Continuous Saddle Problems!

[Christmas Crumpet]

Who are you using out of interest - please can you PM me!! We are nearby and I wonder if its the same person we had problems with.

 

[GrassChop]

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.

Oh that's interesting! Yes, mine has no shoulders, the saddle does tend to stop just on the edge of them it seems though when it does slip. The saddle is on a pretty flat tree by the looks of it, possibly H&C on a smaller panel. It sits on her really nicely other than the slipping.

This arrived today:
https://www.kramer.co.uk/Horse/Sadd...g-Girths/Memory-Foam-Long-Girth-Elbow-Freedom

Doesn't look as crescent shaped as it does in that picture so we will see. I was using a Harry Dabbs one but this didn't hold it in place.

 

[GrassChop]

New girth "tried" today, couldn't even get it to the straps. Measured it and it is 2" shorter than it is labelled.

Back to the drawing board for girths!

Is there much difference in the Kentaur Dijon girth to the Harry Dabbs one?

 

[sbloom]

Thanks for the recs , we struggle to cover your area but head office can work with you mail order.

Drives me nuts when people, fitters or riders both, go on about "but if you add a riser/flocking won't it tip it back/forwards?", well sure, if you do too much, but if you're bringing it back into balance, as you've requested, then no! If flocking has settled, or the tree is the wrong width, it will be out of balance and needs correcting. There's such a lack of logic out there and I do think it's because there are too many fitters saying there's only one way to do things, and then not explaining things either. There are many different ways of doing things, though actually TRYING them (within reason) is usually better than saying "no way that'll work"!

 

[GrassChop]

Thanks for the recs , we struggle to cover your area but head office can work with you mail order.

Drives me nuts when people, fitters or riders both, go on about "but if you add a riser/flocking won't it tip it back/forwards?", well sure, if you do too much, but if you're bringing it back into balance, as you've requested, then no! If flocking has settled, or the tree is the wrong width, it will be out of balance and needs correcting. There's such a lack of logic out there and I do think it's because there are too many fitters saying there's only one way to do things, and then not explaining things either. There are many different ways of doing things, though actually TRYING them (within reason) is usually better than saying "no way that'll work"!

I know, I only wanted it put back to where it was before it settled since fitting! Saying that, he can't remember who I am or probably his own name half the time despite coming out a thousand times! It does worry me slightly! He seems to forget what he's done/said and I have to remind him every time and explain what I'm actually asking for quite a lot.

Never mind, hopefully a new fitter I am talking to will be able to sort it! I just need to find another girth now. I have tonnes of tabs open of potentials lol!

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

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 )

Fantastic post - been busy fitting saddles for 30 years now post Cordwainers , never been or wanted to be SMS registered , been 100% open about that with clients and never lost a single one because of it

Looking at the amount of saddles finding their way to my work bench after folk have given up with their SMS fitter - there is clearly something badly wrong as we seem to have a lot of saddle dealers and very few who really understand how to balance a saddle to a horse AND rider…

 

[Baywonder]

Fantastic post - been busy fitting saddles for 30 years now post Cordwainers , never been or wanted to be SMS registered , been 100% open about that with clients and never lost a single one because of it

Looking at the amount of saddles finding their way to my work bench after folk have given up with their SMS fitter - there is clearly something badly wrong as we seem to have a lot of saddle dealers and very few who really understand how to balance a saddle to a horse AND rider…

My DH very often says to me: "Even though I have been making and fitting saddles for 35 / 40+ years, if someone completes a short saddle fitting qualification with the SMS and have the piece of paper to prove it, they are deemed more qualified than me."

He too is very open about not being a member of the SMS - but everyone he does business with value his years of experience immensely.

I used to work in HR, and when an inevitable cull by way of redundancies happened, it was always the longest serving employees who went first (usually voluntarily) - but as soon as they walked out the door, they also took years of knowledge and experience with them.