Saddle Fitters Somerset/Dorset

[MalahideExpress]

I desperately need to get a saddle looked at that I bought from the lovely Julia Garrett a few years ago, but the horse has changed and has got a terrible sore back at the moment so I am desperate to get it sorted and Julia is so busy so I have been looking at the master saddlers website and come up with a few other possibilities to try, but I ave never heard of any of them because everyone I know uses Julia. I have used pointings and unicorn in the past but not had a lot of success with either of them, Julia is the only person I know that I trust, but she has such a long waiting list.

Has anyone ever used Kirsty Turton in Shaftesbury, or Lisa Hoskins, or Maxine Sayers in Dorset, or Sharon Church in Bristol?

 

[Doormouse]

I would recommend Maxine Sayers, she has been brilliant with all of mine so far.

 

[MalahideExpress]

Thankyou, it is good to hear some-one has used her rather than making a stab in the dark, does she watch you ride the horses? Does she re-flock then and there?

 

[Doormouse]

She is very thorough and watches you ride. She is happy to reflock at the time if she can but is sensible and says if she would prefer to start again with it. She is very straight forward, doesn't try to sell you very expensive solutions and will not do anything that doesn't need doing. She was also very helpful finding a saddle for my horse, she suggested a make and size, I bought one from ebay and she reflocked it, fitted perfectly.

 

[MalahideExpress]

Thank you so much that sounds just the job, ticking all the boxes that have been problems with the other saddlers I mentioned! Saddles and fitting are such a wretched minefield, my heart sinks at it all, and wonders how I never ran into quite such saddle problems when I worked at a yard that one of two ancient stubbens went on everything! (I sometimes wonder whether I would be better off trying to do dressage in my race-exercise.... !) it is re-assuring to hear that, it has made up my mind, I shall try Maxine

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

If you're on the SMS site, there's someone called "Gill Campbell" who's based at Axminster, and depending on where you are OP she might come to you. I've used Gill in the past and she's honest and genuine to a fault, refused to sell me a new saddle where she was less than satisfied with the fit; preferring instead to re-flock an old one I had already.

Also - there's Nathaniel Underwood who might be within your area, just??? Always busy, but has his own saddle fitting set-up where you can take the horse to him. Not used him myself but have heard good reviews of the guy.

I could also give you a good few names to avoid............

 

[MalahideExpress]

Sounds like Gill Campbell would be a bet to try, but although I have found her website I cannot find her on the SMS website, neither by putting her name into search nor looking down the list of names in both Devon and Somerset, which is a bit strange as she says on her website she is a SMS registered Master Saddler, the only Campbell that comes up in a search is a Clare in Berkshire.... bit confused about that.

Well, I would quite like names-to-avoid, I always keep an open mind 'cos most people have somebody saying something dodgy about them somewhere along the line, nobody gets it right all the time, but its rather a case of how many people you hear saying dodgy things about ppl, I know people are tentative about naming negatively but it is helpful to bear these things in mind if you wouldn't mind?

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

People I would personally avoid using these days...
Peter from Pointings
Alex from Dorchester Saddlery
Peter Legg if he's still working
Nathaniel Underwood

I would use Maxine def.

 

[Tangaroo]

Try Lisa Hoskins from Shaftesbury way. She is really good .