Saddles - does it make you cringe?

S

Silverspring

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 March 2008
Messages
2,895
Location
Scotland
Visit site
When you hear all these people buying saddle from the internet or buying second hand saddle and fitting them themselves? Asking for advice on a saddle fit from people online (who are often no more quialified) when the people giving the advice can't see the horse or the saddle to comment?

It's a bit of a pet hate of mine, people buy horse's (often for a fair amount of money) they pay livery, buy feed, buy wormer, get the vet out when required. Yet when it comes to one of the most important parts of enjoying the horse they try avoid as many costs as possible.

A saddle fit is as complicated as a bra fit, they come in different lengths, different widths, different curvature of tree. A 17" in one make will be longer from point to cantle than that of another make yet so many people seem to think that a medium wide 17" any brand will fit their horse. A 17" wide will be wider than that of another make, the tree could be flater. One size does not fit all!

Ok rant over.
 
i get second hand saddles from my saddler, and i fit them myself.

i consider myself able to fit a saddle!
its something you are taught at pony club - check the saddle isnt too long, that it dosent roll on the back when horse is moving, there is light the whole way through the gullet, the saddle isnt pressing on the withers and likewise isnt too narrow on the back.

I may not be trained but i have enough common sense to know if a saddle fits or not!
 
I'm afraid that isn't fitting a saddle is it? That's trying on a saddle & seeing if it fits & that is totally different.
frown.gif
 
i hope this isn't a dig at me asking about cheapo second hand saddles last night?! i would like to point out that i am very good friends with a qualified saddler- she's told me what saddle i should be looking to buy and then when i have it she's going to come up and make any alterations that are necessary.....then when horse has stopped growing he will have his own made to measure wardrobe like my other horses.....just coz people asking for advice on here doesn't mean they then won't seek advice of professional too!!
 
I know what you mean, of course I have nothing against anyone buying on line/second hand saddles etc then getting it checked out by a saddle fitter, nor do I have a problem with people asking how it looks from pictures because I always say they should have it looked by qualified saddle fitter but if there is something terribly obvious from that photo that clearly shows that it doesn't fit, then someone from the forum pointing it out will save the poor horse or pony from being ridden in it and at least the OP is learning something if someone goes into detail on the basics of how a saddle should fit and the importance of getting it right and by doing so, getting a saddle fitter involved as there are a lot of adults/children on forums that really don't know anything about how a saddle should fit and the damage it can cause and its there way of getting to find out.

But yes...I totally agree with the point your making.
smile.gif
 
Honestly it's not a dig at anyone! I just see the post quite a lot, people bidding on saddle on ebay etc and I think what are the chance it's going to fit?

I have also been shown how to check a saddle fits correctly, that's how I check my own saddle every month or so but I still get a professional (being someone who has done more than just read and pony lub hand book and been shown what it means) to check my saddle every year or so. I would be willing to look at someones saddle and tell them if it didn't fit, I would not be willing to say if it did fit.

Spotting obvious errors like bridging and tighness on the shoulders is easy, knowing if a saddle actually fits is not which is why it take a fair amount of time to become qualified and even then these people get it wrong!

Having had a saddle fitter up to my WB with about 60 saddle in his van only 1 of them fitted. I saddle out of 60! he wasn't even that oddly shaped either, it was just that only 2% of all the saddle the guy had actually fitted (well less actually but still)
 
I know exactly what you mean. I also know how to check a saddle, it's basic common sense and experience. However I do not know how to 'fit' a saddle, that is why there are qualified saddlers!
Like you we tried tens of saddles on my boy and only one gave him the best fit.

I haven't ever bought a second hand saddle, in the future I might, however I would always get it checked out properly.
I know some people who paid over £15k for a horse, only to get a saddle that they thought was comfy in the shop, didn't have it fitted. It doesn't fit, rubs the horse, so their answer? Put a thick pad underneath. I just cannot understand the mentality of paying that much for a horse and then ruining it for the sake of a small amount of money
confused.gif
 
No i totally agree, firstly id never will and never have bought a second hand saddle I see it like wearing someone elses shoes but thats just my personal preference.My last 2 saddles were lovely but were of the shelf saddles with although they fit were not perfect so this Xmas when my horse was having back problems before I called a back person out I checked his saddle out which was 2years old and wasnt as well fitted as when I first bought it so I thought what better than to have a made to measure saddle you cannot get a better fir than that and It the best thing i have ever bought and cost not a penny more than an off the shelf saddle would.
 
Its all very well to have a saddle "made to measure" however most people dont take into account that the saddle is made to fit the horse on the day it was measured. It doesnt mean it will still fit the horse 12 months down the line.

I agree with the OP - lots of people buy a 17.5" saddle to fit them and the pony is 14.2hh. It isnt going to fit and I dont need to see any pics to prove it.

I think even worse is the helpful YO ... I cant count the number of times I have seen poorly fitting saddles which are ok because the YO has said their saddle fits anything - its magic.

