Ambers Echo
Still wittering on
I want to understand a bit more about the art and science of saddle fitting.
I have just bought a new saddle on e-bay. It appears to fit perfectly but I am planning on getting a saddle fitter to come and check it. The trouble is I can't find a single one locally that someone else hasn't been negative about. And in the past, I have changed a saddle that seemed fine on the advice of a fitter and ended up with one that constantly slipped sideways. I knew it did not fit and got the fitter back out twice to re-check but the slipping was blamed on my bad riding. A different fitter then it said was awful and I had to swap it again. I am nervous about the same thing happening again.
I and others on my yard have had a number of different saddle fitters tell us that a saddle was fine when it clearly wasn't. Anytime people post asking for saddle fitter recommndations you get a dozen names and under each other people saying they were useless!
I have no idea how to evaluate whether the fitter is any good or not from what they say either. They don't seem to be looking at anything different to what I am looking at - length, width, balance, spine clearance, how it feels to ride in and how horse reacts to it. But clearly there is far more to it than that or anyone could assess whether a saddle fits.
So can someone with more knowlege direct me to articles or other info so that at least I know how to evaluate what the experts are telling me. And whteher there is any reliable way of choosing a fitter.
TIA.
I have just bought a new saddle on e-bay. It appears to fit perfectly but I am planning on getting a saddle fitter to come and check it. The trouble is I can't find a single one locally that someone else hasn't been negative about. And in the past, I have changed a saddle that seemed fine on the advice of a fitter and ended up with one that constantly slipped sideways. I knew it did not fit and got the fitter back out twice to re-check but the slipping was blamed on my bad riding. A different fitter then it said was awful and I had to swap it again. I am nervous about the same thing happening again.
I and others on my yard have had a number of different saddle fitters tell us that a saddle was fine when it clearly wasn't. Anytime people post asking for saddle fitter recommndations you get a dozen names and under each other people saying they were useless!
I have no idea how to evaluate whether the fitter is any good or not from what they say either. They don't seem to be looking at anything different to what I am looking at - length, width, balance, spine clearance, how it feels to ride in and how horse reacts to it. But clearly there is far more to it than that or anyone could assess whether a saddle fits.
So can someone with more knowlege direct me to articles or other info so that at least I know how to evaluate what the experts are telling me. And whteher there is any reliable way of choosing a fitter.
TIA.