I have considered many times
sharing my saddle fitting experiences with my readers and have always shaken
the subject off as a bad idea...reason one; because I haven't had much luck and
two; because I am relatively inexperienced when it comes to the fit of
a saddle.
However, this week I realised I am
not alone, I am actually with the majority and as our beloved horses change
shape, develop muscle, loose and gain weight as mother nature intended very few
of us have it right all of the time.
Before owning Oscar I'd loaned
horses, horses that came with their own tack and it seemed to fit okay...I was
happy, the owners were happy and my horse wasn't showing any sign of
discomfort, annual checks happened that box was ticked and all was
good. Then I bought Oscar and everything changed...how naive I was
before owning him, within the
week of him being home the saddle fitter was booked. A local gent who came well
recommended within the area, I was full of excitement! My FIRST saddle, a
moment I'd dreamed of for so many years!
The long awaited day arrived and
the fitter pulled up in a van bursting with saddles and began placing various
ones on and off Oscar's back, wiggling them around, girthing him up and
short-listing a selection for me to ride in - a process taking no more than 10
minutes. I remember feeling intimidated; I was desperate for a saddle yet
felt the fitting had been about as thorough as trying on a pair of off the
shelf shoes in New Look during my lunch hour! However being in need, and in an
uncomfortable situation a deal was done and I had my first saddle.
Welcome saddle slippage, no matter
how tight my girth, whether I was having a leg up or using a mounting
block...it slipped!! And I could never, ever tack up without my Acavallo grip pad. I was
heartbroken and kept to light work, saving and saving for a better
saddle.
The second time around I booked an
appointment with a professional saddle making company to finally own a saddle that fitted
both Oscar and I, I counted down the sleeps and thanked the Lord for our
indoor ménage as when the day came the heavens opened, it poured with
heavy rain all day - maybe
I should have taken this as a sign to cancel and lied about our indoor being so
fabulous?
I was paying a hefty sum for the
fitting alone but because this company held
a Royal Warrant as suppliers of saddlery and lorinery
to HM Queen Elizabeth II and had been in business over 200
years figured I was in safe hands, however once the fitting began, in my opinion, I was not. The fitter looked
at my horse and produced a number of saddles for us to try...I remember
thinking "I've been here before, aren't you going to measure my horse, see
him move, discuss both our strengths and weaknesses" but shook the idea
out of my head, I couldn't get more professional than the company presenting itself to me and I
repeatedly told myself that they saddle some of the best horses four star event
horses in Great Britain, not to mention their impressive sponsorship presence at
events - these are
professionals - I settled
upon an ex-demo that was far from cheap, I can't even bring myself to share the
price but we are talking four figures - the saddler was totally against me
having a new one as I'd hoped and saved so long and hard for, at the time this
should have rang alarm bells **face
blushes with foolishnes**. The sale of the saddle included a three
month follow up period in which I could change the saddle if unhappy or if
happy would be refitted as new saddles often require additional
flocking/changes within this agreed period.
So month one passed and the saddle
slipped, I was devastated but figured I'd continue to use my Acavallo pad,
allow the saddle to settle and ring the saddlers on month two, once I'd had
time to think about the areas I was unhappy with. When I rang, the company informed me they'd
fallen into administration; in my opinion the advisor was rude and short,
showing no remorse or empathy for the situation. When asked about my follow up
appointment she advised I ring my saddler direct, so I did and he never
answered or returned any of my calls or voicemails. I searched equine forums and
various other online sources and found others in a similar situation to me.
I trusted the company one hundred percent to
saddle my horse and I correctly, and admit I was and still am utterly
heartbroken at all those things I went without for months while I saved, the
loose change I put into a jar week after week went towards a high end piece
of equipment that didn't do the job it should. Could the saddler
have sold it to me knowing it wasn't right for my horse or me, we will never
know? I work in customer service, and I believe as an ambassador to the
public we have a duty of care and I really felt broken.
It took me a long time to gain enough confidence to contact a saddler to see if
my saddle could be altered to fit, I thought they'd laugh and me...and once
they'd finished laughing I couldn't help but wonder if they'd take advantage,
all my trust had gone.
Thankfully through personal recommendations I booked an appointment with a
fantastic saddler who didn't laugh...she empathised and had a superb eye,
noticing our weaknesses as we walked from the stable to the ménage...she
watched us ride, measured Oscar and I and came up with a cost to carry out some
pretty serious work, not being able to promise whether it would be perfect or
not but she would do everything she could.
After two weeks she returned with my renovated saddle for the fitting...I was
so nervous - I had gone from feeling elation prior to saddle fittings to now
only knowing dread, but as soon as I placed my bottom in the saddle I felt
for the first time I was in the correct position and I felt Oscar's back lift in
happiness...I am truly grateful for all she did but can't say my faith is
restored quite yet. My next plan was to save for a dressage saddle but I will
be doubtful for a long time yet about investing so much in saddlery
companies...I feel they have a lot to prove to me and although I will not tar them all with the same brush, I will have the expectation that they need to earn my respect and I will not give it them on command due to the badge on their produce.
I have only just been brave enough to write about my torrid
experience but the more people I speak to, the more admit to lacking confidence
with regards the fit of their saddle so the more I learn, the more I will share
with you.
Thank you for reading- please note;
the saddlery company concerned are not named and the above post is all personal
opinions of my own and nobody else.
Jessica & Oscar xxxx