Do you have to ride to have a saddle fitted?

G

ghostie

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The saddle fitter is due out this week to find my boy a dressage saddle. Only problem is I had a nasty fall yesterday and I thiink it will be a while until I am riding again. I could get on (with some pain) so she can check how I sit in it, but realisticaly i won't be wanting to risk actually going anywhere as I can't close my right fist to hold the rein properly. Little nervous as when I had my GP saddle fitted he took off with me. Obviously doesn't mean he will do it again but there is no way I could stop him if he did at the moment.

So could I just lunge him so she can see how he moves in it (don't lunge with a whip so can do it one handed) and hop on just to get a feel for it and see if it fits me?

Loathed to put it off as his GP needs to go back to the manufacturer which will leave him saddleless and I want to have him schooled whilst I am out of action to keep him sane!

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Ideally, yes . . . saddle behaves differently once it's bearing weight (which is what it is designed to do after all). Can you not get someone who is a similar build to you to ride for the saddler?

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P.S. Edited to say - sorry to hear you are injured and hope you recover soon . . .
 
I think someone really needs to ride him in it, horses react differently to new saddles and you would possibly find out later that it does not suit him. Could you get someone else to ride him so you can just sit on afterwards to check it suits you, once you know he is ok.
 
Hmm, good point. He was due to be schooled on Tuesday so perhaps I could ask my instructor to hop on him to test it if she is about. So it doesn't matter if it isn't me? We're roughly the same height and build I think.
 
It doesn't matter if it's not you if you have someone a similar height and weight (though different riding abilities and style can occasionally affect fit), but....what if it feels okay for a little sit in walk, but you get into canter and find it gets right in the way? It's risky not to have a proper ride in it.
 
Hmm, good point. Substitute rider in question is a GP dressage rider, and I am most definitely a dressage novice, so maybe not a fair trial ;) Hmm, maybe I will be feeling better by Tuesday and up to it. Is it frowned upon to give a quick lunge in saddle first? Or could ask instructor to hop on first and if he is in an easy mood I could get on.
 
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