Saddle fitting

There are so many things to consider when fitting a horse for a saddle but the first question should always be “is the horse ready for a saddle?“ 

This may sound odd but if your horse is out of balance, struggling with a compensatory pattern formed from an old injury or has lost top line due to previous saddles then some ground work and preparation of your horse maybe needed to stop you having to spend lots of money changing saddles lots of times while they develop, also saving you money on potential vet bills too. It’s alway worth bearing in mind that this may be a needed. Horse can and do change shape very quickly so what may have fitted 6 months ago may not be the best for them now.

We all know the saddle should fit the rider right? But this, in the past has been all about how big your butt is and how long your legs are. But there’s a new way of doing things. A rider optimisation assessment can be so beneficial and give some real clues about why your horse does something different for you and not for others. It may tell you why you e ridden for years in discomfort in the seat and maybe why you can’t get your leg on. 

Fitting a riders pelvis is key to support in the saddle, enabling an effortless neutral position making it easier for you to ride and so much easier for the horse to carry you.
For a rider optimisation assessment you can come to me or I can come to you. Why not make it fun and organise a group session at your yard. We’ll need somewhere undercover, as you can never trust the British weather, and somewhere warm on the colder days. I’m also happy to take group bookings at mine if nowhere is available. 

So now we have a developing horse and an optimal rider, we need a saddle.

Every saddle I pick up I instinctively check to make sure it’s straight, sound and has no defect. I’ll then look at how well it fits your horse and if there’s any way we can do a better job, either with flocking, shimming, corrective pads, or even a combination of all three. When it’s time for a new saddle I have a wide range of new including AH, Ryder, Ideal, Black Country, Whitaker, Ergox2, Harry Dabbs, Custom, Aviar and Envy at my disposal so we are sure to find the perfect fit for both of you. 

Firstly we’ll look at your horse, check there’s nothing we can improve or anything that may be of concern and discuss history and options if needed.
I’ll then check your saddle over thoroughly to ensure there are no underlying issues with tree integrity, panel and flock issues or ware and tare related problem. I’ll then look at the fit staticky on the horses back checking length, width, angle of points and rails, panel contact area, scapular clearance, stability, balance etc etc. There’s lots to look at. Any adjustments I feel need to be made will be made here then we’ll tack up and pop in to the school, arena or field for a ride to check everything is as it should be, that you are comfortable and balanced and so is the horse.
A new saddle fit will need checking in the first 3 months. Remedial fits, where we are changing posture and top line quality, may need to be seen fortnightly for a few months depending on the speed of development.