alsxx
Well-Known Member
Sorry in advance this may turn into a long one!! I've got to the stage where my rising 5 mare needs saddle checking again. Obvisouly this is fine, but I have really lost faith in saddlers:
First off, I had a lady out (who i have seen good reviews for on here...) to fit her a saddle when i was backing her, appreciating that she was likely to change shape quickly, but not wanting to back her in some old saddle that was a terrible fit. So she came out, spent roughly 45 mins with us (half of that was reflocking my other ponies saddle). When fitting my mare she didnt even do the girth up on the saddle and made more of a fuss over her conformation - saying she has a very forward girthline and that i would really struggle to get a saddle that didnt move forward on her, so as part of her service she added a point strap. Overall i didnt particulary enjoy the experience
, she was rude and i rather got the impression that she didnt give a sh*t!! So anyhow, saddle moved forward (as far forward as right at the bottom of her neck) and she wasnt prepared to come out without me having to pay another fee - out of principal i thought no way, surely she should have come out a couple of weeks after to check all was ok (maybe niave of me but I've been riding since day one and can always remember saddlers coming back out to check the saddles we had fitted!).
Anyhow, onwards...so I had another guy who was recommended to me by old YO, he was lovely and spent ages checking everything. He looked at my other ponies saddle and said it was the worst job of reflocking he had ever seen - the panels were rounded so that it rocked on the back and they were not even. He said that my mare's saddle did fit, however the gullet was too narrow so he took it away and opened it up for me. So we had the saddle back in Jan and it was fine to start with, however after about 6 weeks started shifting forward again
. She then had quite a bit of time off as i was unwell, and have now been riding her again for the last few weeks. So the saddle still shifts forward and i have resorted to using my other ponies saddle on her (which at last visit he advised also fitted her!) as this doesnt move.
Anyway, although i wouldnt class myself as an expert, i dont think this fits her that well now either - she has become slightly rotund!! It is lifting at the back in trot.
Also, in my wisdom, i decided to buy her a wintec dressage saddle and get it fitted by someone - so this arrived this week and have tried it on her, and i'm pretty sure its slightly too narrow (it sits very high on her - i can get my whole hand in between wither and pommel - although i only have small hands!!), yet it lifts quite a lot at the back
. So need someone to come out and look at both (poss all 3) on her - but i dont know what to do, the guy that came out apprantly hates synthetics - is a real stickler for tradition - and i am also so sick of 'her' saddle i want rid of it, yet this is the one he did all the work on!! Plus its a 17inch seat and i am lost in it....so should i get someone else out, or get him out - bearing in mind i cant find his details anywhere on the master saddlers website which worries me slightly....
So confused - i have never known fitting a bloody saddle to be so complicated!!! Maybe my mare is just a really odd shape....
Well done for getting this far, g&t to all!
First off, I had a lady out (who i have seen good reviews for on here...) to fit her a saddle when i was backing her, appreciating that she was likely to change shape quickly, but not wanting to back her in some old saddle that was a terrible fit. So she came out, spent roughly 45 mins with us (half of that was reflocking my other ponies saddle). When fitting my mare she didnt even do the girth up on the saddle and made more of a fuss over her conformation - saying she has a very forward girthline and that i would really struggle to get a saddle that didnt move forward on her, so as part of her service she added a point strap. Overall i didnt particulary enjoy the experience
Anyhow, onwards...so I had another guy who was recommended to me by old YO, he was lovely and spent ages checking everything. He looked at my other ponies saddle and said it was the worst job of reflocking he had ever seen - the panels were rounded so that it rocked on the back and they were not even. He said that my mare's saddle did fit, however the gullet was too narrow so he took it away and opened it up for me. So we had the saddle back in Jan and it was fine to start with, however after about 6 weeks started shifting forward again
Anyway, although i wouldnt class myself as an expert, i dont think this fits her that well now either - she has become slightly rotund!! It is lifting at the back in trot.
Also, in my wisdom, i decided to buy her a wintec dressage saddle and get it fitted by someone - so this arrived this week and have tried it on her, and i'm pretty sure its slightly too narrow (it sits very high on her - i can get my whole hand in between wither and pommel - although i only have small hands!!), yet it lifts quite a lot at the back
So confused - i have never known fitting a bloody saddle to be so complicated!!! Maybe my mare is just a really odd shape....
