Jenny's Tack Shop offers an excellent saddle fitting service, generally covering areas within a 40 mile radius of the shop

Local call out starts from £20.00, increasing in accordance with distance. Sharon can also  re-flock and adjust saddles on site which is useful for new saddle ‘top ups' or when small adjustments are needed in fitting. The charge for this depends on the amount of adjustment required so Sharon will always point this out prior to doing the work.

Sharon Lock Qualified Saddle Fitter

The process
Is always the same whereby we look at the horse and its general makeup and confirmation. We point out anything which we feel may affect the fit of the saddle.  We then look at the existing saddle if applicable to see if any problems can be corrected or we begin the saddle selection process which leads to the most suitable saddles being selected for the customer to ride in. We shortlist the most suitable saddles and discuss the suitability of each allowing you ‘the client’ to make your decision. We recommend that all new saddles are checked after about three months as the flocking settles which may encourage the saddle to sit too low on the horse. This is quite normal and will just need adjusting as necessary. Regular six monthly (or at least annual) checks are recommended but this is down to the owners discretion.

Important Monitoring
One of the most important things to remember is that horses change shape depending on a variety of situations such as age, current work level, change of work, change of season i.e. from winter to summer, illness etc. This means that a saddle is not for life and needs regular monitoring to ensure your horse is comfortable at all times. If you are in any doubt or would like it checked, just ring and speak to Wendy or Sharon who are always happy to help.

Large Stock
We usually carry stock of between 100 and 150 saddles so there is always a wide selection to choose from. We carry new English leather, synthetic and a small amount of second hand saddles and if we don’t have the size, colour and width fitting in stock, we can obtain it very quickly.

Poorly Fitting Saddles and the Effects Thereof
Is your horse bucking, napping, rearing, tail swishing, dragging hind toes, uncomfortable going down hill or just generally being uncooperative?

Horse’s generally let you know when things are not right so if you notice a significant change in your horses behaviour or general temperament the saddle should certainly be checked.

White hairs in the saddle area are another indicator that all is not well. A saddle which is too tight will cut off the melanin supply to the hair follicles which then grow white. The saddle needs to be sufficiently wide enough to allow free shoulder movement which in turn allows the back muscles to work correctly under the saddle.

Horses that are ridden in saddles which are too narrow or too tight develop muscle wastage and become very uncomfortable and intolerant of the saddle. Obviously the saddle has to fit the horse primarily but also has to fit the rider almost as well. For example a large rider in a small saddle creates a lot of pressure on the back of the saddle which will make the horse very uncomfortable as the rider’s weight is not evenly distributed.

The horse’s confirmation and size determines the maximum size of saddle it can take so to put a bigger saddle on is not always the answer as this may cause pressure in the lumber region if it is too long for the horse.

Please do not hesitate to call or e-mail if you have any queries regarding your saddle – we are always happy to help.