Buying saddles:idiots' guide!

[Furtheron]

We're (hopefully) about to get a new pony, but this will be the first one we've had who doesn't come with tack. How do you go about buying a saddle, how much do saddle fitters cost? I will ask for recommendations at our PC, but I just want to understand the options/process/vocabulary first!

It depends on where you live. I would expect to pay £50 for a fitting. £50 for a basic reflock. £50-£5000 for a saddle, depending on if its second hand or new, synthetic or leather, what type of saddle it is, what brand it is etc.

Call out fees can vary from £50 - £90 depending upon your area. You can usually get discounts if there are more of you rather than just one horse for them to see

Let the fitter know what your budget is, the disciplines you will be doing and what type of saddle you are looking for.

By all means ask at PC for their recommendations, or on here too.

With regards to the cost of a new saddle, yes, some can be £4 -£5k. PLEASE do not pay this for a saddle - they are not worth it. Generally they are big brands, with high overheads and sponsored riders etc. Unfortunately it does not guarantee better quality materials or saddle either. Again, you could ask for recommendations regarding a particular brand.

I hope this helps 🙂

Ask on your local horsey Facebook group for recommendations.
A one man band master saddler will be able to sell you a new saddle from a limited range of makers as they will have relationships with particular ones.
Where I live there is a saddle fitter with a shed full of second hand saddles and an arena. You can go there and try several out and being second hand you get better value for money.

Thankyou, I'm definitely aiming at the second hand end, I was hoping to spend up to £500ish. We need a general purpose saddle, suitable for general haring about, jumping and cc.

I had a similar situation to you. I searched on various local horsey groups and found a chap about 30’mins away. He had good reviews on website and was, in all honesty, the only saddle fitter who actually responded to me with real answers.

In advance I sent some photos of pony and my daughter sat on pony. Pony came with saddle but it was in an awful condition. He asked a number of questions. And I said the maximum id be willing to spend.

He turned up and I just left him to it. He tried on loads of different ones and then asked my dd to try it. He charged me £35 for fitting and call out. The saddle was second hand and £350. Another lady turned up on yard and asked if he could check hers out, which he did and she too bought a saddle! He didn’t charge an additional fitting fee.

I can thoroughly recommend the Thoroughgood T4 as a decent budget pony saddle. It's synthetic so comes in at under £500 new - but you will still need it fitting by a qualified saddle fitter and it might not suit the shape of your pony.

I bought one as a first "backing" saddle for my native pony and it did him for a good couple of years - pretty comfortable to ride in and came highly recommended by my saddle fitter. Only moved onto a totally different saddle when he matured and changed shape too much. However, I believe it is a well regarded budget general purpose saddle.

£500 should get you something decent second hand, or synthetic new. I would be honest with saddle fitters in advance about your budget, as some won't be interested at this price.