The last 2 years have presented challenges to our work that we could never have predicted.
Limiting movement and social contact has provided an opportunity to work with our clients in a remote setting; bringing our expertise in fitting saddles to clients whom would otherwise find it difficult to access our advice and knowledge.
Adapting our working practices to offer distance saddle fitting and online video consultations proved popular and as such, we will be offering this service as a permanent fixture. If you would like to access this service, please contact us directly. Initially we will want to have a brief call on Zoom or Teams. This allows us to interact in a more personal way, to understand a little more about your individual situation and to explain in more detail that our work doesn’t stop at saddle fitting. The saddle fitting would usually be in two parts; the initial consultation off the horse, then another ridden consultation with the help of another person filming, or the use of PIVO technology or similar.
We may signpost you to other professionals prior to a distance fitting if we feel that you need more help with groundwork exercises, vet or body worker intervention or to a physiotherapist or clinician for your own symmetry. We also need photos, videos and some basic templates to assess suitability and make a long term plan. Photos, videos and templates are to be submitted prior to initial consultation and guides for the correct templates and photos are found here and under the heading ‘taking a template of your horse’
We work with referral partners in various countries to provide an integrated approach to saddle fitting for both horse and rider.
The procedure for remote saddle fitting is as follows:
- Video conference call to understand your requirements and history / goals
- Discussion of submitted photos, videos and templates
- Discussion of rider condition, level and asymmetry notes including saddles you may have previously found comfortable to ascertain seat shape according to your own pelvic shape etc
- Discussion on type of saddle needed and pads and girths according to level of training and development
- Discussion on work to be done with existing saddles (where applicable)
- Discussion on alternative saddles we can source or sell according to needs and budget
- Long term groundwork signposting or training plan for postural improvements
The initial consultation should take approx 30 minutes and we will take notes which will be emailed back to you as a summary of your session. This allows us to make sure both parties are clear on their commitments and responsibilities in the process. If a saddle is to be sourced, then this is also stated in the summary with a clear lead time on how long it will take. Sometimes this can be weeks, sometimes months. It very much depends on the budget and requirements of the horse and rider combination.
