Nightmare Albion saddle problem - advice needed

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cpendle

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I bought a made-to-measure albion dressage saddle about 10 months ago. It never really fitted my horse and I had loads of re-fittings with the saddler. Then after I'd ridden in it about 8 times, my horse went lame and has been off work ever since.

I've recently bought a new horse - and had the saddle refitted for him, but am experiencing exactly the same problems I had with horse no. 1 i.e. its slipping to the right and forward.

I've just had a really good look at it today and it looks twisted. The Cantle and Pommel don't line up. I was absolutely horrified when I realised!

I phoned Albion, who weren't particularly helpful and told me to get in touch with the original retailer - but I've moved since purchase and he's about 100 miles away!

Basically, I want a new saddle or my money back as there is something seriously wrong with this one. I'm still in warranty - just. Can anyone advise what my rights are and what I can do?

I'm really worried as I can't afford to buy a new saddle and spent all my savings on this one
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If Albion or the original retailer wont give you any joy I would be tempted to take it to a Master Saddler and get him/her to do an independant report on it and then go from there.
 
Whatever product you buy, your consumer rights are that it be fit for the purpose it was bought for. ie. in this case to ride on.

Call Albion and tell them the saddle is defective and you want it sorted out. They made the saddle, so it is their responsibility. Tell them you will return it to the factory for repair or replacement. These are your legal rights under the Sale of Goods Act. remind them of this and warn them you will take them to the small claims court for the cost of a replacement.

If you are under any doubts as to your rights, call your local Office of Fair Trading.
 
I have no good advice like the others they have covered it all for u, just to say how awful to find that it is twisted, and uncomfortable for your horse. I have an albion saddle which was also made to measure and that slips forward!!!! horse not in work at mo so havnt done ne thing about it!! Will now tho
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take pics of it (lined up with the lines on a tiled floor is good) to show the warping. tbh though, i reckon they'll say you must have twisted the tree or something, hope not for your sake though! ask to speak to Sherry at Albion, she's the head honcho lady and can be very helpful.
i sold all my Albion's years ago and wouldn't put one near my horses' backs though...
btw, do you get on it from the ground? just wondered.
 
Hi, thanks for all the advice everyone.

Kerilli I never get on from the ground! And the saddle slips not just with me - a friend who's riding at Prix St George rode in it this week, and she sits very, very straight, but the same thing happened to her.
 
then the webbing or something inside is possibly pulling it unevenly, twisting the tree. have a look at
http://bettersaddles.co.uk/saddle_construction_2.html
very best of luck, hope you get it sorted. the original saddle fitter is the one who should sort it out for you, he's the one who made all the money on it! btw, he's not a master saddler from herts, is he? that's where my albion with twisted tree came from, many moons ago...
 
You might also casually mention that you got this advice from the H & H forum - which will be viewed by lots of potential customers.
 
Ok, this is the make of saddle that i have undoubtedly seen cause more problems to horses backs than any other. A close second probably been stubben.

Whats worse, everyone i have known have issues with them have had made to measure saddles that they pay a lot of money for.

Ive never personally had an albion, but the issues my friends have been through with theirs (dressage circles and theyre popular) have been enough to put me off for life.

The summer before i left the uk, a livery had an albion slk custom made for her new horse. The horse had always belonged to my trainer and had always been 100% sound. He passed a full 5 star vetting with x rays when sold.

Few weeks after the albion arrived, the horse started, initially, we behavioural problems and was spooking and then bolting. To begin with, this was put down to him testing his new owner as he'd always been spooky but never run off. He then went lame and the vet couldnt pinpoint it but recommended our chiro take a look. She said, without doubt that the sadle not only didnt fit, but was causing him huge problems over his back and was undoubtedly the cause of the lameness.

Albion (gold star fitter and retailer) returns to see the saddle and says it fits. Chiro returns again and says no, it doesnt. Saddler insists it does.

The horse had 2 months off with this mystery lameness which settled when out of work. Came back into work very very naughty and was handed over to my trainer to ride. She was still having endless issues and, at this point, refused to ride him anymore. By this stage he was bronching, bucking and bolting.

By the time i left the UK, he'd be sent *somewhere* down south for remedial training and was then headed for sales livery. The remedial trainer stopped using the saddle instantly despite the owner being quite insistent about it.

I lost track shortly after but our chiro was very very insistant that the lameness was caused by the saddle and the vet was happy to go with this as he could find nothing in any of the limbs. The saddler still insisted all was well and albion werent interested.

Thats just one of a lot of issues ive seen with them
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I've posted this before, but when Kay Humphries came to try to fit a saddle to my old horse (who was later found to have KS) she was very scathing about Albions (I know, it's partly political!!!) explaining that due to the "banana" shape of the tree, when you girth the saddle front and back, the centre of the tree can only go downwards, causing at the least discomfort, but often more serious problems. My horse went from being ready for elementary to being unable to canter on a circle almost overnight after I bought what I thought was a fab 5000.
 
