When and how often do you need a saddle-fitter???

When and how often professional saddle fits are required varies with each horse, rider and saddle combination. Here are some of the reasons.

1. New saddles will pack down and need to be fitted more regularly depending on the material used for flocking and on how the horse changes with the new saddle. Most of our new saddles are recommended to be packed after 20 hours of riding as by then the new flocking has settled.
2. Different saddles are packed with different materials. They all settle at varying rates and the flocking needs to be checked routinely for consistency and fit. It is best to consult with your saddle fitter as to how regularly they believe this needs to be done. Most will say every 6 months.
3. Some horses will change shape to a greater degree than others such as young horses, horses that are coming back into work after a spell, horses going through rehabilitation, horse changing discipline such as OTT’s and young horses that are developing. Even if these are not new saddles, they should be checked regularly – perhaps every 3 months as the horse changes shape. In extreme cases they may need to be checked more frequently but don’t panic! It is not forever! Just whilst the horses are changing so rapidly.
4. Some horses’ weight fluctuates a lot depending on the season. This also affects saddle fit. Many saddle fitters can help you with this by advising of a pad you may be able to use when your horse is a little lighter and then to take it out when he/she is heavier but even with this solution they will still need to check the flocking at times.
5. Changes in shoeing such as going from barefoot to shoes or vice versa, and any angle change such as degree pads being used or removed, will markedly affect saddle fit. This is an example of how all the different management areas of the horse are intertwined and must be considered together and not independently. When riders come to try saddles at VH Saddlery we always look at the overall picture and sometimes request that waiting until certain parts of the horse’s management progress further before selecting a saddle.
6. Horse and rider injuries and asymmetry can alter the way the horse moves which will alter the way the saddle fits. This all sounds rather vague but is so true. Often when a saddle slips to one side riders blame the fit of the saddle. That is not to say that it can’t be helped by a saddle fitter, but the underlying problem is likely to be elsewhere. Either a crooked rider or a horse not using a hindleg as much as the other one and therefore not straight and not pushing up as much underneath the saddle on one side. It is important to realise in some of these cases there won’t be a quick fix. In fact, there may not be a fix at all but an ongoing management game involving many industry professionals such as coach, vet, farrier, body worker and saddle fitter to keep the problem under control.

So basically, anytime there are any signs that the saddle is not fitting properly, (see previous blog/post) and the rider is not able to safely and correctly do anything about it, a saddle fitter needs to be called. Other than this, if all is going well , it is still a great idea to have your saddle checked by a professional on a regular basis, rather than wait for issues to occur.