saddle fitters....help!

madhector

madhector

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Joined
12 December 2006
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Location
soon to be up north!
www.darlingdressage.co.uk
Had the saddle fitter out today to fit a saddle for the new chap, and possiblly a cheap synthetic dressage saddle too for my b-day.

I had Rio's close contact to exchange, but he said it just needed altering and would fit Jerry perfectly, so great so far, he altered it and then fitted a lovely secondhand Jeffies piaffe(I think thats what it is called
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) dressage saddle, which is lovely, so all great, but he didnt ask me to ride in them, and went to take Jerry out this afternoon, had him in the close contact, and it sat right down at the back (was fine at the front) so tried the Jeffries and same problem
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Is it normal for saddle fitters not to see you ride in them?They have with all the other saddles i have had fitted, just found this a bit odd, and now Im going to have to get him out again, as they blatently dont fit
 
No, totally wrong for a saddle fitter not to see you ride. I do know some that dont even put a girth on the horse let alone a rider.

Very shoddy indeed.
 
Yes I do. Your tack doesnt fit!! Sounds like half a job done to me.....maybe Im just lucky with saddlefitters....or too picky??
 
The cheek of it. I have tried saddles on my horse, they looked ok but when I sat in them, different story. It is so important to sit on them when the weight is on them.
He wasn`t very thorough was he. Ring him asap and explain and tell him that they don`t fit at all, hopefully he will come and put it right. Good luck...
 
I'm just agreeing what the others have said, my saddle fitter needs to see you riding the horse before she agrees what's fits and what doesn't - rider and horse.
 
a good saddle fitter would see you ride in any saddle. i had a customer who got a v nice new saddle did not fit, the fitter assumed the customer was a bit daft and didnt know what she was doing, not impressed when i got on the phone to say saddle didnt fit, so many of them are in it for the money which is a shame
 
I always have the horse riden when I am fitting a saddle to it otherwise the saddle could drop onto the withers or tip back, and be unbalanced with the weight of the rider, or it could be lifting at the back in trot etc. also the rider needs to now how it fits them.
 
The only thing I would say about the close contact is that I think they are designed to be slightly higher in front than you would like a to see a standard saddle (therefore lower behind). This shouldn't be the case for your other saddle 'though.
 
thanks everyone,

sending the dressage saddle back, and having a different saddle fitter out in a couple of weeks who actually knows what they are doing,

when i spoke to him he seems to think i hadnt put the saddle in the right place! I couldnt even get a finger between the saddle and his spine at the back,

so nevermind, lesson learnt, and hopefully will have better luck with the next one
 
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