Buying A Saddle Online

 My first reaction is - DON’T!

A properly qualified saddle fitter (who will have spent a minimum of 3 years training before qualifying if they are Society of Master Saddlers Qualified fitters), will be looking at many aspects of you, your horse and several factors within the saddle before even trying anything on to your horse. Many of these factors you will be totally unaware of.

Often, a trainer will like a particular make of saddle and recommend it to all their clients. Now the trainer may be young, male, tall, slim and athletic. Sadly, many of their clients will not tick many of these boxes.  The saddle that he finds ‘perfect’ may be totally impossible for you to ride in. Also, some trainers are given a commission on any saddle that they sell. You can’t blame them for encouraging their clients to purchase their recommended brand of saddle as it is hard enough to make a living as a trainer, but they are qualified trainers, NOT saddle fitters and the saddle that they ‘fit’ may well be totally wrong for horse and/ or rider. I’m afraid that, contrary to popular belief, being the best trainer in the world does not qualify you to fit saddles.

Another method popularly used by customers who want to buy on line is to have a saddle fitter out, get them to fit a saddle, say that they ‘will think about it’ and then go and buy it on line. Well, I think that’s rather silly. Saddles are individually made. Even the ‘mass produced’ ones are hand finished to some extent and all will fit a little bit differently. The fitter will sell you the saddle that they have fitted, or, if you need something just a little bit different, or it is a ‘bespoke’ saddle made specifically for your horse, they should come out and fit the new saddle to your horse to conclude the sale. They should also take some responsibility for it after the sale, so that if you have problems, they should sort it out for you. Many will also include a ‘free check and lift’ for the saddle after 6 to 8 weeks, when the saddle has settled. If you buy a similar saddle on line to the one you had fitted, there is no guarantee that it will be as good a fit as the one you originally tried. You will also have to pay for a call out and flock once the saddle settles, which will almost certainly cost you more than you saved by buying on line. 

There are also factors such as happened with me recently. The customer, I know, reads this post but I am sure that they will not mind me telling the tale. They have just bought a new horse and asked me to come and fit it. They wanted either a Thorowgood T8 or a Kent and Masters Compact GP. I didn’t have what was wanted, but a colleague not too far away had the required saddle. I checked the width and told them which bar to have with it. I arranged to pop back and check the fit, but was told on the morning that it wasn’t necessary as they had tried it on and it was fine. Also, they said it needed a wider bar than I had said, as it sat up too high. I insisted on coming to check and guess what! Having ridden in the saddle, it had dropped and sure enough, needed the bar that I had said. Also, having changed the bar and girthed the saddle up, the customer said “oh, You are using the back 2 straps. I used the first and third.” Now, with Thorowgood and Kent and Masters GP saddles, the first strap is a point strap. You would use this if the conformation of the horse drives the saddle forward or back, but not on most horses. The saddle had dropped low at the front and the back was lifting and hitting the rider’s bottom with every stride. With the correct bar, and using the right straps the saddle was balanced and stable. And this customer is far from being inexperienced! Sometimes, you need our expertise.

If you are looking to buy second hand saddles on line - beware! If I have fitted for someone and their old saddle is faulty, as in not straight, the panels are uneven, the flock is very poor or the tree is ‘suspect’, or even broken, many will not accept my advice to burn it to save another horse from pain or discomfort. Rather, they want to get ‘something for it’, so I tell them to sell it on ebay or gumtree. Buyer beware! Yes, you can send it back, but it’s not always just that straightforward. We hear many stories of sellers refusing to take goods back as they were damaged.  Try proving differently! 

