Saddlers - do they ever agree?

[GrassChop]

Hi everyone,

I’m honestly at my wits’ end. Over the past couple of years, I’ve worked with five different saddlers for different horses — and not once have they agreed on the right saddle.

Every time, they point out issues with the current saddle and the end recommendation always seems to be… “buy a new saddle.” I’ve had a saddle described as the “perfect fit for both me and my horse” one week, only to have another saddler tell me a few weeks later that it’s the “wrong shape completely.” I’ve had others that are fully adjustable written off.

It’s exhausting — and expensive - these are not cheap saddles. I just want to do what’s right for my horses, and I need to be comfortable and balanced so I’m not causing any issues for them. But when every expert gives you a different answer, you start to wonder: is there even a standard for this, or is everyone just interpreting things their own way?

I know plenty of people who use the same saddle on multiple horses without any issues. Meanwhile, I’m trying so hard to get the perfect fit, and it feels like I’m going in circles.

Is it just me? Has anyone else experienced this? It’s not sustainable!

I've had exactly the same experience. This might be long but bear with me!

First saddle fitter fitted a cob saddle to my fine sport horse mare and it bridged which I was told was normal!

Quickly changed to someone else who fitted a beautiful saddle that fit me and my mare seemingly perfectly but, prior to knowing how it all works, she said it needed some flocking in the front so she took it away to be done by someone in the workshop who hadn't seen my horse and just did it based on what was asked of them, no templates taken or anything but that's another story. Anyway, she came back and it was hugely overstuffed and she said it would pack down. It was genuinely awful and after researching, I realised this was quite an unusual way of doing things.

So I got someone else out who sorted it but told me that whilst the saddle fits now, it's not her long term saddle for whatever reason and suggested a couple of others which I then discovered seemed to be the same recommendations to most people using this fitter but either way, I carried on using her for a while and all was fine.

Then someone on the yard had their fitter out so I thought I'd give them a go as it needed a check up. He said the saddle didn't remotely fit, she needed one without teardrop gussets and told me all the things I needed to find in a saddle that would work. Course, he sold me a jump saddle which fit her but not me so that was returned. We fitted an old synthetic one that we already had as a close enough fit to keep ticking over but wasn't long term. I sold my beloved saddle after being told it was no good and would never fit and he wouldn't put it back on her. So I went and searched for one he said would work.

I decided to then get someone else that was recommended out as everything I found and sent pictures of to the other fitter was told it was no good. Then this one sold me an awful air flocked saddle, horrible fit and mare hated it so I got the previous guy back out to see if he had anything else and he sold me another one which I also hated and he wouldn't accept a return as it was sold on behalf of a client so I had to sell it. I found another saddle that supposedly ticked all the boxes and he told me it was no good so I went off to find another one and got him back out. He said it wasn't perfect, it was too wide and not worth risking to narrow it but it would do. Was at my wits end at this point so stuck with it for a bit.

I then found a narrower version of that saddle as it just wasn't working with the other one, kept slipping forwards and I got another highly recommended fitter out. Bearing in mind these were all extremely recommended qualified people! She fit the saddle and it was seemingly okay until I started getting behavioural issues, turns out it was wonky but she hadn't ever picked up on this even though I had her out about 3 times in 4 weekly intervals as it wasn't right.

I got someone else out to look at it and bring others to look at and guess what she told me? She said the perfect saddle would be everything my first saddle had! She didn't know about it at this point, she literally listed out everything I need in a saddle which was everything that first one had. I couldn't believe it as I'd loved that saddle and she couldn't believe it when I told her and showed pictures of it, she said it was ideal for what was needed. I went straight out and purchased the same make and model, got it fitted by her and it's been absolutely perfect ever since. In hindsight, the second fitter would have been fine to stick with but had such long waiting times and always pushed on these other brands. It just doesn't make sense how they all had totally different views on what was needed, from being flat tree, not a flat tree, no teardrop gussets and then teardrop gussets, upswept panel, shorter tree, etc etc! How can it vary so widely on different fits, I don't know!

ETA: Shoutout to @Baywonder and DH for being extremely helpful over the years upon me selling my gorgeous saddle and now being back with one! Best saddle I have ever ridden in. Extremely comfortable, gorgeous leather and a lovely rich brown. (Wasn't sure if I could name the brand! Identity and all that )

 

[hock]

I recently had a new SF out and she didn't try to sell me a saddle even though I was happy to buy a new one. The previous SF sold me a made to measure which my mare hated right from the start so i'd been using an old saddle I already had which she seemed happy in until recently. She has broadened a lot since the M2M (now realise it was much too wide at the time) but when we tried it this time round it actually now fits her although still slips to the left a little but we decided to use a pad for the time being and re-evaluate in a few months as hopefully with more work she will change shape again. I would recommend her, she covers North Wales, Staffordshire, Cheshire area. If anyone wants her details pm me.

Is it Claire?

 

[Tarragon]

I had a saddle made for me once. The lady came out with about a dozen bare trees based on the initial profile taken of the pony's back and tried each one on in turn. It was an eye opener to see how very similar looking trees just didn't fit the pony's back in some way, and how well the one that did fit just snuggled in and looked like it was part of the pony. All these trees would have been roughly the same width and length e.g. 16.5 inches XXW.
You would lose so much of that information once the saddle tree is made into a saddle, and then add on the complication of the stuffing, which changes over time, and an ever changing back based on fitness and age.
You can appreciate why it is such a difficult task.
Personally I want to see more effort into put into developing the saddle pads, or treeless saddles, so at least there is a bit of wiggle room to accommodate change.