The saddle company fitter

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claire008

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Hello,

I have just brought a saddle company saddle off eBay for my new horse, as he is only 5yrs old I chose the saddle company as they are really light weight and was told by the manufacturers that they are fully adjustable and can be fitted to any horse. My mother in law also has a GP version and has just brought a dressage saddle so we were reccomended to have Sam Barrett out from back in line to fit them.

The lady came out and managed to fit all 3 saddles in 50mins!! She said that mine was a little wide but as he will fill out to ride in a riser pad until he does, she was in and out my stable in 10 mins and didn't even girth it up.

My mother in law had 2 fitted, the dressage she said was a made to measure and had a curved flock but if the had different straps put on it it will help hold it down, she did say it would move around on his back. I asked if it would give him a sore back and she was vague and said to pad that one out too.. The event saddle we were told was an ok fit but did have big flaps on it as was made to measure for someone with long legs.

we paid her £50 each and she didn't make any alterations, didn't ask us to ride and didn't even girth them up we felt no more confident that the saddles actually fitted....

My mother in law called her to discuss and she was so rude to her and said that none of the saddles fitted any of the horses and that's what happens when you buy saddles off eBay!!! She refused to give us any money back and said she felt she done her job....I thought the saddles were fully adjustable??

We asked a friend who had another fitter out and she said she was with her for well over an hour, she watched them ride, made a template of the horses back and actually fitted a saddle to the horse...

Has anyone else had any expeariances with these saddles?? I don't know if I should be selling them and start again or get a different fitter out....

:(
 
I've no experience with said fitter, but I wouldn't be at all happy with that service.
I would have thought that she should have just told you that the saddles didn't fit or have adjusted the one to fit if that's possible.
 
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That sounds like her, she has a reputation around here for doing that and alot worse when.she treats the horses backs. Buggered a friends up, another friend she charged £50 and was with the horse for ten minutes, no trotting up etc and no after care exercises.

I take it you are in Herts/beds area?

I would ring the saddle company and complain directly to them.
 
I'd chuck the saddles in the bin and buy a well made one fitted by a professional.

The saddles aren't even made symmetrically and they certainly do not fit every horse.

The 'saddle company qualified fitters' do a one day training course.

Says it all really....they're cheap saddles for a reason.
 
I love my SC saddles, and my fitter is amazing. She's happy to spend as long as it takes to make sure the saddle fits correctly, and she tells you at every stage what she is doing and why.

When I was looking for a saddle for a new horse she even spent a couple of hours surfing the net with me for no extra charge, looking at every single SC saddle we could find!

I guess you get good and bad in every profession. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend my lady to anyone :)
 
I wouldn't be at all happy with that service!

I have a bates saddle and have had similar issues getting people to fit it! it took me 5 fitters before I found someone that actually made me feel confident! and like you, it wasn't until the 4th person came out that I was asked to ride my horse in the saddle! one lady got me to sit on it! and the 4th and 5th people got me riding in it!
 
It is actually rather scary that you can pay £240 to do a 1 day course and become a "qualified fitter" the course only covers the very basics and does not even train the fitter in how to flock, that is just a "discussion on how to flock and regulate SC saddles" it may be ok for someone who is already experienced and has a very good understanding of anatomy, saddle fitting and is just using it as a stepping stone but the SC only ask that the applicants have "a level of knowledge" that level is going to be extremely subjective.

Details of the course. http://www.thesaddlecompany.co.uk/t...il/10/15/saddle-fitting-course?filter_reset=1
 
Very poor service indeed :(

I would sell these Saddles and start again or find a good saddle fitter and trade them in if necessary.


I looked at doing this course myself and decided against it for the reasons stated.

Instead I am now doing the Master Saddle Fitting consultants course, 750 hours in total including 7 days practical training and exams as well as doing a 4 day course in flocking alone.

Really not sure how much one can learn in a day
 
I have had good experiences with properly fitted SC saddles in that my horses have gone well in them and they have been adjusted as their shape has changed.
I don't find them as comfortable for myself as some higher quality saddles I have though.
I would try a decent Master Saddler first and see what they think. I have had mine adjusted by one who isn't affiliated to the SC.
 
I really like these saddles I have two. Fully adjustable & very light weight. I would try and ring the company and tel them about you experience and ask them to recommend a good one in your area. I'm sure they will help as its their company reputation at stake
 
Definitely not right, not to see you in action and assess!

