Is your saddle fitter qualified?

[Oberon]

Just musing really as I use treeless saddles and have never used a saddle fitter.

Friends who use them always seem to have a problem and it drags on into a drama where the saddle fitter is the enemy .

Those of you who use a saddle fitter - what qualifications do they have and how do you rate them?

 

[catkin]

Don't wish to turn this into a riot though I must say there is a responsibility on every horse owner to also check the saddle fitting so we must all learn as much as we can. My own saddle fitter has been an absolute mine of information - we discuss things and she's shown me how to do the monthly check and the mechanics of shimming. I've just learnt so much - then when my little horse tells me something's not quite right I at least have a bit of an idea of what questions to ask and what to check before it's a major problem.


Oh, (and only slightly toungue in cheek here) FIT is the important thing, not whether the saddle is dirt cheap, a particular label, a pretty colour or flashier than the one your friend down the road has.

 

[LG's Skivvy]

Yes! I went words of mouth once with a chap who was apparently a Master Saddler, turned out (after the fact) he wasn't even though his card stated he was and the rest of the yard I was on at the time had been using him for years... i was never happy with the saddle and eventually did my own research, found someone registered and local then did some digging as to general consesnsus on her

I'd never go purely on word of mouth again

 

[Holly Hocks]

I like to think I'm competent enough to see whether a saddle is particularly a bad fit or not. I suspected that the saddle that I am using on my mare wasn't just "quite" right, so got the saddle fitter that I use out last week. She confirmed what I thought - doesn't need a new saddle, just needs her to do some remedial work on the saddle to make it sit better.

Agree with poster above as well - the make is irrelevant to me as long as it fits the horse and that the horse is happy in it.

 

[blood_magik]

I found mine on the SMS website and he came highly recommended.

 

[Nicnac]

Yes! I have an excellent rapport with him and, although I can see/feel whether a saddle fits or not, I find his input invaluable especially in pricing second hand saddles and fitting to changing shapes of young horses.
I have had issues in the past with saddlers bringing out the most expensive saddles or pushing what they happen to have in stock, but am very happy with my current saddler. He is outspoken however and recently upset a friend with comments about the relationship between her pony, saddle and her backside!