Continuous Saddle Problems!

[GrassChop]

Only really posting to rant here as I am getting so frustrated but advice is always welcome.

This has been going on for months now with my saddle fitter who I have continued to use in hope that things would improve despite him telling me my first saddle I had been using for 3 years, fitted and regularly checked by a previous SMS fitter, didn't fit at all but he failed to be able to find me anything that did fit for an extremely long time and everything I tried, he said no to but as he seemed knowledgable and my friend had a good experience for all of her horses, I continued.

Then finally, he sold me a saddle that he believed would fit once she put summer weight on. It did not fit a couple of months later when I called him back to check it and agreed it didn't fit horse or me. Refused to take it back as it is out of trial period. About 6 weeks down the line and I haven't had a single enquiry on it despite being reduced now to £400 for an immaculate saddle of not a particularly well sought after make.

I then had another saddle to hand to try and he said it fit her really well, albeit it slightly wide but this could be rectified with extra flocking at the front so had it completed reflocked about 3 weeks a go as it needed doing and to start fresh.

Due to my horse's shape, it can have the tendency to slip into her shoulder slightly so he said point straps may help. Took it in to them yesterday to do but asked them to look at the flocking against her last templates while they are there as it has already dropped slightly at the front.

Then I get a call from them to say point straps are a lot harder to put on this saddle than originally thought but they can do it for £100. However, the saddle is too wide and will slip forwards despite being narrowed or having more flocking put in! So now I don't know if what they are saying is that it doesn't fit at all now even though he told me it did or if they just mean it will slip without the point straps? I'm still waiting for them to confirm this. I have asked if they can just put some more flocking in the front to match the template and let me have it back but now he is away on holiday!

I am just beyond sick of it now having spent a lot of money in saddles, flocking and fitting appointments to be told it fits and then it doesn't.

For a "Master Saddle Fitter" registered and confirmed on SMS, I've had such a bad experience. I just want to give up with it.

 

[cremedemonthe]

Gave me a headache just reading that.
SMS aren't the be all and end all, I have said this many times over the last 33 years I have been in the saddlery business and I will say it again.
Just because they have a piece of paper doesn't mean they can fit, flock or repair saddles very well or at all.
I have deliberately kept out of the SMS because of this as have had to clear up several messes they have got themselves in to many times over the years before it got to court action.
There ARE some great saddlers and saddle fitters out there, with and without SMS qualifications, I am not tarring them all in the SMS with the same brush but the bad ones need sorting out as they give them all a bad name.
Maybe contact the SMS directly although again I have seen the cover ups, lies and denials from them when things do go wrong so don't get your hopes up, maybe seek some free legal advice on consumer affairs?
Oz (Saddler - NOT SMS )

 

[Baywonder]

Couldn't have put it better myself Oz!

 

[cremedemonthe]

I'm fed up with it Baywonder and have kept quiet for too long
I'm sure you know what I mean and have seen the same things

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Honestly go somewhere else where are you?

Hopefully people can recommend someone for you.

 

[ester]

I'd cut my losses and go elsewhere.

 

[GrassChop]

Gave me a headache just reading that.
SMS aren't the be all and end all, I have said this many times over the last 33 years I have been in the saddlery business and I will say it again.
Just because they have a piece of paper doesn't mean they can fit, flock or repair saddles very well or at all.
I have deliberately kept out of the SMS because of this as have had to clear up several messes they have got themselves in to many times over the years before it got to court action.
There ARE some great saddlers and saddle fitters out there, with and without SMS qualifications, I am not tarring them all in the SMS with the same brush but the bad ones need sorting out as they give them all a bad name.
Maybe contact the SMS directly although again I have seen the cover ups, lies and denials from them when things do go wrong so don't get your hopes up, maybe seek some free legal advice on consumer affairs?
Oz (Saddler - NOT SMS )

I only mention it as every time I have a saddle issue, the first thing I get asked is "Are they SMS qualified?".
I used one fitter who was not on there and she did a horrific job. I don't really know where else to look for decent ones.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I only mention it as every time I have a saddle issue, the first thing I get asked is "Are they SMS qualified?".
I used one fitter who was not on there and she did a horrific job. I don't really know where else to look for decent ones.

