of master saddles introductory course, I attended this course some years ago. Once youā€™ve attended the first course you are required to fit saddles for three years, then you can take the final exam. This system works well if you are employed by a qualified saddle fitter as you would spend three years fitting under their guidance. Unfortunately many people like myself work alone, in our cases we would have to go fit saddles unsupervised for three years( there are no training courses you can attend in this time ) and then hopefully when you go back for your final assessment you will have taught yourself how to fit saddles correctly. Once you are registered with the society you are required to stock a certain amount of the brands they specify. Unfortunately for me the brands I would have had to stock wouldnā€™t have been the brands I wanted to stock for the horses I go to, so becoming a society member would be pointless for myself.

So that leaves a lot of good saddle fitters who may not have a certificate saying they are qualified or a be member of a certain society,but does that mean they arenā€™t qualified to fit saddles, well in the eyes of my insurance company they have deemed that Iā€™m qualified to fit saddles by the amount of experience I have and the length of time Iā€™ve been fitting saddles, they have that much faith in how qualified I am that I have five million pounds worth of cover šŸ˜³

So if your wanting to see if someone has suitable experience or ā€˜qualificationsā€™ to fit your saddle, check if they are insured, insurance companies wonā€™t just insure anyone they need to know you know what you are doing.

If you wanted a jumping lesson and John Whitaker offered you a lesson Iā€™m sure you would jump at the chance, he wouldnā€™t be ā€˜qualifiedā€™ to teach you but he certainly have the experience to teach youšŸ˜‰

If you book a saddle fitter and when they arrive at the yard you donā€™t like they way they interact with your horse, or if they are rude to you ( recently heard a saddle fitter had said a ladies horse was uglyšŸ˜”donā€™t think thereā€™s such a thing as an ugly horse) then donā€™t be afraid to end the fitting, you need to have a good working relationship with your fitter not be scared of them.

If when they put saddles on and you ride in them and you or your horse are unhappy donā€™t be pressured into buying a saddle, if it doesnā€™t fit on the day and your not comfy in it, it will not get better as it beds in. Once youā€™ve parted with your money itā€™s hard to get it back.šŸ˜³

If your horse is tricky to fit try to find a fitter who will bring out saddles you can try and if possible buy on the day, you donā€™t want to have to wait weeks for one to be made only to find out itā€™s not suitable, if youā€™ve not had chance to try one before you order it.

Remember if you are buying a customised saddle thatā€™s in anyway different from a standard saddle that company make, the sales of goods act states customised or personalised items cannot be refunded unless faulty. So you may find the company wonā€™t take the saddle back if it doesnā€™t fit if youā€™ve customised it. So check this first, some companies like myself do not follow this rule but you need to make sure you know this before you order so you donā€™t get a nasty surprise later.

The majority of saddle fitters only have your horses welfare and your happiness in mind when they are doing fittings, these are the true saddle fitters, but unfortunately as in all areas there are people out there who just see it as a job and a one off sale these people are the saddle sellers, if you feel the person doing your fitting is only interested in your money go with your gut feeling and donā€™t part with your hard earned cash.

Hope this is of help, and you all find the saddle fitter thatā€™s best for you and your horseā¤ļø

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