Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
You need the saddler to strip the saddle and see what's what .
Mine would do this on the yard then you will know where you are.
Mine would do this on the yard then you will know where you are.
Horse out on loan... but needs new saddle, who pays?
- Thread starter Aragon56
- Start date
dieseldog
Well-Known Member
We've swapped trees in Ideals before. The saddler sent it to them and it only cost £20 - that was a while ago though!
rachyblue
Well-Known Member
I bought a saddle for a loan horse I had. The one she came with didn't really fit her very well. I kept hold of it however, and had an adjustable one fitted.
When she went back I returned her with her original saddle (which I had stored properly) and kept the adjustable which I then had fitted to my own youngster.
When she went back I returned her with her original saddle (which I had stored properly) and kept the adjustable which I then had fitted to my own youngster.
Sugar_and_Spice
Well-Known Member
A friend did it recently it was 200 pounds
ester
Not slacking multitasking
Ideals can have their tree widths adjusted - I imagine that was £20 ....£200 is more likely for a new tree
vieshot
Well-Known Member
OldNag
Wasting my time successfully....
I have a loan horse that I have bought a saddle for. .. he came without one. Wasn't supposed to, very long story.
In an ideal world the owner would have bought one but she couldn't afford it. I ended up buying one but when he goes back, I shall keep the saddle.
OP if the tree of yours is broken then I do think you need to sort a replacement but if the loaner wants something different that doesn't necessarily suit you, then I think you could split the costs?
In an ideal world the owner would have bought one but she couldn't afford it. I ended up buying one but when he goes back, I shall keep the saddle.
OP if the tree of yours is broken then I do think you need to sort a replacement but if the loaner wants something different that doesn't necessarily suit you, then I think you could split the costs?
Equi
Well-Known Member
Im commenting from the other side of this one. I'm a loaner and the saddle provided is too small, so im buying the same brand of saddle just larger. I will then be selling the saddle he came with, or asking for at least 50% towards the cost of the new saddle if she wants to keep her old one. Im buying it with the intention of him keeping it forever so i'm hoping i get to sell his saddle so that at the end of the loan (aka his death...) we wont be fighting over who gets the saddle lol
MS123
Well-Known Member
My mare came with a saddle that didn't fit her at all, nor did her bridle and alot of the things she came with. So I bought her a brand new wardrobe, including a new saddle (which I had fitted). If owner ever decides to take her back, then I obviously keep what I bought for her. I pay everything for my mare though, owner doesn't really have that much to do with her, so I guess it's slightly different.
Jesstickle
Well-Known Member
I think if a saddler told me my tree was broken but it was still ok I would be questioning their advice regarding fit and going elsewhere...
Christmas Crumpet
Well-Known Member
The saddle I had the tree mended on was an Ideal. It cost £200 to have the tree replaced and £20 for courier charges.
Honey08
Waffled a lot!
I have always sent horses out on loan knowing that they have tack that fits well - peace of mind for me too... I would probably offer to spend about £300 or £400 on a good second hand saddle. If the loaner wanted to buy a particular saddle that fitted them or they preferred then tell them to do so and you will buy it off them afterwards.
mandwhy
Well-Known Member
Well, if it were a case of just not fitting the rider then the loaner should pay, but since the saddle is broken you may want to contribute for the benefit of the horse. Really you just have to think of it separately to the horse, either the loaner buys it and it is hers to sell if she returns the horse, or you buy it and either keep it or sell it, or you could go halves and halve the money it sells for in future, or buy out then sell. Halves would be a bit of a complicated situation I guess but may be more practical cash wise and then neither of you loses out too badly.
You could look at saddle company saddles, they would most likely be under 400 even from a fitter, and then if you think the girl has the horse for a year, say you sell it for 300, you've both lost a bit but not a large amount in the grand scale of horse ownership.
You could look at saddle company saddles, they would most likely be under 400 even from a fitter, and then if you think the girl has the horse for a year, say you sell it for 300, you've both lost a bit but not a large amount in the grand scale of horse ownership.
Exploding Chestnuts
Well-Known Member
The loaner is wasting her time and money riding in this saddle, and as she will be the one who benefits the most it seems logical for her to buy the saddle.
If you like the saddle you could consider buying it off her at cost if the loan ends.
If the horse is not easy to fit and she wants a second hand saddle, there are plenty available, but the saddle fitter will only carry a limited stock, she will be the one making the decision, and you should not get involved unless the new saddle is hurting the horse.
I have never heard of anyone thinking it is OK to use one with a broken tree, I don't know how a tree could get broken unless faulty, I have a saddle which is 45 years old, has been on hundreds of horses, [used in a racing yard], the tree is fine, another one by jeffries 1985 is fine, though it has had less wear. The Jeffries was from Ebay and cost £208 delivered. I have bought saddles off Ebay which have not fitted, and have re-sold them, loss on each was about £50.
Your saddle is worthless, who is going to buy a saddle with a broken tree?
If you like the saddle you could consider buying it off her at cost if the loan ends.
If the horse is not easy to fit and she wants a second hand saddle, there are plenty available, but the saddle fitter will only carry a limited stock, she will be the one making the decision, and you should not get involved unless the new saddle is hurting the horse.
I have never heard of anyone thinking it is OK to use one with a broken tree, I don't know how a tree could get broken unless faulty, I have a saddle which is 45 years old, has been on hundreds of horses, [used in a racing yard], the tree is fine, another one by jeffries 1985 is fine, though it has had less wear. The Jeffries was from Ebay and cost £208 delivered. I have bought saddles off Ebay which have not fitted, and have re-sold them, loss on each was about £50.