Put your location on here and you will get some recommendations

 

[GrassChop]

Honestly go somewhere else where are you?

Hopefully people can recommend someone for you.

Near Salisbury.

 

[cremedemonthe]

Recommendations as Pinkvboots has said or legal advice on re couping your losses from the original fitter

 

[PeterNatt]

Get a recomendation for someone to make you a custom made saddle for your horse.

 

[GrassChop]

Recommendations as Pinkvboots has said or legal advice on re couping your losses from the original fitter

Thank you. I don't expect to get any money back. I am just really disappointed that I finally thought we had found one that works and he has changed his mind again.

I'm on the search for someone new.

 

[GrassChop]

I'm also trying not to worry about the fact that they have taken apart my saddle to put the point straps in before telling me they now don't have time to do it and hope it will still be sound when it comes back.

 

[ester]

I used to be in salisbury 4 years ago I can try and get some current recommendations as lots of friends still there, the guy I used was superb at his job but a pita to get hold of for some people (I was lucky I think that I needed him when he wasn't otherwise engaged with more interesting film set jobs )

Feel free to pm me who current guy is.

 

[cremedemonthe]

Thank you. I don't expect to get any money back. I am just really disappointed that I finally thought we had found one that works and he has changed his mind again.

I'm on the search for someone new.

I've sent you an article that might help, Oz

 

[Baywonder]

I'm fed up with it Baywonder and have kept quiet for too long
I'm sure you know what I mean and have seen the same things

Oh my goodness yes, I certainly do know what you mean.

With regards to saddlers and saddle fitters, IME word of mouth recommendations are worth their weight in gold. That is how my DH has worked for the last umpteen years - he never advertises. Like you Oz, he also gives the SMS a wide berth - he is totally independent.

Granted, there are some damn good SMS saddlers and fitters out there - but equally, they do need to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Just a few weeks ago, a customer got in touch, as he had one of my DH's saddles that needed a broken tree replacing. He had taken the saddle to a SMS registered shop / fitter near to where he lived. They duly took it apart and informed the customer it could not be repaired and the saddle was scrap ?. Obviously a little very p****d off with this, the customer contacted my DH directly, as he had made the saddle originally.

Within two weeks, my DH had received the 'scrap saddle', fitted a new tree and it was returned to the customer as good as new. If the customer had listened to his tack shop, no doubt they would have sold him a brand new saddle costing £££££'s ????.

 

[ester]

Can we clone him?

 

[Baywonder]

Can we clone him?

Oh, if only! ??

 

[GrassChop]

Okay so I have heard back.
He said by propping up the front, it would tip me back causing the saddle to slip forwards more but I explained that that's not what I had meant. As it had been reflocked, it had settled at the front and just needed a bit more added to return it to it's original position which was fine minus the only slight shift forwards that I was looking to solve with the point straps and crescent girth. I had only asked for it to be matched back up to the last template, not made higher.
He has recommended a front riser until he can come back in several weeks to adjust but I think I will just leave it at that and find someone else. Hopefully someone else agrees with the fit who is happy to just adjust it accordingly and will look into point straps at a later date if the crescent girth isn't enough.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Okay so I have heard back.
He said by propping up the front, it would tip me back causing the saddle to slip forwards more but I explained that that's not what I had meant. As it had been reflocked, it had settled at the front and just needed a bit more added to return it to it's original position which was fine minus the only slight shift forwards that I was looking to solve with the point straps and crescent girth. I had only asked for it to be matched back up to the last template, not made higher.
He has recommended a front riser until he can come back in several weeks to adjust but I think I will just leave it at that and find someone else. Hopefully someone else agrees with the fit who is happy to just adjust it accordingly and will look into point straps at a later date if the crescent girth isn't enough.

