If you’re heading off on a big endeavor, it’s often a good idea to have a guide along.  You wouldn’t attempt to climb Mt. Everest without a Sherpa, or head out on a week-long horseback pack trip into the Rockies without a wrangler.  Attempting either adventure alone could lead to disaster … and the same can be said for trying to buy a saddle without the help of a saddle fitter.

I often hear, “But I don’t need a fitter – my trainer / chiropractor / massage practitioner / instructor knows a lot about saddle fit!”  And that’s often true; I know people from all of these professions who have a good eye and a good basic understanding of saddle fitting, and their input can be invaluable during the saddle quest.  But let me turn that situation around:  My saddle fitting background – not to mention the approximate half- century I’ve spent around horses – has given me a pretty good basic understanding of equine movement, conformation, skeletal structure and musculature … but would you want me to give your horse a chiropractic adjustment based on that?

Didn’t think so.

There are a lot of advantages to working with a professional fitter.  Let’s take a look:

When you’re shopping for a saddle, you need to try before you buy.  But without some sort of guidance, how do you know which saddles to try, and how can you tell if one actually fits?  You could choose saddles based on what your friend likes or what’s popular in your barn; you could determine fit by what your horse will (or won’t) tolerate on her back. Based on those criteria, you might find something that fits pretty quickly … or your search might continue for weeks or even months, while you spend a large portion of your saddle budget shipping saddles back and forth.  You’ll start getting frustrated, and your horse may also become pretty cranky and back-sore in the process.  And even if you finally purchase something that you think works, you may find a month later that it’s wearing holes in your horse’s back … so you’d need to sell it and start the search all over again.

Getting some help from a knowledgeable fitter can do away with most (if not all) of that agony.  A professional saddle fitter has in-depth knowledge of saddle construction, fitting options, and what it’s going to take to make your horse comfortable.  Yes, it may cost you to have a fitter come out, or to evaluate tracings and photos and make recommendations.  Many fitters charge anywhere from $50 – $200 for a thorough evaluation of your horse’s (and hopefully your) fitting needs … but that’s not such a bad deal when you consider the fact that that amount can get eaten up in fairly short order just in shipping or gas costs while shuttling trial saddles around.  For their fee, a fitter can tell you what your horse’s fitting needs are, and what saddles, tree types, tree widths and panel configurations might best fill them; they can also tell you which saddles it might be best to avoid.  In some cases, they’ll make a template of your horse’s back and give it to you, along with a list of saddles and fitting options that are good matches for your horse’s needs.  In other cases, they won’t charge for the evaluation, but will have (or have access to) saddles you can try.  Whatever the case, they’ll also be able to evaluate the saddles you’re trying and make any flocking adjustments necessary to the saddle that you decide to keep.  And they can help you out with adjustments and evaluations down the road, either with the saddle you get now or one you may need in the future.  The latter scenario is pretty much what we do at Trumbull Mountain, either based on the tracings that you (or your fitter) provide, or when you bring your horse to the shop for a hands-on fitting.

One quick caveat: do a little research on the fitter before you commit to using him/her (a bit more on that at http://www.trumbullmtn.com/2011/05/a-field-guide-to-saddle-fitters/).  Get some recommendations, look into the list on the Master Saddlers Association site (www.mastersaddlers.co.uk), ask at local barns or shops or feed stores.  Ask questions when you contact the fitter so you know what to expect when they visit or when they review your information.  If possible, work with an independent fitter who either does not rep for one particular saddle company, or who reps for several.  This will give you a wider range of saddles to choose from rather than being limited to what’s sold by a single saddle company.

Yes, this requires you to do a bit of homework and perhaps part with a fee; but ultimately, the time, money and frustration you’ll save – not to mention the knowledge and information you’ll gain – will be well worth it.

Return to top