Saddlers.

yes. because a lot of so-called "master saddlers" and "qualified saddle fitters" know less, and care less, than i do. fitting saddles is not rocket science, it's about attention to detail and noticing things and taking time and having patience. once you know what you're looking for/at, it isn't difficult.
it helps if it's not all about £££s but actually about what fits the horse comfortably and makes the rider's job easier, too.
 
have to agree with kerilli0- our local "qualified" saddlers are no good at all..one of them isnt actually qualified but is sent out
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:o:o

also i have in the past before i had my wow always got my horse phyiso to check it as she was knowledgeable:)
 
i agree i would like to use some one who is good and qualified but there was never really anyone that fitted the bill-i now have a wow saddle and my fitter is fantastic and used to be an equine physio and really knows her stuff.
 
Same here as Kerilli, I have had a so called saddle fitter come, who is trained and qualified (and he is very good looking! phwoaar) anyhow, he sold me one a teeny bit too narrow, I think.

I had it adjusted to fit by "Martin Wilkinson" saddler jut north of the M25 Herts. Absolutely fantastic job, he has knowledge experience, feel, instinct, the lot. So I pay, for him.

Not only this, but I have picked up an awful lot myself and can (for my own horse) judge a fit. If you know someone really well and trust their judgement ro recommend or fit, then I'd go along with it.
 
I have a wow saddle on each of my two dressage horses - best saddles I have ever bought! Ok, they aren't cheap but they have saved me so much money by not having to work my way through yet another saddle each time they change shape. The air panels really help my boys way of going too!
 
someone who has had years and years of experience of offered to come and fit and sell me a saddle for 1/2 the price of the local master saddler. My local master saddler cannot get hold of the type of saddle I'm after, but this person can.
 
do you know what to look for? does the "someone" have experience of horses, or of fitting saddles. some experience of the latter is essential imho.
if you know what to look for, which doesn't take long to learn with a good patient teacher who points out the vital stuff, then i'd say go for the "someone."
btw a well-known "master saddler" sold me a saddle with a twisted tree, years ago... so i am a little suspicious of them now. it was second hand, and i think he was thinking of the £££s and not my horse's welfare. BAD MAN.
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yes, this person definately knows their horses, shapes and saddles. They've probably never been trained in saddle fitting, but knows alot about fitting saddles to small round ponies, and for the comfort and stability of small children. They're an ex producer.
 
The price they're looking at for saddle and fitting is less than the saddle alone would cost second hand (say Via ebay). They're offering to re flock and fit it for that cost. So I imagine if we had problems we could always just sell it on... ?
 
if you find the the person who is fitting the saddle is a qualified saddle fitter and you are not happy with their job you can report them to the Society of Master Saddlers. If they are not then you can't and be it on your own head. At the end of the day would you let someone who was not a qualified surgeon operate on you?
 
yes but do the society ever do anything? loads of people in our area know which ones to avoid and they are still doing business depsite so many people complaining.

I think you have to have a little knowledge yourself and try to assess whether or not something is a reltivly good fit..and not take somebodys word as gospel..im so paranoid about saddles fitting as i have said to kerilli before and with my wow i am happy and satisfied.

Re. would i let an unqualified surgeon operate on me..no i wouldnt but its not exactly the same thing.
 
can still have the same devastating results. My saddler works in conjunction with the horse owners physio/back person and assesses what the horse needs. A qualified saddlefitter should know how to fit a saddle, personally I would only have a qualified master saddler who had also qualified as a saddle fitter look at my saddle, as they have had the ongoing training (which is required as refresher courses each year). You need to be quite pushy with the Society but they will do something about it.
 
I am seriously concerned by the so called Master Saddlers - they learn to make a saddle but not to fit it and in their training they do not make a saddle to fit a horse - they make a saddle! In order to fit it they need to be trained saddle fitters as well but how many of us know that? How many of you call out a Master Saddler? How many of you call out a Saddle fitter. I want someone to fit my horse who understands horses, how they move, strange effects of gaits, rider position and experience, and who understands the negative effects of saddles and what can be done to alleviate the negative effects, if that person is not a qualified master saddler I am fine with that.

And no I would not want an un qualified surgeon to operate on me - but to be honest - they do not exist - an ortheopedic surgeon is what he says and has trained to be that - a Master Saddler makes saddle - he is not a trained saddle fitter.
 
i agree with the fact that they should know, and in preference if i ever need sa traditional fitter again i would try and find one.
Some of the fitters round here plonk any old thing on..and tbh dont really care if it fits you or the horse.....when i was looking i got them to come out and leave a few saddles that semmed "ok" with me so i could get some other opinions.
Then i found quite a good saddler on recommendation that came out to assess my horse but they had absolutely nothing suitable for either dressage or jumping and dont normally have them in, unless they are wintecs...so i was pretty lost and in the end went for a wow and its definatly the best thing we could have done!
 
A Master Saddler is trained to build a saddle from scratch from the Saddle Fitters dimensions - which I why I would only go with a saddle fitter who is also a Master Saddler, as they know what will and won't work and what size and shape of tree to go for, which is why some brand of saddles fit some horses really well (due to the shape of their tree) and others which appear to be the same size eg 17.5 medium/wide don't. I personally think that the society should look into a more professional qualification for people fitting saddles, they are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination and can do a lot of damage to the horse and also the rider.
 
The problem is that the Master Saddler very rarely uses a saddle fitter to provide the dimensions - they seem to think that having qualified as a master saddler they are capable of both making and fitting a saddle. But I went on the fitting course with the final year Master Saddler students and they could not tell when a horse was unsound. They did not understand the impact of the skeletal or muscular structure or what a rider needed. And the fitting course dose not go into sufficient depth for them to learn this, and to be honest the ones who were on the fitting course with me were not going to go on and become qualified fitters as they did not see the need. They were happy being master Saddler makers. And Riders are not given this information up front. I think the people need to qualify to become fitters, but it needs to be independent from the SMS as they really do have a closed shop and protect their own backs and do not work for the good of the horse - just the good of their paid up members.
 
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