Do you find different saddle fitters tell you different things

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thinlizzy

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Do you find, if you buy one of one like i have a year later your told you need bigger one <have young horse so acceptable >four months later after fitted by company, horse had a month off to find another one said no its all wrong too high love , horrible ( so im on my third in a year and a bit ( ive accepted it all with good reps all wanting to sell obviously
 
Oh yes! First fitter, this saddles a good fit , just needs a bit of flocking in the back.
Month later different fitter (horse being a git so checking again) this saddles a good fit, just needs bit of flocking taking out of the back !
 
A friend of mine sells Solution Saddles (treeless) - I have never really had a strong opinion on them either way but reading the website does make me think. I may be a convert when my baby is old enough, they are expensive but you only need one as they fit the rider and will fit any horse you put them on! Worth a look!
 
Yep. I had a saddle professionally fitted to my horse when I got him - paid £750 for this saddle (2nd hand too!). Suddenly this year the saddle stopped fitting and horse wasn't happy so took it down to my local saddler who advised its completely wrong for him (not just width wise but seat wise as well, he's in a 17" when he needs a 16" as so short coupled!). So I've just spent a fortune getting a WOW...!
 
Yep! I have only found 2 saddle fitters who I really trust. One have them has come out twice and nothing needed changed and didn't charge me anything at all as there was others ont he yard who i intorduced to him. He's fab and he is who I will continue using.
 
Little unfair. Horses change when they are young or working hard/time off. I have the same saddler who looks at my saddles every 6 months and due to my current horse having a marvellous tendency to change shape easily, nearly always has to do something (and I can see the saddles need refitting). I have had the same fitter for a very long time and with 4 different horses so know it is this particular horse. I actually have a master saddler not a saddle fitter so that maybe why there is a difference? (oh btw - is someone tells you they are a master saddler, it is worth ringing up to check, I have heard of people claiming they are when in fact, they have only applied, not actually become an MS)
 
Horses can change a width fitting in just a few weeks.

I would always ask the fitter questions and trust the person that can explain exactly what they are doing and their theories. If someone just says 'it doesnt fit' without explaining why then i wouldnt trust them. The owner needs to know about fitting as they are the one seeing the horse everyday, not just once a year.

A good fitter will also not necessarily just tell you what you want to hear. the ors should always come first.
 
Agreed with how a horse is pretty much constantly changing shape, normally muscling up. However the basics of what shape of tree is suitable for a horse, and how long the panels should be pretty consistant.
 
Yes definitely. It's like farriers and hairdressers... always got to be different and so n so's a right moron and who told you that crap...

 
Yes - i had a lady come out to my horse a few weeks ago and said he was definitely a MW fit (he is a fine slender TB), but she said she didnt have anything to fit him apart from a brand new Keiffer which i couldnt afford - got a differenet saddler out yesterday who said my own narrow/medium stubben fitted the horse well, it just needed some reflocking ????
 
Yep. But now my Mctimoney chiropracter guy is a qualified saddle fitter too I trust him completely - after all, if poorly fitting saddles cause my horse problems, he'll only have to sort them out (don't think he'd do me over just to get more chiro out of him, he's far too busy for that!)

Plus he doesn't recommend stupidly expensive saddles that he knows I can't afford :)
 
Yup lol, one told me (over the phone, having never met me or Dylan before) that we'd need a saddle that would accomodate high withers, just because I'd said Dylan was a TBX. I told him repeatedly that Dylan has NOT got high withers, but hey, he was the saddler so he knew best :p needless to say, didn't get him out for a fitting.

Got another saddler to come out, after she allowed me to explain about my odd-shaped horse, and got a cob (low withers, flat back, broad shoulders) saddle that fitted perfectly!
 
I agree horses can change shape totally but i remember last saddle fitter <master saddler > said to get a breast plate to stop saddle slipping , never thought at the time ,but i know know that wasnt right with a new saddle .and other stuff but im not naming or shaming ,just fed up and when you get/see another they just want to sell you a expensive saddle ,never mind (
 
Yes theres such a variation in what saddle fitters say. Im not sure I believe them to be honest. I got my last saddle fitted to my last horse and was told by new owners that horse had some white hair where the saddle flap goes. I thought the saddle fitter did a pretty good job and out of a lot I used thought he was the best.
 
I think some people are too trusting / gullible when they start looking to saddle fitters to magically cure a host of problems, some of which are probably imagined. These people are, in my humble opinion, nothing more than personal shoppers for the wealthy. Three saddles in one year, OMG.
 
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