I would get the saddle back and get someone else out, what sort of horse do you have and what is the saddle?

 

[GrassChop]

I would get the saddle back and get someone else out, what sort of horse do you have and what is the saddle?

It's an Ideal and she is a croup high Arab with a rather round middle!

 

[Apizz2019]

I'm sorry to hear of your saddle woes. I've been there and it's a nightmare!

The person who fixed our issues, Steph Bloom, isn't SMS qualified but by christ she's good, very good!

I don't know if your shape of horse is something she would be able to work with but I'm sure she'd be able to offer sound advice.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It's an Ideal and she is a croup high Arab with a rather round middle!

Welcome to the world of arabs I have 2 one very much like you describe I have found that a lot of saddle fitters struggle with arabs.

What model of ideal is it?

 

[GrassChop]

Welcome to the world of arabs I have 2 one very much like you describe I have found that a lot of saddle fitters struggle with arabs.

What model of ideal is it?

VSD. Unsure if it is the standard tree or not though as it is very petite compared to another Ideal VSD I tried. 17" seat but definitely smaller in panel length I think. It has been a nightmare finding something that works for us both!

 

[GrassChop]

I'm sorry to hear of your saddle woes. I've been there and it's a nightmare!

The person who fixed our issues, Steph Bloom, isn't SMS qualified but by christ she's good, very good!

I don't know if your shape of horse is something she would be able to work with but I'm sure she'd be able to offer sound advice.

Yes, I've heard a lot of good things about her too but she is not local to me but know she can recommend people that are. The only reason I haven't gone that route is budget and finding any AH saddles secondhand seems few and far between sadly!

 

[ester]

Oh our partbred arab was in an ideal VSD - very big barrel, bum high, not bloody shoulders to speak of so if she put the breaks on hard saddle would come forwards. I don't think it was made on the standard tree though, and she did have point straps and an F2 affinity girth.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

VSD. Unsure if it is the standard tree or not though as it is very petite compared to another Ideal VSD I tried. 17" seat but definitely smaller in panel length I think. It has been a nightmare finding something that works for us both!

You may need point straps but some horses really don't get on with them and they can cause muscle damage so be careful.

I would imagine you need some sort of anatomical girth, the banana girths don't work on mine I use a Kentaur Dijon on him but he has a wither so the saddle doesn't move forward as such but he has a forward girth groove and a belly

My other arab is more flat backed and the saddle tends to move forward so he has point straps and I use a flexigirth on him and it keeps the saddle stable.

 

[Griffin]

Saddle problems are just horrible. After getting a new saddle 'fitted' and calling the fitter out about three times in two months, before ditching it to buy a second hand one that actually fitted and finding a different fitter, I know how frustrating it can be.

I volunteered as a horse handler for SMS assessments a few years ago. I am sad to say I am not sure I would have trusted any of them to fit a saddle correctly. It's so hard because without a well fitting saddle, both you and your horse are stuffed.

 

[Apizz2019]

Yes, I've heard a lot of good things about her too but she is not local to me but know she can recommend people that are. The only reason I haven't gone that route is budget and finding any AH saddles secondhand seems few and far between sadly!

Yes, price is an issue with AH saddles as they are expensive. I bit the bullet and bought one, was the best thing I did but did make me almost cry when I paid for it.

 

[cauda equina]

It's an Ideal and she is a croup high Arab with a rather round middle!

Mine is the same, also short-backed so he needs a 16''
ATM I'm riding him in a Christ Lammfelle pad which is fine for hacking, and useful in that I can feel how he goes without any saddle interference
He has a Solution but it took me a while to twig that he wasn't comfortable in it; I was putting any awkwardness down to bitting or feet when it was neither!