Kay Hastilow Master Saddler?

[Dizzy socks]

Hey,

Has anyone had anything to do with Kay Hastilow, a master saddler? Is she good? Also, anyone know approximately how much she would charge for a call out plus looking at horse and saddle, and maybe making alterations to saddle?

 

[Marydoll]

Ive used Kay in the past and been very happy with her service

 

[brucea]

Kay's good, but expensive. But she is the Marmite of saddle fitters ;-)

 

[TequilaMist]

Agree with brucea she is like or hate tho hate is prob too strong a word. Know folk that rate her and folk that don't She charged friend 50 for looking at horse and 20 for mileage and she will take 20 from each if 1 or 10 on yard seeing her. Obviously would charge £x for any work done.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Try the saddler at Bridge of Earn William someone. He is old mill park (or something like that, next door to earn equestrian).

 

[Mithras]

Hard to get an appointment with, long waiting list, I bought a saddle off her which did fit really well. But there were problems collecting the saddle. It was impossible to get an appointment with her to actually come out to fit it to the horse, so I had to bring the horse to her. I ended up having 3 80 mile round trips for the privilege of giving her business. I've never tried to get an appointment with the Queen, but I can imagine the experience might be somewhat similar. Perhaps you have to know the right people or something. She's a good saddle fitter, but maybe she specialises in large yards or something.

Personally I can't be bothered with that attitude, I know plenty of people who are in far more important positions in life and much easier to deal with. My apologies to her if this was entirely unintentional on her part, but that's the impression I got. Good at what she does though.

 

[Skipadeedooda]

I've used her in the past and she was good however, she stopped travelling to independent yards so she would base her self at a larger yard and clients would travel to her. My boy was a very stressful traveller at the time and was so wound up she couldn't get near him so I was promptly told he was no longer rideable and his ridden career was over and charged for the privilege. That was approx 10 years ago and needless to say my boy is still going strong.

 

[Quackers]

Dizzy Socks - where are you located? if you can travel to auchterader or edinburgh then I would recommend to contact http://www.thesaddlespecialist.com/

Erlend also does travel too, but you tend to get see quicker if you can go to him at once of his bases.

I'd say Erlend is far less likely to hard sell you his own custom made saddles unless really needed and also carries an extensive range of quality second hand saddles too.

 

[brucea]

I used Erlend - he was OK.

 

[Alec Swan]

Kay's good, but expensive. But she is the Marmite of saddle fitters ;-)

As always, when the term Master Saddler is used, it poses the question; "Is the person mentioned a Master Saddler, or a member of the Master Saddlers Association"? There's a world of difference between a competent saddler, and a saddle fitter.

Membership of the MSA is open to anyone and anyone can then call them selves a Master Saddler. Very few are.

Alec.

 

[sbloom]

No everyone can call themselves a Master Saddler at all and if they are calling themselves when they are not, then the SMS should be alerted.

http://www.mastersaddlers.co.uk/pages/Categories.htm

Of course you should check, but bear in mind that in recent times saddle fitting has had its own qualification, Qualified Saddle Fitter, part of the SMS qualifications and as mentioned by Alec. Saddlers and saddle fitters are not one and the same, some do both, but increasingly they are separate trades. Some saddle fitters carry out their own flocking and tree adjustments, some on site, many do not.

Now not being part of the SMS myself I do not believe that qualifications are a prerequisite for finding a good fitter, but let's not peddle half truths. Kay was chair of the SMS for some time I believe.