I had 3 saddle fitters out last year, and each was there a minimum of an hour and assessed ridden too.

I'm a fan of the HM flexee, these are fully adjustable, and the fitter was really helpful.
 
All the saddles don't fit every horse. I love my sc saddles but bought one 2nd hand that didn't fit my pony so I had to get a close contact one. My fitter is very good and was with me for 4 hours doing 2 saddles. No excuse for the rudeness though
 
I know someone who used to fit and sell saddle company saddles. She stopped when she noticed the manufacturing quality going down. I really like mine, its very light and comfortable, but it hasn't worn that well, and when I have to replace it, it won't be with another saddle company saddle.
 
I had to return my first saddle company saddle due to excessive wear on the leather after a very short time and I wasnt happy with it. They did in fairness replace it with a better model but that one has worn badly too. I did originally have a SC fitter but she made a complete mess of the saddle, the flocking was all balled up in lumps inside and she overflocked behind the wither and cause mustle atrophy in my horse. Needless to say when i realised I switched to a different saddle fitter. I am currently saving up to replace my saddle comany saddle with an Ideal one.
 
I think that there are bad saddle fitters out there who have no training at all and who have wide ranges of saddles so I think it is not the saddles that are the problem but your fitter. I expect very few saddle fitters have been on any course at all.

I have had a saddle company saddle and my fitter always see me ride in the saddle in walk trot and canter as well as seeing it on the horse without me riding and also checks his back to make sure he does not have back pain. I have over the years seen all sort of saddlers come to yards and am surprised to see how many do not bother seeing how the horses goes with the saddle on or how well the saddle suits the rider as well.

You have recieved poor customer service and if you have not managed to sort it out with the fitter then perhaps mention to her that you are not happy with the level of service recieved and that you will report her to saddle company as she is not representing them well.
 
claire008 said:
Hello,

I have just brought a saddle company saddle off eBay for my new horse, as he is only 5yrs old I chose the saddle company as they are really light weight and was told by the manufacturers that they are fully adjustable and can be fitted to any horse. My mother in law also has a GP version and has just brought a dressage saddle so we were reccomended to have Sam Barrett out from back in line to fit them.

The lady came out and managed to fit all 3 saddles in 50mins!! She said that mine was a little wide but as he will fill out to ride in a riser pad until he does, she was in and out my stable in 10 mins and didn't even girth it up.

My mother in law had 2 fitted, the dressage she said was a made to measure and had a curved flock but if the had different straps put on it it will help hold it down, she did say it would move around on his back. I asked if it would give him a sore back and she was vague and said to pad that one out too.. The event saddle we were told was an ok fit but did have big flaps on it as was made to measure for someone with long legs.

we paid her £50 each and she didn't make any alterations, didn't ask us to ride and didn't even girth them up we felt no more confident that the saddles actually fitted....

My mother in law called her to discuss and she was so rude to her and said that none of the saddles fitted any of the horses and that's what happens when you buy saddles off eBay!!! She refused to give us any money back and said she felt she done her job....I thought the saddles were fully adjustable??

We asked a friend who had another fitter out and she said she was with her for well over an hour, she watched them ride, made a template of the horses back and actually fitted a saddle to the horse...

Has anyone else had any expeariances with these saddles?? I don't know if I should be selling them and start again or get a different fitter out....

:(
Click to expand...

I am the Mother in Law!! I have absolutely no problem with The Saddle Company or their saddles. In fact I love them... They are great on my Connie who is difficult to fit and lightweight so don't add to my weight on him. I have used for the past two years but my old fitter no longer around. My problem and Claire's is purely with the newly recommended fitter Sam Barrett who was just dreadful.. Disengaged, dis interested and acted as if we were a bit of an inconvenience to her.
Lesson learnt... I will never feel obligated to part with my money again if dis satisfied with a service... And when I tackled her to see if she thought she was seriously worth£100 for 50 mins of doing nothing she was unbelievably defensive and rude......
However 'The Saddle Company' have been amazingly helpful this morning as they have been in the past. They have put me in contact with a fitter more local to me who has just started working with them but experienced and the company will contact Sam on my behalf ..... They are lovely people. Sam Barrett should be ashamed of her professionalism or lack of it... !! Conclusion.. Company great, saddles lovely, well priced and their new range are lovely....but research fitter well and if they clearly don't want to be there and do their job don't part with your hard earnt cash...!!!!
 