Your saddle is worthless, who is going to buy a saddle with a broken tree?
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cremedemonthe
Well-Known Member
THIS, I can't believe what I am reading a "RECOMMENDED" SADDLE FITTER told you it was broken and THEN continued to flock the saddle?
I'd hate to see a "not recommended" one then and what they'd do to a saddle.
A saddle with a broken tree or suspected broken tree should never be used until it's had a new tree put in if it's cost effective if not BIN it.
I've binned dozens over the years, not worth repairing and I have to cut the flaps and girth straps off as well as put my knife blade across the seat a few times to stop unscrupulous people retrieving them from the bin (skips at the local tip) and reselling them on.
I would NOT be using any saddler or saddle fitter who did as your saddle fitter did.
I have found suspected broken trees when on a on site visit and with the owner's permission the ONLY way to be 100% certain is to drop the panel out and have a good look. On most saddles it takes less than 3 mins to drop the panel out so why didn't the saddle fitter do this and if the tree is broken advise you to stop using it?
I would not continue to flock any saddle that had a broken tree and I would advise the customer what choices they had.
Oz (Saddler)
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Sheep
Well-Known Member
Thank you for this Oz, straight to the point and informative, great post.
OP, nothing to add sorry, I would suggest that either you buy the saddle and allow loaner to use it, or if loaner buys, they retain ownership of it if loan is terminated. I would not recommend splitting costs - too much opportunity for conflict to arise should anything go wrong.
sbloom
Well-Known Member
Indeed.
I think you can arrange different %s based on different scenarios - if it was purely about her comfort then she should probably buy and you could buy the saddle from her at the end of the loan, or you could offer a certain % once happy that the saddle was good for you to ride in too and you were happy with the fit of it. If it was a short term loan and the horse had to have a new saddle, and you were sure it would fit you, then you paying 80% and her paying 20% might work - she's paying the depreciation on a second hand saddle upfront, and you get to keep it at the end. Maybe 30% or so of a new saddle as the first 20% is VAT and you never get that back.
It's up to you to negotiate, but I'd be looking for a different saddle fitter to do the job this time. It's a tough one as to whether you have a say in making sure the saddle fits the horse, as I know some loaners want to be left to it (and I'm sure some loaners know more about whether a saddle fits than the owner!) but he is your horse and you don't want him damaged. I think you should jointly select a fitter and you pay some of the costs, % to be decided. Also decide on how often the saddle should be checked.
GrumpyHero
Well-Known Member
The horse i had on loan came with an old saddle, obviously well worn and not a perfect fit. It hurt my bum to ride in as the leather was that solid and hard. I ended up buying him a new saddle myself - even though the one he came with didn't fit properly. I wouldn't expect the owner to fork out £500 for a saddle that they may never end up using or even seeing - yes it is their horse but you are the one getting the use out of it.
It's much easier for the loaner to just arrange a saddle fitting and pay for the saddle. That way if you ever part ways its very clear who 'owns' the saddle - rather than a 50/50 split in cost. The horse goes back with the old saddle and the new saddle stays with the loaner.
For me it worked well as I now own the horse in question.
It's much easier for the loaner to just arrange a saddle fitting and pay for the saddle. That way if you ever part ways its very clear who 'owns' the saddle - rather than a 50/50 split in cost. The horse goes back with the old saddle and the new saddle stays with the loaner.
For me it worked well as I now own the horse in question.
Aragon56
Well-Known Member
Yes, unfortunately it's true, I was told it was ok to carry on using once it had been reflocked. And yes I appreciate I should have googled it/looked into it further but I trusted the saddler's opinion at the time. He doesn't do saddle repairs so I won't be using him for this anyway.
I appreciate I'm in the wrong and hold my hands up but I'm sure I'm not the only person who has ridden on a saddle with a broken tree, I wouldn't even have known about it unless I had a regular saddle check done! You really can't tell that anything is wrong with the saddle from just looking at it and I genuinely hadn't realised that it can damage their backs until I started looking into it properly yesterday.
The saddle was £595 second hand and to get the tree replaced will cost between £300 - 320 according to a quote I've just had from S Milner & Sons. I haven't looked into how good they are yet, but I think its probably worth fixing since it is a decent saddle. It's worthless as it is so I'd sooner pay to get it sorted, and then keep it for my semi retired horse who it fits, or sell it. S Milner have said that once the tree has been repaired it would be as good as new and wouldn't be weakened in any way.
Thanks for all the useful advice everyone has given so far, I think the best route is for me to pay to fix the broken tree since that's my responsibility and ask loaner to pay for a new saddle which I can buy back from her at the end of the loan.
9tails
Well-Known Member
I've had an ideal tree replaced, it cost £350 for an 18" hunt saddle.
abracadabra
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't personally be offering to buy the saddle at the end of the loan, as it won't be suitable for you anyway, but if you do do that, put in place an agreement of how much you would be willing to pay and in what condition the saddle should be in.
Just thinking, you don't want the loaner going out and buying an all singing all dancing top of the range expensive saddle, knowing that you've agreed you will stump up the cost of it at a later date. That's not something I would commit to, especially for a saddle that's not going to be the right size for me!
criso
Coming over here & taking your jobs since 1900
I mentioned that I had to get a saddle for a loan horse. That was an ideal 18" gp event in pretty good condition from a local saddler. It cost me £275 inc fitting. I would be thinking hard if it is worth getting the tree replaced unless it is almost new and a top of the range model