Many people under-estimate the importance of a well fitted saddle. The majority of back problems in horses are caused by badly fitted saddles, leading to pain and discomfort to the horse resulting in behavioural problems and lameness. The horse is a complex creation, and its natural movements make fitting saddles a highly skilled task. For optimum performance from our horse, he needs to be able to move freely, allowing strong, precise muscle development to produce a balanced outline.

There are many aspects to take into account which may influence the fitting of a saddle to your horse. For example, the type of riding you do, age and breed of your horse, how fit your horse is, and your height, weight and age can all influence the type and size of saddle will best suit the horse and rider combination.

Saddle fitting service

As a qualified saddle-fitter, I offer a full saddle-fitting service, travelling to sites within a 50 mile radius of Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire. I spend a minimum 45 minutes consultation with the horse, saddle and rider, allowing enough time to fully appraise the fitting of the saddle to the stationary and ridden horse. Depending on the outcome of a fitting, I always have a large selection of saddles to try whilst on a visit. If it is a re-flocking that is required, I can undertake small alterations on-site, although for first time clients, I will totally re-flock the saddle with pure new wool on my own premises.

We are also approved fitters of the Flair Air-Flocking System. Flair is a system of air bags designed to replace the traditional wool flocking in all conventional saddles, whether new or second-hand. The air bags provide a soft, even bearing surface without any pressure points, and once fitted, there is no special maintainence required unless your horse dramatically changes shape. This is an another alternative and possible solution to some saddle-fitting problems. We also stock the popular non-slip Impakt pad which virtually guarantees stability for the saddle.