Although I think the other side of the story is the multitude of bad or unqualified saddle fitters out there who will sell anyone anything ... they really dont do much to inspire confidence in the owner.
 
[ QUOTE ]
i get second hand saddles from my saddler, and i fit them myself.

i consider myself able to fit a saddle!
its something you are taught at pony club - check the saddle isnt too long, that it dosent roll on the back when horse is moving, there is light the whole way through the gullet, the saddle isnt pressing on the withers and likewise isnt too narrow on the back.

I may not be trained but i have enough common sense to know if a saddle fits or not!

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually - I very much agree with this.......I have seen people on here writing about the crap service they have got from so-called saddle fitters who have just caused problems or made problems even worse, seem to be in it for the money and are allied to one particular saddler or brand of saddle only.....fair enough if your horse is particularly odd shapped or you have a specific problem, get help/advise....but in my view you are no more likely to get a great fit from a so-called ''professional' than you are doing it youself......
 
[ QUOTE ]
......I have seen people on here writing about the crap service they have got from so-called saddle fitters who have just caused problems or made problems even worse, seem to be in it for the money and are allied to one particular saddler or brand of saddle only.....fair enough if your horse is particularly odd shapped or you have a specific problem, get help/advise....but in my view you are no more likely to get a great fit from a so-called ''professional' than you are doing it youself......

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto. OP, fitting saddles ain't rocket science, but it does help if you actually ride horses and can tell when they're working happily. Many "qualified saddle fitters" don't. Plus they do all have some deal to plug a particular make.
smirk.gif
 
I think I can tell when a saddle definitely doesn't fit.

I'm not against buying second hand or trying on old ones but I wouldn't use a saddle that hadn't been checked by a qualified saddler.
I also like to get them checked periodically incase horse has changed shape.

I even got the saddle Tara came with checked straight away and then again 4 months later - I now have to stop using it.
Saddler is coming back out in a few weeks and I'll either get a new 2nd hand one if any fit or get a new one made.
She gave me an acceptable temporary solution til then with another saddle and a back riser.

*disclaimer* Tara is doing loads of flat work with me and has changed shape - saddle used to fit fine when she came!
 
i've had a "master saddler" fit a 2nd hand saddle to my horse which i found out a month later (when nothing had happened to it in the interim) had a twisted tree. he also fitted 2 brand new albions which did my horses' backs no good at all.
i thought i knew how to fit a saddle, but then i met a true Master Saddler and realised that i know about 10% of what i need to know.
sorting the true Masters from all the others is the hard bit.
frown.gif
frown.gif
frown.gif

there is a certain make of saddle which i do trust totally though... i will put my selection of Barrie Swaines on any horse that comes in the yard, pick the one that i feel fits best, and know that it won't do any harm until i can have it properly fitted/checked/adjusted. i don't trust any other make of saddle like this, tbh, yet...
 
I do know the basics but I think I would always get a saddler out to be on the safe side as I do not trust my judgement 100%
 
Some of us don't have the luxury of buying an expensive saddle from a saddle. Some of us have to make do with buying a second hand one and THEN having it fitted by a saddler.
What is the massive problem with this?
 
Kitsune, the problem would be that the tree of the saddle has to match the horse. The saddler can't usually change this so it would be up to you to decide if the tree fitted when you purchase the saddle. I'm sure you understand that a saddler can't make any saddle fit any horse. It depends on the shape of the tree. Fitting saddles is really worth learning. It's just practice really. Do you know anyone experienced who can help you find the right one second hand?

Or, alternatively you could keep buying them off e-bay, paying a saddler to assess, then having to put them back on e-bay if the saddler says the tree's not right. It could cost you a lot of time and money.
 
I have brought a brand new saddle off Ebay as my saddler has told me what wouold fit my horse, and I do have enough knowledge to know what will fit my horse, and what doesnt!! I had a previous saddle fitted by a very good saddler in the past, and technically it fitted perfectly, but my horse hated it. The saddle I have fitted myself my horse goes 100% better in, as knowing my horse like I do, I know what things suit him and what dont
smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Kitsune, the problem would be that the tree of the saddle has to match the horse. The saddler can't usually change this so it would be up to you to decide if the tree fitted when you purchase the saddle. I'm sure you understand that a saddler can't make any saddle fit any horse. It depends on the shape of the tree. Fitting saddles is really worth learning. It's just practice really. Do you know anyone experienced who can help you find the right one second hand?

Or, alternatively you could keep buying them off e-bay, paying a saddler to assess, then having to put them back on e-bay if the saddler says the tree's not right. It could cost you a lot of time and money.

[/ QUOTE ]


Yes, thats true....I bought off e-bay because I knew the make, model and tree that would fit ( to replace my nicked one).....and indeed it does fit like a glove. However I also bought a different saddle, similar measurments, as well ..just to see which fit best. The other one is a stunning saddle, gorgeous in fact...and although the same size etc the points are not in the right place/at the right angle to fit.....so it got sold on.
 
