Best way to buy a saddle?

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Zayna

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May 27, 2008
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We want to treat our boy to a new saddle for his birthday. :eek:

I'm quite nervous about saddle fitting - they're such expensive items and I have experience of bad saddle fitters in the past.

Should I go on recommendation for a saddle fitter or measure him myself and shop around, or what? I'm even nervous about measuring him myself in case I get it wrong, it's an expensive mistake to make.

All advice welcome, thank you. We are in Lancashire by the way, and have no horse transport so a saddler would need to come to us.
 
Where abouts in Lancs? I have just used a guy in Darwen who hand makes saddles and harnesses. I didn't buy from him but I took my second hand saddle to him to re stuff, and check for soundness. It's come out lovely!
Let me know if you want his number/address
 
I would go with word of mouth for anything to do with horses, i.e, vet, farriers, saddler etc.

Anyone can put in an add in the yellow pages, but only a true workman gets a good name :)
 
I have recently used saddlesdirect and found them very helpful. They don't fit but have a good supply of quality secondhand saddles at good prices.

Like you I have had some dough-ball saddle fitters and the bills(and various saddles that don't fit) to prove it - so now I fit them myself and get a friend to check over for a second opinion.

There are some good saddle fitting books to give you a guide if you want to go down the self fitting route.

Best of luck!
 
I used to sell and fit saddles and really there is a lot that is needed to know to do it correctly. There is no qualification specifically for saddle fitting that a retailer can do, unless a person trains to make them as well. So go by word of mouth and also go to their premises and have a chat first about your horse and what you do with him and plan to do. They should ask you: How old is the horse? Breeding and height/build? what you intend to do with the horse. To fit the rider they should measure you too! This will help them decide the typeand size of saddle to recommend.
 
I have just bought a "new" second hand saddle from a local saddler who is recommended by others on my yard. Lots of them have bought saddles from her. I found her expensive, but at least I know I have some redress if there is a problem.

My previous saddles have been very lucky purchases; one from a tack auction which I fitted against a template of my horses back, which luckily did fit her, and the other lent to me by a seller to try, which again luckily fitted.

You hear so many horror stories of badly fitting saddles and the damage it can do that I would not want to risk it. I used to baulk at the price of a saddle but when you think how much your horse cost and how much a bad saddle could affect him or her, I think we owe it to them.
 
Thank you all for these replies, they have been very helpful.

Without being smug, I have been around horses for many years but saddle fitting is something I have always been nervous about. I do think a specialist should do it, but it's finding one. They should be qualified, like farriers are. You wouldn't fit shoes on your horse, after all...
 
Zayna said:
Thank you all for these replies, they have been very helpful.

Without being smug, I have been around horses for many years but saddle fitting is something I have always been nervous about. I do think a specialist should do it, but it's finding one. They should be qualified, like farriers are. You wouldn't fit shoes on your horse, after all...
Click to expand...

Totally agree with that it would have made my job much easier if I had a certificate to prove my competence. As it is most of the good saddle makers offer a course on fitting their own saddles and I did all the ones offered by the companies that I sold saddles of.
 
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