Anyone else dread having the saddle fitter out!

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charliecrisps

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Well, she came this morning ... and i have been told i need a new saddle AGAIN... Unbelievable. I can see why some people never bother having a saddle fitter out myself.... it worries me silly evertime i have one out.. the thought of the cost.
No doubt by the end of the week when she comes out with appropriate saddles i will be at least 500 pound lighter. Ouch... this happens pretty much every year! (two horses so at least one usually needs some kind of replacement)
I reckon they are all on the fiddle myself ... interesting thought. If it wasnt 50 pound for a check-up id have a second opinion !
 
Nope, have my 3x saddles checked at least once (sometimes) twice a year and the last two times, haven't needed a thing doing, plus cos they normally charge per saddle and I was getting 3 done and two others at the yard were having saddles checked too, he gave me a hearty discount, think I only paid £30 in total (master saddler too).
 
Never worry about the saddle fitter comming these days as i have a wow. prior to getting it I knew exactely how you feel
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If the tree fits horse, any decent saddlery worth their money, can change saddle to fit.

So if your horse's has changed shape from tree here in lies your problem.......


what was reason for new saddle???
 
It might be worth getting a second opinion anyway. It can't be normal to need a new saddle every year. Would it be worth looking into something with more options for adjusting it, like a Wow or a Bates (?), if your horses really do change shape that much?
 
What is a wow? Are they expensive? I think i need something to stop me going through this again. Funny thing is... i had a wintec close contact with interchangeable gullets.... Apparently they changed the gullets and now they no longer fit the saddle i have .. bloody typical.
 
I had the same experience last night - I now need a new saddle as well, and my old one is causing him a lot of pain so I can't ride in it any more
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So now I'm trying to track down a specific second hand saddle! Grrrr. I sincerely hope that one will last him longer but as he's only 4, maybe not!!
 
The bates dont go wide enough for my cob so they told me last year, i tried one last year and ended up with second hand wintec close contact... Im sure she doesnt change shape that much.. I must have mug stamped on my head i reckon.

Apparently it is too narrow in the middle ... thats a new issue to me? And tight on one side at the back.

Different fitter to the one last year. Maybe it never fitted ... or maybe they get the hump if you get a different fitter and say it doesnt fit anyway... hmmm
 
I would ask to see your horses templates before committing to purchasing another saddle. Are your horses quite young or are they in & out of work a lot? This can sometimes necessitate changes of saddle. Dont forget some horses dont really finish growing until they are 7 or 8.
Hope this helps
 
Wintecs aren't great for cobs as only the front gullet is changeable. Cobs often have wide spines (look at the width of her dock to give you an idea) and the wintecs are very narrow behind, which can cause pinching and tightness.

I've gone through 6 saddles in 3 years with my mare, and she's still got some growing to do
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I've part-exed them, and bought 2nd hand ones so thankfully it's never cost me more than £200 a time.
 
Ahh, i think maybe the saddle fitter is on the ball then cos she did say it is the back end that is tight... and if wintecs are known for that, it would make sense, i reckon she shouldnt have been given it in the first place! If only you could prove it. You have to put your trust in these people... we have 'issues' with stubborness - They may have damaged her back! Im off to get a back person out, more expense.
 
I can relate to the stubborness issues!
I had a few saddles to try from my last 'swap' session, and one of them looked great on, but I literally had to drag my mare out of the stable, and she refused to move off the yard once I was on.
I took her back, swapped to a different saddle and straight away she was much brighter, and we had a lovely hack.

My other mare was in a saddle that was wrong for her for over a year, and never complained! Some are more tolerant than others...

The other thing to watch out for with a cob is they often have huge shoulders. I've had to get WH and VSD saddles for mine as the GPs are too restrictive and can pinch the shoulder muscle.

I hope you get it sorted!
 
I never dread the saddle fitter, the guy who does our horse as always been super. The saddles get checked once or twice a year and our horse has never had any back problems or major saddle problems.

People on our yard are not too keen on him though as he speaks the truth and they think they know best so dont like it when says the saddle doesnt fit or you dont need a new saddle it just needs a bit of adjusting.

I do think though that some saddlers think they can get away with taking people for a ride and getting them to buy new saddles just for the sake of buying a new saddle.
 
i am on my 6th saddle in just over a year, got a fitter coming out in march & i just know i will need a new saddle
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A saddle can be too narrow over the spine and actually this is an issue that i got into an argument with a wow fitter a looong time ago when she tried to sell me a saddle that clearly didnt fit my horse.

