Wrong size saddle fitted wwyd?

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Mambo83

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Hi I am getting myself all confused as to what to do.

Saddler A came out in February to new horse and fitted saddle. I paid for the saddle and a consultation fee.

Horse was seen by physio last week who said she has muscles where she shouldn’t have them, suggesting saddle is too big.

Decided to use a different saddler (B) who immediately says saddle is too long for her and it’s running past her last rib (along those lines). Also says the gullet is way too narrow. Said with a wider gullet, saddle should sit more forward, which it did. Meaning saddle isn’t quite as long but still half an inch too long. She doesn’t offer part exchange. When changing the gullet she also said that the gullet that was in there wasn’t even fitted correctly.

I called saddler C who is happy to come out and fit an alternative and does offer part exchange but they said that I should be speaking to saddler A who fitted an incorrect saddle.

I am awful and hate confrontation/comlaining but How do I handle this? I know that horses change shape so this might explain why it had become to narrow but she hasn’t got shorter?
 
SEL said:
Do you fit in the shorter saddle? Sometimes saddlers will try and go a bit longer to accommodate the rider.
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Yes they are both 17inch but the newer one is a Kent and masters and less flat than the one she is currently in. The saddler that came the other day said to see how I get on now she’s got a wider gullet (she went wider by 2 sizes), but I don’t want my horse to be in discomfort. Saddler A was with me for 1.5 hours when he fitted it, so I would have thought he did a thorough job?
 
Firstly, I would expect changes now from a winter body and summer body. It may well need adjusted but this is completely normal.
There is very little horses out there that dont change slightly from summer to winter.
Just get your original saddle fitter out and they can adjust accordingly.

Btw Orbis original saddle is not fitting at the moment either so I am using BBs that I had fitted to him as well.
 
Midlifecrisis said:
To be fair to the original fitter I would get him out again and give your concerns, you don’t have to be confrontational. You could say you ve been so concerned you ve been looking at you tube videos and think saddle is too long and your physio has found tense spots etc etc
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Agreed, a horse can change a lot in 3 months, especially 3 springtime months. Doesn't have to be confrontational at all. If you leave out the bit about the gullet not being fitted correctly.

It depends who you trust, saddler A or B. Maybe A just wanted to fit you into a saddle he had and it is the wrong one, maybe B wants to sow doubt to get your custom? Maybe it's just a difference of opinion and the fact they are looking at 2 differently shaped horses. Personally I would get A out again and see what he said with no prompting from yourself, other than the physio concerns. Say you fitted a wider gullet yourself even.
 
My pony was fitted monthly when he first came into work as he changed so much.

He was very short backed so had a 16.5in saddle so can’t comment on the length being wrong on yours but the width could absolutely have changed very quickly.

Get the first saddle fitter back as the next step and ask to see their templates from then and now. I loved seeing the changes in width of my pony.
 
Mambo83 said:
Yes they are both 17inch but the newer one is a Kent and masters and less flat than the one she is currently in. The saddler that came the other day said to see how I get on now she’s got a wider gullet (she went wider by 2 sizes), but I don’t want my horse to be in discomfort. Saddler A was with me for 1.5 hours when he fitted it, so I would have thought he did a thorough job?
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I would get A back in that case. If they are both 17" then a change in shape could have made it sit oddly. I wouldn't expect one 17" saddle to be beyond the last rib and the other not to be. Different seats are usually for us.

I've had a gullet come loose before when the thread on the screw wasn't great. I didn't notice with the saddle but got a small warm patch on the pony's withers which sent me back to the saddle.
 
I wouldn’t go back to saddler A at all as I would have lost confidence in them … I would get saddler C in and see if they agree with saddler B and if I felt I could trust them then would ask them to part exchange for something else …
 
It may be that the saddle was ok when A fitted it and it's only recently become a poor fit, especially if you hadn't noticed any problems until the physio found one
 
Always go back to the original.fitter if possible. The SMS have a policy of always sending you back to your original fitter in the first instance, if both are SMS or follow their policy.
Doesn't always help the customer!

Poor musculature can be caused by all sorts of issues, some bodyworkers are too quick to blame the saddle. I've dealt with several.who blamed a saddle when the horse was then later diagnosed with issues that were clearly there earlier. Further, two in recent years who told me what the problem was with the saddle, and both were wrong, they'd gone off visible landmarks and the reason for the horses unhappiness in each case was completely different to the bodyworkers diagnosis. A poor fitting saddle will absolutely cause movement issues but so can loads of other things but, because putting a rider on then is potentially the worst thing we can do (sorry but it is, really!) for their bodies, it shows up as a saddle issue.

Fire sign said:
I wouldn’t go back to saddler A at all as I would have lost confidence in them … I would get saddler C in and see if they agree with saddler B and if I felt I could trust them then would ask them to part exchange for something else …
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I completely understand wanting to avoid confrontation but it's best, if possible, to get to the bottom of things, and get any recompense due.

However, there are many thoughts on fitting beyond the back rib, or not, and even defining what constitutes "not beyond"...some say last rib, some say T18....and then at which point does the weight bearing area of the saddle stop? Many SMS fitters say that it's fine if the tree itself leaves the horse's back at or before the back rib, in which case I would ask do the panels not distribute weight? If not what is the point of them?

I fit the rider more forward into the saddle, at the base of the wither, whenever possible, and that can allow the saddle to go past the back rib...treeless saddles of all types have their own rules too...where we load the rider is ultimately the most important thing and that doesn't always correlate with the length of the panel and is barely spoken about in saddle fitting.

I would fit a croup high horse shorter than a flatter backed horse too...so much more to it than just the back rib.

Things I would think on:

How does the saddle work for you?
Are there POSSIBLY other factors that might have caused the change in musculature, including the saddle not helping you be stable?
What are the backgrounds of the fitters, do they understand horses the shape of yours? Who has the best, relevant reputation? Who did you feel you could ask questions to? Who can explain HOW the poor musculature was related to the saddle the best (I realise you've actually only had one opinion on this but did they explain the link)?

Otherwise going for yet another opinion is just that, just one more opinion that may not clarify anything, even if they do agree with one of the other fitters.

Horses absolutely do change shape and they can even lengthen or shorten in their ribcage - a horse that drops it's back can end up shorter, but should lengthen once more comfortable/rehabbed, and horses can lengthen as they grow (when young) or their posture improves. It's why it's a minefield and you need to be able to talk to your fitter and work with them as part of your team.

stephaniebloomsaddlefitter.co.uk

Why can't saddle fitters agree?!

Isn't there great comfort in a set of rules? For my job, a universal truths of saddle fitting, so you can assess saddles and fitters against each other? If only. Did you know there are many, many ways to fit a saddle? The series of debates hosted by the Professional Saddle Fitter's Association...
stephaniebloomsaddlefitter.co.uk stephaniebloomsaddlefitter.co.uk
 
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