Ignorance is Bliss

I have just been scrolling through a web site that advertises all things equestrian, from actual horses to lorries, services, saddlery and odds and ends. It really is fascinating and more than a little frightening says Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter Kay Hastilow.

Within the adverts I see many for saddles, all in ‘excellent condition and little used’, many with someone holding a tape measure across the front of the pommel. Err…. If this was done from the same place each side, it still wouldn’t tell you anything of use. In many cases the measure is from above the fixed D on one side to below it on the other. It also doesn’t show if they are intending the measurement to be the overall width of the saddle here, or to the panel or the actual tree width. Whatever, none of this will be of any help to you in any way.

Also seen in my trawl was a saddle sat squarely on a saddle horse, with the ubiquitous tape measure in place, but where the front of the panel was sewn in so unevenly that on one side the tape was above the stitch line whilst on the other, it was well below it, although the tape was horizontal.

Most frightening of all was someone who stated that whilst they were not a saddle fitter, nor a trader, they had several of their own saddles for sale and would bring them out for you to try on and ride in. For this, they would make a small charge. Firstly, although stating that they were not trading, they were prepared to consider taking your saddle in part exchange, which sounds as if they really are trading.To me though, the most awful thing was the photos of the saddles, at least 2 of which were Asian. Where the quality, symmetry and design of these is notoriously unreliable, if not downright dangerous, and of the others, the designs, make and condition looked to be very poor. I would swear that at least one of them was older than me, and that’s saying something!

Now, I know that it can be really difficult to get hold of a good saddle fitter. Some of them could, in all honesty, be better at getting back to their clients and many, certainly the good ones will be booked up for between 2 and 6 weeks, so that you might have to wait for a visit, but really, why would you even consider buying such an important item without professional help? It can take just 20 minutes to damage a horse’s back so badly that they can’t be ridden for some time, or you can totally destroy a horse’s (or rider’s) confidence if a saddle that is, not straight, badly flocked, badly designed or broken in the tree or if the saddle really doesn’t fit well, causing the horse to object in the only way that he knows by bucking, rearing or bolting.

In my many years of fitting saddles I have been called out to horses with behavioural problems and in some cases, it is nothing to do with the saddle.Sadly though, it quite often is the cause of the problem.  Some horses just don’t go as well as the rider thinks they should, or they might be really naughty, and I have derived enormous pleasure from changing a horse that has been branded as ‘bad’ into one who is happy and working well for the owner.  Often, the owner will be upset or embarrassed that they have been inflicting pain on their horse, all be it unintentionally. One must wonder though if this could have been avoided by using a good saddle fitter. 

Now I just know that someone is going to say, ‘I had a fitter out and it was never right/ the horse wasn’t happy and they wouldn’t listen,’ and they might be right. Whilst the majority of qualified fitters, especially those qualified with the Society of Master Saddlers, are thorough and conscientious, there will always be the odd visit that didn’t go as well as the fitter might have hoped, or perhaps they made an error in this case. No one is perfect after all, and if they have got it wrong they should be willing to return quickly and correct things. However, many of these cases that I have seen, the fault is that the owner hasn’t followed the advice given. ‘A return visit is recommended in 6 weeks’ means 6 weeks, not 6 months and things can really go wrong in this time. If the fitter has recommended that you use just a thin saddle cloth and you have put wadges of pads and sheepskin under the saddle, then don’t be surprised if he doesn’t go as well as he did when the saddle fitter was there. If a specific girth has been recommended and you elected to source one yourself, did you do so and quickly? Is it the right size? If it’s too small or too large, it won’t work as expected.Whilst saddle fitters are not perfect, we do need you to work with us on these matters.

Our biggest problem is that these days, with the research and design work that has been undertaken ,leading to a greater understanding on the saddle fitter’s part, is that many riders and owners are unaware that they really don’t know just how much they don’t know.

Find out more from Kay Hastilow’s series of expert videos at www.khsaddlery.co.uk/educational.html