You may buy a saddle on line and ask a fitter to come and check the fit, but I refuse to do this. Not because I want to sell one of my own saddles as many think, but rather, it is horrible to arrive at a yard to fit a saddle that the client has purchased, only to see straight away that there is no way in a month of Sundays’ that the saddle they have bought is ever going to fit their horse. Now, the fitter may have driven many miles and booked an hour or so to do your fitting. Almost certainly, if they are a good fitter, they will have a 4 to 6 week wait for a slot, but here they are knowing that the end result will not be what the client wants. Do you just say “sorry, it won’t fit” and drive away without charge, which will leave you considerably out of pocket or go through the motions of a fit and charge for it, still ending up saying that the saddle is unsuitable and still having a disgruntled customer who thinks you just want to sell one of your own saddles. In one case, I was told to “make it fit by squeezing the tree ”. Now, tree squeezers, if used properly can improve the fit of a saddle by bringing it in or out by up to one width fitting maximum, but this is only possible if the tree is of the correct shape and style for the horse in question. Also, there is always a risk that the tree can break, and who is going to take responsibility for that? In this case, the client had bought a new saddle on line, it was totally the wrong tree for the horse, apart from being extra wide when the animal needed a medium. I was roundly abused for refusing to squeeze it in. They then asked who they could go to to squeeze the tree, having chosen to ignore the fact that you can’t squeeze a tree in by that much. 

You can see why now I just say “sorry, no”. Perhaps if you have had this response from a saddle fitter in the past, you might now understand why. 

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

Why Rider Balance Affects Comfort and Performance

Kay Hastilow assessing a horse's conformation and back
during a saddle fitting appointment.

I am constantly amazed that riders (and often trainers) are oblivious it seems, to the importance of the balance of the saddle. If they are aware of this, there are some rather weird ideas as to how to see if the balance is correct. Apparently, you can ‘put a cotton reel on the seat and it should stay in the centre’. Oh yeah! This takes no account of how the horse reacts when the rider gets on.

He may drop his back, in which case the saddle, previously thought to be ‘level’ will be tipping back.  When he is actually working, he may well ‘lift his back’ into the saddle, and it would then be tipping forward. Funnily enough, both faults will make the rider tip forward as the rider attempts to prevent themselves from getting left behind, often bracing their lower back in an effort to stay upright. Sore backs (with the rider) commonly result from this. 

I find that the best way for a rider or trainer to see if the balance is correct is to ride the horse so that he is warmed up and going as you expect and then have someone take a film of this. You can freeze frame it on side views to see, does the saddle look level? Is it tipping back , so that the rider is tipping forward in an effort to stay upright? Is the saddle tipping ‘downhill’, with the rider probably sticking their legs out forward and bracing themselves to stay ‘in position’?

It is easy to put a temporary pad under the front or back of the saddle to try and balance it and ride with it like this to see if there is an improvement in the rider’s position. If the results are good, then contact your qualified saddle fitter to correct this for you. It might be necessary to use adjusting pads to get the result that you want, and I would suggest that trainers should have a multi adjustable pad, such as the Prolite thin multi adjuster pad with them when teaching, as correctly balancing the saddle will greatly improve their pupil’s position.

Visit Kay Hastilow's website to find out more - www.khsaddlery.co.uk - where you will find links to her expert series of educational films about all aspects of saddle fitting.

Get The CORRECT Answers To Saddle Fitting Questions

Throughout her many years of experience as a Master Saddler and Master Saddle Fitter, Kay Hastilow has been asked innumerable different questions by horseowners and here she gives brief answers to just some of the most commonly heard enquiries....

Q.  What is the difference between a saddler and a saddle fitter?

A.  A Qualified saddler is a skilled craftsman who can sit at a bench and make saddles, bridles or other items of leatherwork. A saddler (referred to in the trade as a bench saddler) might have absolutely no knowledge of how a saddle should fit, nor recognise good or bad fit.

A saddle fitter understands how the saddle should fit, will understand which tree, panel design and girth strap arrangement is needed for each individual horse and why, and how well the saddle fits for the rider. However, they might have no bench skills and so not be able to make, nor to adjust an existing saddle to fit the horse.

The finest saddle fitters have both the skills of a saddler and a saddle fitter. Ideally, they will also be horsemen and be able to ride, but this is not always the case.