Its also worth keeping in mind that even with some of the adjustable saddles (the thorowgood fish saddles or the wintecs for example), they can only be altered at the front where the head plate fits so if its too narrow over the spine, you'd still have a problem.

My warmblood is very very wide over his spine and the width through the gullet of his saddle is massive compared to most saddles. You also have to remember that this area increases when the horse puts his or her head up as the muscles bulge out slightly.

I do sympathise with you though
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Incidently, the wows go incredibly wide (wider than any on the market i believe), so if you did ever go that route, the width wouldnt be an issue. The prices of them are high though but considering youre changing saddle every year, it wouldnt be so bad really
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Good god! How on earth do you keep up with buying all those saddles? :P

Is it a youngster or?

Im suddenly even happier about mine. Least it changes as Jack does (although admittedly, he doesnt change shape a whole lot anymore). But thats ridiculous
 
[ QUOTE ]
Never worry about the saddle fitter coming these days as i have a Wow. Prior to getting it I know exactly how you feel
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[/ QUOTE ]

Agree - buying a Wow saddle was the best investment ive made!
 
I am gong to duck at this ...

But after the following issues using the 'experts' .....

getting white marks on my old boy, after having a saddle fitted, by a 'saddler' when I first got him

then seeing white marks coming within a short period of time when a 'Master Saddler' fitted my TB with a narrow fit, funnily enough the one they had with them, that was new was miraculously the right one for him .... so I got my money back after lots of sleepless nights

another saddler then flocking my old boys saddle on site, but did not tell me that he was adding a great deal amount more to one side, apparently I presume because I sit crooked ... it did my back in. Why he did not 'discuss' things with me I will never know!! So I had to take it back to have it evened out.

So now I check regularly to see if any marks are appearing or hair being rubbed off as well as seeing it sits properly on each horse and that it is level when ridden etc etc .... and to be honest I think I can do just about as good a job (on my two!) as they could.

Obviously would not advise anyone else on the fitting of their horses's saddle, but if asked I would comment!!

Both my horses have no (additional in the case of my old boy!) white marks on their back and they seem happy and content, with no discomfort.

Unfortunately I am someone who has lost faith in many things in life, however there are some professionals I will trust with mine and my hores's lives.
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Yes I totally understand where you are coming from eaglestone, I have had two fittings from master saddlers and qualified saddle fitters and both left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

I think if you find a good saddle fitter you are very lucky, and it never ceases to amaze me how many of us are unhappy with the service we receive we we have paid for .

I got into an argument with the first one has he was adamant my saddle was a good fit, I'm no expert but even I could tell it was too tight, when challenged it was just his "opinion"- what a Kop out!!.
He then continued to slag my back lady off- not on IMO.
 
he was very under weight when i bought him, had a hard job getting a saddle that kept up with his weight /muscle gain
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i am now hoping if a saddle company saddle fits him then that will be the last one
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I looked up wow saddles. They seem the better of the adjustable saddle (albeit a little ugly ?) I saw an american forum saying it was 5K.... Is that how much they are?!! Any guideline to price before i look an idiot getting a fitter out and then falling on the floor woth heart failure ....
 
I had a fitting from a master saddler who had fitted horses onto 2 friends horses. They both ended up with the same make of saddle as they apparently fitted the best. No small coincidence that they were also the most expensive saddle on offer!
I had her out to fit for me and I stood open mouthed as she quickly dismissed about 12 saddles that I could see were a good fit. After an hour, she announced that the only option was the most expensive saddle, which of course, was the same make as she had sold to my friends....
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I am my own saddle fitter, so no I do not dread a visit!

Wintec on a cob? not a good combination. Wintecs fit TB types and not a lot else. But I still see a number on flat backed cobs and you can see the banana shaped tree rocking away.

If you have a youngster, then you definitely want an adjustable saddle. By adjustable, I mean that you can adjust the tree and not just the gullet (as with the wintec). This is possible with several makes such as Saddle Company and Kieffer. Like a previous poster said - the shape of the tree must fit the horse. Then all you need to do is adjust the width of the tree as the msucles on your horse's back develop and also to take into account seasonal changes. Appropriate flocking must also be considered. Unfortunately with a youngster, you need frequent checks if they are still growing. I have a CBxTB that will probably grow another inch (he has already grown 2 in the last year) and I have lost count of the number of times I have adjusted his SC saddle. Again, my other horse came to me in very poor condition and I have had to regularly adjust his SC saddle, in very small increments, to even out the muscles and also promote the right muscle development. He has gone from a medium to almost an xwide in the last 3 months!
 
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