Difference of opinions - HELP!!

[Kelly1982]

I usually have a very well respected saddle fitter that i have used for years out to fit saddles to my horses and i have never had any problems with him and everyone in my area uses him as well and i have never heard a bad word said about him.

I rung him about a saddle for my new horse but he didn't have nothing in my price range (he is very expensive and thats the only downside).

So i decided to go with another saddle fitter and buy a synthetic saddle instead. While the new saddler was down my friend asked if she could just quickly check her horses saddle. The saddler said her saddle was such a bad fit that she needed a new one as no adjusting could be done tro her current one and that her other horses saddle would fit him better as long as she put a fluffy numnah under it.

My friend then called out my usual saddler to fit her with a new saddle and he has totally gone against everything the second saddler said. He said the saddle DOES fit it just needs adjusting at the front and the other saddle she was using was even WORSE and that a fluffly numnah would do nothing and she would of needed a polypad!!!

So who's opinion do i now go with

Bearing in mind i have already ordered the synthetic saddle that was suggested and my usual saddler doesn't deal with them so wont check it for me.

 

[ruscara]

I can't help

I have had exactly the same problems with saddles. I always have mine fitted by a qualified saddler but been told by different saddlers that they don't fit. I think I have had my horse in ill-fitting saddles the whole time I have had him and I am beside myself with guilt. But what do you do? Go and train yourself?

 

[Vey]

Blimme - this is why I went treeless! (that and two made to measures saddles that moved!).

Mind you, suggesting a polypad does kind-of suggest a thick enough numnah would work.

What do YOU think? Which saddle seems best on friend's horse in your judgement?

 

[the watcher]

It is precisely this conflict that has meant I never use a saddle fitter. I know my horses, I know how they change shape with work or grass and over the years I am confident I have fitted them properly..at much lower costs with second hand saddles.
HOWEVER, and this is the rider, if you are in any doubt about the fit of any saddle, it does make sense to get a qualified second opinion

 

[allijudd]

if it is any help...you can download saddle fitting adviuce fromvarious websites...as we are thinking of selling saddles this is what ive done..the best advice i have found so far is:
Horse sddles fitting guide by Ken Lyndon-dykes

www.saddleworld.co.uk/fitting_article.htm

hope this helps

 

[Kelly1982]

I have not got a clue when it comes to saddles so that why i always call out a saddler.

My friends horse was going really badly and when she put the fluffly numnah on him he did seem to go much better but she also tried a few other different things at the same time so may have not been the saddle at all that worked.

I have never had any problems with my usual saddler and have always been really happy with him but the things that the other saddler said DID make sense as well

My usual saddler did however say that the fluffy numnahs are better for close contact saddles which i have got so maybe if i get one of them for extra protection just in case??

 

[Kelly1982]

Thanks allij i will take a look

 

[Kelly1982]

I wish i could fit my own saddles but i haven't got a clue and would not trust my judgement at all!!!

You also get told so many things how the saddles should be sitting etc so thats why i have always left it down the the experts.

 

[MrsMagoo]

I'm not a fan when saddlers say that just putting a bit fluffy numnuh under a saddler will help....cause if you think about it, by putting that on, its going to alter the shape and fitting of the saddle. I always feel that a saddle should be able to fit with just a thin numnuh or nothing at all, although i realise lots of people hardly ride with nothing underneath...

By what u said about your friends horse going better when you put a thicker numnuh under it, kind of shouts at me that the saddle fitted doesnt really fit. Sounds to be a bit tight somwhere....if you want some other saddler contacts, ask

oh out of interest, who are the ones you've used??? I could def reccommend a few not to go to lol....

 

[Kelly1982]

The saddle didn't fit my friends horse it was tight across his withers but my usual saddler said that it CAN be adjusted whereas the second saddler said that it CANT.

She also said another saddle fitted him better than his current one whereas my usual saddler said that it DOESN'T and is in fact worse!!!

So they did both agree that saddle didn't fit so thats one good thing i spose.

Will PM you the saddlers.

 

[Halfpass]

Sounds very similar to a problem I had. I bought a brand new saddle for my boy and was told that it would need checking in 6 weeks once it had settled on his back and changed shape a bit. Well before the 6 weeks were up i felt it did'nt fit so booked for the saddler to come out, 6 week wait!!!! Horse then went lame and was off work for 6 weeks so sadller cancelled. Booked again once horse was sound and still a 6 week wait. Explain my concerns and why I hadn't been able to call him earlier and they were not prepared to budge and bring the appointment forward not even when they were visiting a yard 2 mins down road. So i got my feed merchant to look at it who is one of those people to who has fitted saddles for centuries and people swear by him but is not qualified. He told me saddle didn't and never would fit and that i sould get in touch with society of master saddlers. i was told the same as you by first saddler that I would need a thick pad underneath. After spending £1000 on a saddle i wanted it to fit properly so got hold of SMS and and they got in touch with original saddler who came out next day and re fitted saddle which now fits perfectly. Second saddler still does not agree that it fits. I would get hold of the SMS you can get their details off web sight and explain it to them, at the end of the day saddle fittng does come down to a little bit of opinion and you need to go with your instincts and your horses way of going. Hope this helps.

