Can you get a saddle to change the fitting of a 'normal' saddle?

[happihorse]

I know that you can buy adjustable saddles which you can change the tree size in, but can you change the fitting of a normal saddle?

I have heard people say this, but how do they change the size / shape of a saddle with a wooden tree?

Are they safe to use? How much of a size change can they make?

Thanks

 

[Bosworth]

It all depends on the make of the saddle and how many times it has been altered and by how much. I have a wooden treed Barry Swain saddle and it has been altered 3/4 times as my horse has matured. The saddles are put in a vice and the header plate is widened /narrowed by a templating machine. Most of the major saddle makers - Albion, Ideal,Barnsby, Jaguar all have templating machines that they use to adjust the width of the saddles. However there is a limit to how many times and by how much a tree can be altered before the rivets in the header plate pop or the header plate breaks or the tree splits.

 

[Puppy]

If you are talking about the Albion you are advertising in your sig, then it is possible to have them sent back to the Albion factory and for about £300 they will fit a new tree and in effect shape it to fit your horse.

 

[happihorse]

Yes I was thinkg of having it adjusted to fit my horse but just wondering how 'safe' it was.

Thanks both for your help.