saddle confusion

[suzanneand bayley]

ok so im wanting to buy a new/new to me saddle for my horse but im soooooooo confused, i asked a cpl ppl in my livery yard about it and they said dont buy off the shelf get a saddler out get one fitted....where im confused is does the fitter make them himself??? can i not buy one off shelf and get it fitted altered...i have seen some on ebay that are reasonably priced probably not "designer" make when it comes to saddles but im not into "labels" as i feel quite often u pay for the name only, also if i was to buy a second hand one surely this is just the same as buying off the shelf as such because surely it would have to be fitted anyway to me and my horse. please help as i want to do the right thing by my horse but my budget isnt a bottomless pit

 

[baymareb]

Not every saddle can be fitted or altered to every horse. That's why buying one off ebay isn't a good idea because there's no way to try it prior to purchase. You can end up spending twice as much between saddles and fitters, as well as vets and chiropractors if it doesn't fit.

I know around here (in the US) you can usually take a saddle on trial and then call out a fitter to see if it's a proper fit for your horse. Also some fitters do sell saddles which means they will come out and find a saddle they sell that fits your horse. It doesn't have to be custom.

I went through 4 different saddles before I gave up and called out the saddle fitter. Definitely worth it.

 

[Letslip]

A master saddler will often have second hand saddles too which they will sell to you as long as it fits your horse.

I haven't known a saddle fitter ever make their saddles, but there may be some out there that do, usually they just carry a stock of different saddles (with varying prices).

A master saddler should immediately be able to see what kind / make of saddle would best fit your horse and either find the exact fit or find a near perfect then be able to adjust if for you to fit. I wouldn't buy one from ebay without talking to the saddler first and finding out what type and size of saddle you should at least be looking for, know people that have bought saddles thinking they have horses that are say 17.5 and a medium only to find out that the reason the horse has been playing up is because it actually needs a wide saddle.

I can't stress how invaluable a good saddle fitter is and actually can end up far cheaper in the long run when you aren't having to pay enormous vet and physio bills due to ill fitting saddles.