Mmm. Theres no doubt that they are high quality saddles in terms of the leather and the materials used to make them but there seems to be some problem in the design. Whats worse, i dont know if theyre particularly unlucky in regards to their fitters but ive never known so many problems with made to measure saddles as with these :/
 
On the contary to that I have a made to measure Albion K2 dressage saddle and my horse moves so much better in it than his previous saddle its untrue.
 
Im really interested in this thread as I am currently looking to replace my saddle- I always assumed Albion made excellent saddles as having sat in them when on display they look and feel amazing and have a good reputation, an fact their reputaion is world renound- so have people really had problems with them as I dont want to buy one knowing it will damage my horses back. It was the SLK i was looking at only yesterday. I would be interested to hear you opinion- I am soo clueless with saddle makes!
 
Theyre beautiful. They put the riders in a nice position, the leather and such is top notch but i dont know, something just doesnt seem 100%.

Perhaps they are one of those saddles that suit a particularly type of horse more so than another. Incidently! Its the SLK, the SLK ultimas and the SLs that everyone i know has had problems with. This is, for sure, partly because im involved in dressage but when i was in my teens, their jumping saddles seemed quite popular on our yard and i dont remember having these problems.

Of course, this is terribly stereotypical and im sure they fit some horses perfectly; perhaps it is more a fitter issue? I dont know.. they just seem to be a saddle that cause a lot of problems
 
I think that you have to be really careful as too who fits it and also the particular saddle, also they certainly seem to suit some horses better than others so make sure that you get a really really good saddler out.
 
This makes very interesting reading for me. I had a made to measure K2 dressage saddle last year. My trainer told me that I was leaning to the right (not falling out through hip) and I had to keep adjusting my position. The saddle was slipping by about 2". The Master Saddler & Fitter came out and agreed, he adjusted the flocking but still the saddle slipped. My mare then became unsound with suspected DDFT and had 10 weeks off work (turned out to be megga wind galls). I have had a good relationship with my saddler for many years and he instantly wrote me a refund check in full and returned the saddle to Albion.

I then bought a Sue Carson Harmony and its the most perfect saddle I have ever had the pleasure of gracing my bottom on
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Our newest horse came with her own 1 tear old Albion contact. I immediately called my saddler who reflocked (it hadn't been redone since new and was all soft and baggy).

The mare always has a sore right shoulder and her saddle slips to the right.

I am in the process of getting my WOW refitted for her so her shoulder (just behing wither) muscles can redevelop.

It is odd how all these Albions slip to the right.
 
Concerning. I have an Albion dressage saddle which Goddy seems to love, BUT, since he has had it I have found I have started to sit to the right, and he pushes me that way....never had unlevelness probs before....going to get it checked out i think!
 
they wreck horses backs, imho. and a lot of the pros who use them, always have a prolite pad under them, to try to limit the damage.
some horses cope for years with it, some don't. but i would never buy another one... i had 3 at one point, and some very unhappy horses...
 
This post is really worrying me! I have a K2 Gp which I bought from a master saddler last summer and had fitted. It too seems to slip to the right - I had the saddler fitter to look at it last week.
My horse seems to have less muscle behind his right shoulder and this is why we thought it was slipping to the right but is the saddle causing the problem?
I am currently using a Mattes sheepskin correction numnah with shims to try to help as she thought he may put on more top line in a couple of months when the grass comes through.
I am double worried because I currently have a K2 dressage saddle on trial which I was seriously considering buying - this seems better although I have only ridden in it 3 times.
 
What did the saddler say was causing the problem? Maybe your horse is developing more on one side than the other and it may or may not be because of saddle. Might just need re-flocking or flair (whichever) to accomodate the uneveness. In other words, may need more in one side than other until muscle develop is same on both sides. Does that make sense?
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I then bought a Sue Carson Harmony and its the most perfect saddle I have ever had the pleasure of gracing my bottom on
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SNAP!!!! And we'venot looked back since.... lovely saddle..... worth every penny.... in fact I had mine refitted today!
 
Friends are having a dreadful problem with a SC saddle, basically it just doesn't fit!

It seems that their fitter no longer works there and Sue herself is now coming out to deal with the problem.
 
I think lots of the problems are down to the saddle fitters and also people asking for what they think they want to ride in rather than the advice from the saddler as to which saddle will suit their horse. Horses are different shapes so how can one style of saddle fit everything well?
On the saddle fitter front, with my old horse I was sold an Albion K2 by a master saddler. Didn't feel right by trusted her fitting and bought it. Rode few times and it just wasn't comfotable at all. Got her back she said it was fine obviously I wasn't ready to ride on a dressage saddle (yes she did say that!) so she would give me a refund. Different saddler came out took one look at horse and said she did ask albion to do xyand z to it didn't she - no it was the standard one. He then described how I would have felt riding it which was spot on, ordered me another one - which once the tags were off jo bloggs wouldn't have known was any different and horse and I were happy.

I find the whole saddle thing such a minefield though - everyone has an opinon and they all contradict
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Whoa! sounds like albion are to blame for everything! Actually most saddles slip to the right because most of us are right handed and put more weight in our right leg than our left - so what happens is the left side of the saddle takes greater pressure, the flock is compressed and so is the horses' muscle. Your saddle should be rebalanced by a master saddler so that it sits straight on the horse again.
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