Hi, Could you give me the details of your lady please?

Sorry - this was meant for sychnant :-)
 
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sychnant said:
I love my SC saddles, and my fitter is amazing. She's happy to spend as long as it takes to make sure the saddle fits correctly, and she tells you at every stage what she is doing and why.

When I was looking for a saddle for a new horse she even spent a couple of hours surfing the net with me for no extra charge, looking at every single SC saddle we could find!

I guess you get good and bad in every profession. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend my lady to anyone :)
Click to expand...

Could I have the details of your lady please?
 
There is a limit to any saddle being "fully adjustable". While you can adjust the width, you need the tree shape to be suited to the horse, and this cannot be changed. She has tried to make up for this by telling you to use a riser, but this really isn't ideal and you shouldn't expect a saddle to move around on the horse's back. However, this can't be adjusted so it would mean you'll need a new saddle. I did really like the SC saddles when I had them but I had this same problem, they were too curved in the tree for my horse and so they lifted at the back.
 
I don't trust anyone other than a Master Saddle Maker to flock my saddle.

For my last mare I bought a £650 brand new Collegiate VSD as it was adjustable. She was only 4 and had a shoulder injury previously so a straighter cut saddle suited her more. (And she wouldn't move in a wintec!)

I got a well known saddle fitter in the Isle of Man to fit it, bought it from her etc.

She RUINED it. The flocking on the withers collapsed twice, the first time because the gullet wasn't even screwed in properly and the friction had collapsed the flocking. The second time because my 4 year old grew and changed shape. She refused to flock the withers, but flocked the shoulders to make the saddle "sit up" and told me to use a riser pad until my mare had stopped changing shape.

Long story short, my horse couldn't move her shoulders the saddle was so tight, she turned the saddle into an ejector seat it was bouncing around and lifting off my horses back so much. I had to lead her home on one hack and my horse then thew me off into a wall in discomfort a week later. The saddle fitters mistake almost seriously injured me.

The saddle and callouts and flocking cost over £750. I ended up selling the saddle cheaply as she had ruined it, and it would never fit me or my horse properly and probably never did. She just saw an inexperienced young naive 16 year old with non-horsey parents (Who trusted her judgement as a professional) who had a bit of money trying to buy a saddle for her first horse.
 
Hi Alice :)

She's on FB as Saddle Fitter Nickie Jones. Her contact info is on her page.

If by any chance you're not on FB, PM me and I will PM back her number :)
 
I had the OWNER of The Saddle Company come out to adjust my saddle as he lives nearby. He gave me similar treatment - no riding, no girthing up. I even asked him if he wanted me to do either or both and he said no! Kinda lost my faith in the company after that....
 
Coblover63 said:
I had the OWNER of The Saddle Company come out to adjust my saddle as he lives nearby. He gave me similar treatment - no riding, no girthing up. I even asked him if he wanted me to do either or both and he said no! Kinda lost my faith in the company after that....
Click to expand...

Surprised by this as Dave is a fully qualified Master Saddler not "just" and SC fitter.

SC fitters are the same as any other fitters; some are very good, some are awful and there's a full spectrum between TE two extremes.

Personally I tried SC saddles after a shocking visit from a local SMS fitter. She didn't want to see my horse move, told me to rack up and get on (still stationary). She then slipped a hand under the panel and said it needed flocked. She couldn't do onsite adjustments and saddles were/are sent to a saddler who has never seen the horse. Once adjusted saddles are collected from the shop and not fitted.

A friend of a friend also used same fitter and her horse's back was rubbed raw within a week of this fitter visiting. When she phoned to complain she was told to use a sheepskin pad.

My point is that being an SMS saddler or fitter isn't a guarantee of anything either.

Having completed it myself I fully agree that the SC fitting course is not adequate in itself. I had started a McT-C training and completed my EBW training prior to SC training so felt very comfortable (as well as being an OCD horse geek) with it. However one person on the course stood out a mile as a complete novice yet that day left her qualified to fit and sell saddles. Keep in mind it's all classroom based; you don't go near an actual horse. When I trained it was only a one day course but I asked to go back for day 2 to reflock and get supervised hand on experience, one other lady came back too but the novice didn't.

Word of mouth is probably the best measure for any trade
 
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