Going forward with your new saddle

Morning everyone, it’s been an interesting week saddle fitting and a few things that have happened in the last few weeks have prompted me to write this post with regards to how to proceed after your saddle fitting.

Over 10 years ago now I wrote an article entitled “ Remedial horse help “ which you can find in an earlier blogpost . This was to help customers with horses with saddle related injury to the back move forward in a positive way to enable their horses to recover.

This has been in the whole successful , we recognise that when customers have a horse who has been damaged by a saddle there are certain factors and changes the horse will go through both physically and mentally once the saddle has been changed to one which does not do damage and therefore people need to be aware of what they could see and how to help the horse repair.

Now 10 years on I have made changes to this document and recent events have prompted me to write this new article as what I didn’t consider at the time was the effect that the saddle damage has in the horses human . So here goes .

When a horse is damaged by a saddle it is an extremely stressful and worrying situation, together with the feelings of guilt that we have unwittingly hurt our horses and anger towards the professional who fitted said saddle despite the fact that many factors are involved with saddle fit after the fitting and sometimes the situation could have been avoided .

In these days when information , accurate or inaccurate is available at the click of a mouse and there is an expert on every forum, not to mention professionals looking for business, the yard “expert” and other professionals who give opinions it is difficult for the horse owner to know how to proceed after the new saddle has been fitted hence I have written the following pointers .

1, first of all do not expect miracles overnight, your horse will have physical and mental damage which needs to be undone and they need to learn to trust the new saddle will not hurt them, also you as the owner will be very heightened towards the possibility of this happening again.

2, you have taken time and consideration choosing your professional to fit your new saddle, trust their advice to take you forward. The people who have the most success are people who work with their saddle fitter .

3, you had a great experience with the saddle and fitter which is why you purchased the saddle from them, if it doesn’t feel the same or behave the same after the fit them something has changed. Customer sometimes don’t put the saddle in the right place, sometimes the use the incorrect girthing, sometimes they use a different “special “ pad.

If something is different contact your saddle fitter for advice and work with them, they can easily talk you through what is happening and help you get back the great feeling and performance you had at the saddle fit or revisit. If you just give up then you are back where you were without a well fitting saddle.

4, We offer a free adjustment subject to the travel charge within the first 3 months as do other saddle fitters , take advantage of this. We offer this as experience has told us newly flocked saddles bed down as the flock is soft and needs to shape to the horse , horses often change shape , sometimes quickly once they have a saddle that is working for them and therefore the saddle will need adjusting relatively quickly depending on age, how much riding you do, your level of expertise and equipment you have access to and the level of the damage.

5, Read the blogpost Remedial Horse Help , this gives concise information on what to expect and how to help your horse recover.

6, Most importantly keep an open mind and an open channel of communication, this will ensure that you get help when you need it and keeps your horses recovery going forward in a positive way. We saddle fitters want the best for you and your horse.