Choosing a saddle without a saddle fitter - tips needed!

j1ffy

j1ffy

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I am about to take on a new half-loan horse here in Hong Kong. His current loaner has a dressage saddle that I can continue to use but I'm not happy with the fit as I think it's too tight behind the wither, so I'm keen to get a new, better fitting saddle for him.

However, there is a big issue here as there are no saddle fitters in HK! Obviously if anyone happens to know of any, then do tell me but the advice from a few experienced instructors is that there is no longer anyone around to fit saddles. I have done stage 3 training so I know the basics of how to tell if a saddle fits and I will ask my BHSII to lend a hand. My plan is to measure him for saddle width and length, then try out a few different saddles that are at the yard and hopefully find a make that fits both me and the horse well. I'll probably then need to buy the saddle in the UK when I'm there at Christmas and bring it back to HK with me...

So, does anyone have any useful tips for fitting saddles?? Obviously I want to get it right as I don't want to lug saddles back and forth across the world to try them! Also, any thoughts on adjustable dressage saddles - what's good, any to avoid? I'd prefer second-hand.

FYI, the horses is a 16hh short-backed ex-racehorse with well-sprung ribs and prominent withers (though not unusually prominent for a TB).
 
If I was a general saddle fitter I'd offer to do it for you remotely for a small "non call out fee" :D but I'm not familiar enough with most brands, that I don't fit, to be able to help much. Someone may know a fitter who would be able to help from photos etc? The key is how different saddles behave when you ride though - work consistently with someone who can spot movement in the saddles - simply taking measurements and using static photos can only get you so far and will highly likely leave you with a saddle that is too curved, not allowing him to lift into it.
 
There is a product call Equiform which is a mesh that you warm up and mould over your horse's saddle area and it then retains the shape of their back. You can use this as a template to either have a saddle made for your horse, or to see if an off the shelf saddle fits. I think you can get it in this country from Better Saddles website, but I'm sure you can find it elsewhere by googling.
 
As sbloom says, just by looking at photos is really not enough, I like to see not only the saddle on the horse but the horse itself before the saddle is placed on it and the saddle ungirthed, then girthed then rider on at various paces plus take into account what other tack is used, history of the horse and rider, the level of work it is currently in and what's planned for the future for the horse, these are just a FEW of the SO many questions that need to have answers to!
I have been fitting saddles for nearly 25 years but would still struggle to fit a horse "remotely" without any certainty of success.
I for one would not want to take the risk, maybe you will find one who does, good luck with whatever you decide.
Oz :)
 
Sbloom and cremedemonthe - this is precisely my concern. I have a saddle fitter in the UK who is excellent and will always assess with the rider on in all paces and fit the right saddle or make adjustments to the got thing arrangements / flocking etc as needed. Cremedemonthe - it's not about what I 'decide', I have no choice as there are no saddle fitters in the country. If you fancy flying out, I'd very happily have you fit a saddle correctly! Any tips on how to do this given the restrictions though??

Tammytoo - i'll check out that template, though it doesn't get around the dynamic side of saddle fitting.
 
I think unless you are a saddle fitter that templating techniques can be very misleading. A good wither tracing is nexessary for width, but anything that runs front to back will likely, as I said, leave you with a saddle that is too curvy and lifts at the back. I think that, although not ideal, working with your existing fitter here by email, photos, video etc, and with a second pair of hands/good eyes on the ground - you should be able to get there. Although we fit mainly cob saddles we do have dressage saddles and one in particular may well work for your horses shape, but naff all chance of finding one second hand I'd say :(
 
sbloom - thank you for that. It's frightening (IMO) that there is no-one here professionally fitting as there are hundreds of horses in the riding centres, some privately owned. I think there could be a good business here for someone! I'll get in touch with my UK fitter and see if they would be interested in a remote fitting with videos, but I suspect it would be too big a risk for them professionally. It always worth asking though.
 
Could you do something in collaboration with HK Jockey club? As said by a previous poster, this sounds like a good opportunity for someone.
 
Unfortunately I don't have the time to re-train ;). If anyone can think of any young and free saddle fitters up for a potentially lucrative new challenge, do send them over!!

Herts05 - anything horse related is in collaboration with the HKJC ;). Nothing happens very quickly with them though!!
 
Hmm, take on board your comment regarding HKJC being slow to react... Is it possible to do something with an equestrian magazine then? Would be good publicity for a fitter to come across from Australia or wherever and you would probably get a free fitting to boot?

Hope you get a solution soon
 
Possibly, but I don't have time to organise it (I generally work 10-12 hour days here and need to squeeze in riding!) and I'd rather get a saddle sooner than later ;) I borrowed a saddle today for a lesson with Tim Downes that seemed a good fit so I think I'll get pictures and videos in that then see if my UK fitter would be willing to look at them.

Tim is a fan of treeless saddles and I think there's one of them at the yard for the rest of the week so I may give that a go too, though the last time I tried one I hated it!
 
Your other option, if you can afford it, and I was stupid not to think of it before, is a ReactorPanel - there's a great system in place with Carmi in the US for owners to self fit the saddles.
 
Hello

Since you need to make the best of a bad situation is it worth looking at saddles with interchangable gullets? I used to buy and sell a lot of horses and couldn't afford to buy a saddle for each one that came through my yard so I used a GP Wintec saddle and simply changed the gullet depending on the horse. This worked absolutely fine for me. I never had any problems and was very happy with the fit it provided.

It would at least offer a solution for the interim period whilst you try and find a way to get a saddle fitter out.

Hope you manage to sort something.

Bea
 
Hi Bea

This is what I was thinking too. I certainly won't be funding a saddle fitter to come out but I've found someone who'll do a remote fitting (friend of a friend :-D). My worry is finding the right shape of adjustable saddle though as, as sbloom said, I wouldn't want it too banana shaped etc. I'll check out the wintecs and whatever else I can get my hands on at the yard on Sunday when I'll have a few hours spare!
 
Hello!

I've heard pretty good things about the saddles with air rather that flock. I think it's called the CAIR system and both Wintec and Bates use it. My friend has a Bates Isabell CAIR saddle and swears by it. She uses it on her youngster who has dramatically changed shape and she has simply adjusted it by using the inter-changable gullets as well as by adjusting the air in it (I think if I understands right they have rubber air fillets which they insert in order to get the right elevation where needed).

I would definetely have a look into these if I were you as they are meant to be the next best thing! There is quite a lot on the internet about it which explains how the CAIR systems works and the benefits it has.

Hope that helps!

:-)

Bea
 
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