What to Expect from a saddle fitting appointment
I will need some information to get a clear picture of the situation before i see you - please be open and honest!
Name of client, phone number, address, who is main rider, and a height and weight for them, as well as a description of their experience.
Address of where horse is kept and directions. Description of facilities, is there a level, safe and enclosed space for me to do initial assessment and measurements, as well as somewhere to see horse walked and trotted up in hand. Unless there are special circumstances, I will need to see horse ridden by normal rider, so is there a school, or flat level and enclosed field where i can see some riding.
Details of horse, age, breed, size, sex, workload, experience, any injury's, is it fit , well and in work?
Once at the yard, I will perform an initial assessment of the horses overall condition, conformation and movement, take templates and asses your saddle/accessories from the ground, or try on new saddles and come up with a shortlist. I will then see horse ridden, by normal rider. Some adjustments can be made on site, if this is the case, i will then see horse ridden again after adjusting. If the saddle needs to come back to the workshop, this will be discussed separately.
If a new saddle is purchased, I will make a date for the first recheck in around 2 - 3 months. This first check is very important, as the saddle will settle in, horse may change shape a little, and saddle will almost certainly need a small amount of adjusting. After this first check, and in general, saddles should ideally be checked 6 - 12 monthly, unless otherwise discussed.
Below are a selection of the most popular saddles that I stock, but if you can't see what you are after, please get in touch , as other options may well be available.