Dont you think though that 99.9% will ask advice to see if it will roughly fit then have a saddler out.

I have the saddler coming Friday to fit a new one and to fit one that I think kinda fits but will need re flocking as its rather old
 
A good saddle fitter will also bring a selection of second hand saddles as well as new ones, sometimes you might get a better fit from a second hand one, than the brand news that are in the back of there van, or can re-flock to get that perfect fit.
 
[ QUOTE ]

Actually - I very much agree with this.......I have seen people on here writing about the crap service they have got from so-called saddle fitters who have just caused problems or made problems even worse, seem to be in it for the money and are allied to one particular saddler or brand of saddle only.....fair enough if your horse is particularly odd shapped or you have a specific problem, get help/advise....but in my view you are no more likely to get a great fit from a so-called ''professional' than you are doing it youself......

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that not all saddle fitters are the best and yes some of them to tend to try and sway your decision.

That's why you should always go with someone who has been recommended but a professional rider/qualified instructor. A good saddle fitter should watch you horse move freely, watch you ride with your current saddle, discuss what you want to do with the horse, how the horse is to ride and any behavourila issue before they put anything on it's back.

It's fair enough to say common sense can fit a saddle, I believe to a point I could fit a saddle on a cob that was going to hack, do a bit of schooling and a few mini comps. That is not rocket science. The horse might not be 100% comfortable but it's never going to suffer injury from a not badly fitted saddle (not correctly fitted but there are no glaring issues).

Try the same with a competition horse that is asked day in and day out to engage it's hind legs, work through it's back, jump, piaffe, gallop across country and you end up with serious issues. These are the horses that people have issue fitting saddles to. These are the horse's that get rubs on their back, start bucking, rearing. refusing to perform or performing badly. And at times the people talking about buying saddles that they will not get fitted (and even if they did the chances are it won't fit) are not buying them for hacks they are buying them for Novice eventer, BSJA horse or low level dressage horse. It makes me cringe as they could do serious damage to their precious horse's back.

I have yet to meet one serious (and successful) competitor that does not get saddle fitted professionally. And these are people who could spot more errors in saddle fitting that your average horse person.
 
I buy all my saddles off Ebay as saddlers in my area do not stock second hand jumping saddles with big blocks. They have no demand for it, so they don't carry them. They also tell me to sell my saddles on Ebay as they can't sell them. I know the size that I need, as I am buying a decent brand name I know that I can sell it again on EBay if it didn't fit. The saddler, normally just ends up reflocking it, to get the perfect fit.

I get more annoyed reading posts about all the poor people who have been totally ripped off my money grabbing saddle fitters who just want to sell a saddle but don't give a monkeys about the poor horse
 
[ QUOTE ]
Kitsune, the problem would be that the tree of the saddle has to match the horse. The saddler can't usually change this so it would be up to you to decide if the tree fitted when you purchase the saddle. I'm sure you understand that a saddler can't make any saddle fit any horse. It depends on the shape of the tree. Fitting saddles is really worth learning. It's just practice really. Do you know anyone experienced who can help you find the right one second hand?

Or, alternatively you could keep buying them off e-bay, paying a saddler to assess, then having to put them back on e-bay if the saddler says the tree's not right. It could cost you a lot of time and money.

[/ QUOTE ]

Usually, I'd pay at least £200 more for a saddle from my saddler, by the time I have bought and resold a few ill fitting saddles, I don't think it'd eat up £200...although not sure, I have yet to put this into practise.
 
I also suggest that saddlers (at least round here) charge ridiculous prices for second hand saddles.

I looked at a second hand Falcon Event - it sold for £150 - last year I went to my saddler and he tried the same £300.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have yet to meet one serious (and successful) competitor that does not get saddle fitted professionally. And these are people who could spot more errors in saddle fitting that your average horse person

[/ QUOTE ]

Crikey, no offence, but you havent spoken to many serious competitors (eg pro's) then... most yards have a couple of saddles shared amongst the horses.... so they havent been fitted to "individual" horses....
 
[ QUOTE ]
I know the size that I need, as I am buying a decent brand name I know that I can sell it again on EBay if it didn't fit. The saddler, normally just ends up reflocking it, to get the perfect fit.



[/ QUOTE ]

Totally agree with this, if you know a Falcon Event saddle fits your horse you can safely buy another one and get it reflocked to fit as the tree does fit.

Randomly buy 17" wide saddles would not generally work though
smile.gif
if you just bought any old jumping saddle that was the same size and width as the one you use now I would put money on the saddler struggling to fit it.
 
Oh for sure......if I had a 15K horse or competing was my job then individual made-to measure saddles would be a must.......for what my horses do I'm happy to carry on doing as I have always done without any problems....hacking/schooling and a bit of showing not that demanding I suppose!

I see your point, and obviously theres more to fitting a saddle than lobbing it on the horses back and squinting at it through half-light....but as others have said...its finding the professional/expert help that really is that, compared to a bloke with a van and few saddles that he will 'make' fit
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top