 

[Rambo]

This is not entirely unusual i'm afraid Kelly, and as has been said before comes down to individual preference on the part of the saddler.

The only real way to be sure, is to be confident in your own abilities, and know what looks and feels right for your horses. Not very helpful really

Sorry...

Being sceptical, there is also a part of me that thinks it is in the interests of one saddler to find fault with anothers work

I know one of the saddlers you are talking about, and he fitted my horse with a new saddle. While I am reasonably happy with the saddle he provided and it's fit, I was less happy with his analysis of my old saddle and the way it fitted. He called it a narrow fitting, when it was clearly a MW / W !

 

[seabiscuit]

Did you know that a master saddler is not a trained saddle fitter? A master saddler has only been trained on how to MAKE saddles and NOT fit them. Therefore every master saddler (who has not had training in fitting saddles) will just be relying on their OWN opinion when fitting saddles.I think that is why we see so much difference of opinion with master saddlers who come to fit saddles with our horses.

It took me a long time to realise that unfortunately-but last winter, I had a properly qualified saddle fitter out to fit my horses and have never looked back since. I would reccomend you phone up the saddle company LTD and ask them to reccomend a fitter in your area for you, as they only employ the best of trained saddle fitters.

I think that neither of your saddlers look like they know what they are talking about!

 

[Kelly1982]

Hi Rambo

The saddler you are talking about is definatly in it to make money where he can and never offers good prices for saddles and then sells them for a bomb BUT he is good at what he does IMO and he even said that my friend didn't need a new saddle just her one adjusted so not really making any money there as he only charged her £30 for call out and adjusted the saddle there and then. Whereas he could of agreed with the other saddler and made a fortune out of her!!!

But then the second saddler also suggested to me to buy a saddle from somewhere else as they didn't have the one she recommended and said she would come back and re-fit it for free as i have already paid a consultation fee and they hadn't been able to provide me with a saddle.

So neither of them are making any money out of it, this is purely their opinions

I trust the first saddler alot even though i do think he tends to push you to the more expensive saddles but the second saddler seemed genuine too and what she said made sense to me and i did feel the difference in Senza when i was riding her and agreed with her.

I haven't got a clue about saddles so really dont know what to do

Lucky my saddle is adjustable thats all i can say LOL

 

[Kelly1982]

I know the second saddle fitter is a trained saddle fitter as she was telling me about master saddlers and they only make saddles but haven't really got a clue which can give saddle fitters like her a hard time.

I'm not so sure about the first one though

Good idea about ringing the SC i might just do that to ease my mind.

 

[Gingernags]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not a fan when saddlers say that just putting a bit fluffy numnuh under a saddler will help....cause if you think about it, by putting that on, its going to alter the shape and fitting of the saddle. I always feel that a saddle should be able to fit with just a thin numnuh or nothing at all, although i realise lots of people hardly ride with nothing underneath...



[/ QUOTE ]

You are right, a correctly fitted saddle should fit with no numnah or a very thin one.

Putting a really thick pad or fluffy numnah will make it tighter in some areas as well as lifting it up off the horses back where it should sit.

I have to say, I now fit my own as well after a few problems with qualified saddle fitters, and the two I've fitted on the orange one fit far better than the ones that were professionally fitted.

 

[rach1984horse]

I went through the same sort of problem. I was pushed into buying a saddle that wasn't what I waned. Ended up with a credit note for the tack shop "to use up as I needed" which has taken me a year to spend, and buying myself a £100 2nd hand synthetic saddle.

I lost a lot of confidence after being told I was too heavy to ride without flair, I was breaking my horses back, and that I shouldn't ride her as she was too hold. 17 year old Highland with 14 stone rider.

I ended up getting a saddle fitter who was well recommended through word of mouth to check my saddle. I checked he was registered and that fact that he doesn't sell saddles himself was a big bonus to me as it ment I wasn't being pushed into buying from him.

 

[FadedFantasy]

Get a 3rd Opion ?

 

[miniemy]

I really get angry when people say that the saddle dosent fit over the withers as its a bit tight and therefore a bit high behind, so they go and put a poly pad underneath the saddle.

If your shoe was a little tight somewhere, you wouldnt dream of putting on extra thick socks to pad it out now would you

Kelly I would be interested to know the saddlers you have used so I know for future reference. There was one saddler my friend had that just baffled her with bull****. Is so difficult to trust saddlers they all say different things.

Good luck

 

[Kelly1982]

They was both only suggesting a polypad/numnah until the saddle could be adjusted or my friend was able to buy a new one.

Someone did mention to me that one saddler is very much old school and the other saddler is new school so that could be where the problem lies, but who do you trust