Q. Why is good saddle fit important?

A.  We need the saddle to give us security, balance and position and all of this will help the horse to perform to the best of his ability, be it in competition or out hacking. If his saddle is uncomfortable (or in some cases downright painful), we shouldn’t be surprised if our horse is less than enthusiastic or blatantly naughty when we ride him.

Q. What should we look for in a good saddle fitter?

A. The Society of Master Saddlers has been training and assessing saddle fitters to Qualified Saddle Fitter (QSF) qualification since 1995, so has more experience in this field than other qualification awarding bodies. If the fitter is good, you may well have to wait up to six weeks for a visit, but he or she will be worth waiting for.

Q. Where can you find out about good saddle fitters?

A. The Society of Master Saddlers website has all of the qualified fitters listed by county. There are symbols to show what qualifications each holds, so that you can see if the fitter is also a qualified saddler. Whilst there are other fitters, both with or without qualifications out there, the SMS QSF gives you an assurance that the fitter knows what is what, and you have the Society to turn to if you have any problems.

Q. How often should I get my saddle fitted?

A. It rather depends on the age and breed of your horse and the work that they are doing. Young horses especially, from being backed at three to being in a regular routine by the age of six to nine, can change a great deal in a very short space of time. I have seen horses change by more than a width fitting in a matter of weeks. For this age group, every three to four months is ideal. Older horses can change dramatically as well, so four to six months for them.

A middle-aged horse with a regular stable routine and in regular work will need checking once every six months, but if the horse has changes to his routine, such as eventers, hunters, or horses kept in during the winter but turned out to grass 24/7 in the summer, they will need more regular visits.

Of course, ANY horse showing discomfort or changes in their way of going should have the saddle checked as soon as possible.

Q. What should I look for in a good saddle fit?

Ask the horse! He should not go to the back of the stable when you walk in with the saddle. The saddle should just slide into place on the horse’s back and want to stay in the right position. When ridden in, the saddle should be level so that you do not need to lean forward to maintain your balance. It should be stable, not lifting or bouncing at the back. There should be sufficient clearance to the top and sides of the spine right through the length of the saddle so that there is no pressure from the saddle anywhere in this area. Note, we do not say 2/3/4 fingers, as this can be very misleading. The tree of the saddle (shorter than the panel) should not go beyond T18 (the position of the last rib), although it is okay if the panel extends beyond here by an inch or so. The panel should be smooth and giving, not hard and lumpy. There should be an even contact between the saddle and the horse’s back.

Q. How can I tell if my saddle needs checked?

A. If your horse does not seem happy to be tacked up, or is not going as freely and as well as normal, this might indicate discomfort. If you are finding it difficult to sit still or in balance, or you feel as if you are going to be tipped forward or back, this will indicate that the saddle is out of balance. Get a friend to film you riding and look to see if you are riding in a good position, legs in the right place and that you are upright.

It is good practice to measure your horse’s girth each week, especially when the grass starts coming through, or in the middle of winter. Measure in centimetres (all weight tapes have this measurement, and it will be the same whichever tape you use, whereas the weights shown will differ) A gain or loss of 5 cm. is roughly equivalent to 40 kg. weight change, which can totally alter the way the saddle is fitting. A 3 cm. change will signify the need to get the saddle fitter in to check. 

Q. What affects saddle fit?

A. This could be a long list!

Putting the saddle too far forward. (My pet bug bear)

Using very thick numnahs or pads with a saddle fitted using something thinner.

Different girths.

Using different girth straps (say 1 & 2 rather than 1 & 3)

Uneven stirrup leathers.

Weight gain or loss. (time of year)

Change in the type or level of work.

A different rider.

Lameness.

Injury.

Crooked riders.

Riders carrying an injury.

I could go on…….

Find out more by visiting Kay Hastilow’s website at www.khsaddlery.co.uk  check out the Educational Films page and join in the conversation on Facebook