Society of Master Saddlers Qualified Saddle Fitters in the US

As promised, here's a current list of the SMS QSFs here in the States:

Tiger Adams - The Horse in Sport - Grand Junction, CO  http://www.thehorseinsport.com/

Kate Wilson - Dutches Bridle & Saddle, Port Jervis, NY  http://www.dutchessbridlesaddle.com/

Suzie Fletcher-Baker (Master Saddler)  Eaton, CO  970 454 3556  http://www.masterssaddlery.com

Lucy Batchelor (Master Saddler) - Bridgehampton, NY  http://www.brennansbitandbridle.com/?page_id=30

Judi Berninger - Saddlers Row, Palatine, IL  http://www.tack-repair.com/saddles/dressage%20saddles/Albion%20Platinum.htm

David Boot (Master Saddler) - Bridgehampton, NY  http://www.brennansbitandbridle.com/?page_id=30

Nancy Dotti - Contact Saddles, Santa Rosa, CA  http://www.contactsaddles.com/about.htm

Annette Gavin - Hastilow Competition Saddles, Warfordsburg, PA  http://www.hastilowusa.com/

Beverley Harrison - The Tack Collection, Lafayette, CO  http://www.tackcollection.com/

Kate Lamacki (Master Saddler) Palatine, IL katelamacki@sbcglobal.net

Colleen Meyer  Advanced Saddle Fit Marlborough, NH  http://www.advancedsaddlefit.com/index.html

Cordia Pearson  The Saddle Fitter Stacey, MN  http://www.saddlefitter.com/

Kyrena Robinson The Paddock, Inc.  Ledyard, CT  http://www.thepaddockinc.com/category_s/64.htm

Nancy Shedrick NH  603-764-5899

Heather Soones-Booher Saddle Fitting 101, Portersville, PA  http://www.saddles101.com/

Cary Wallace Custom Saddlery San Marcos, CA  http://www.mysaddle.com/MYSADD~3/DesignResearch.html

Janet Wells Tunbridge, VT  jwhorsepower@innevi.com

Deborah Witty  -  Performance Saddlery, Groton, NY  http://www.performancesaddlery.com/

Bill Wood (William Gates Wood) VA  http://www.thesaddlefitter.com/

There's a Rumor ...

Did you ever play the game "Rumor" when you were a kid?  You'd sit around in a circle and one person would whisper something into the first person's ear - say it was something like, "Donna's going to the movies with her best friend next Friday night."  The first person would whisper it to the next person, who'd whisper it to the next; it was passed on in that fashion until it reached the last person, who would announce it to the group at large.  Almost invariably, the message would have become something like, "Donna's going out with her best friend's boyfriend next Saturday."  And the more people it filtered through, the more distorted it was likely to become.

Now, we just heard a couple of rather nasty rumors here at the shop, and I'd like to do what I can to put them to rest before they spread and morph into something even uglier than they already are.  According to the first rumor, Black Country Saddlery has gone out of business.  Totally, absolutely, completely untrue.  What IS true is that Nikki Newcombe, BC's sales manager, has been stuck in the UK, unable to get to Rolex Kentucky because of the no-fly situation caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland.  (If you're going to Rolex, however, do stop by the BC booth because it will be open!)  The company itself is still hale and hearty - in fact, they've recently hired a new saddler - and they're turning out our best-selling saddles with the usual attention to quality and fit.  So, to paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of their death have been greatly exaggerated.

The second rumor is that there is only one Society of Master Saddlers Qualified Saddle Fitter here in the US.  While I may not put a huge store on a fitter's certification or lack thereof, I am an incorrigible nit-picker and MUST set facts straight by saying that this rumor is also completely false.  There are well over a dozen SMS QSFs here in the States.  The SMS site has a list on their website, but - strangely - their site is down  as I'm writing this post; so Nikki is sending me a list of the US QSFs, which I will post here when I receive it. 

Well, I feel much better, having done my bit to set the record straight.  And to those who spread this sort of misinformation, I'd remind you to be wary of the Teeth of Karma, which are, in my experience, very long, very sharp, and unerringly aimed to take a large chunk out of the offender's butt.

My New Favorite Leather Stuff

Here's my new favorite stuff:

And here's what it does.  This is an older, Argentine-made Collegiate that hasn't seen much in the way of TLC:

The leather's dry and the flaps have seen a lot of rubbing and abuse:

Now here's the same saddle (note that all photos were taken using the same lighting and exposure settings on my camera, and all the same adjustments in PhotoShop) after a single light application of the Black Country Balsam and a quick buff with a soft cloth:

Close-up of the flap:

Added bonus:  it wasn't so oily that I had to wash my hands after using it, and it has a light, pleasant lemon scent.  And if it can do that in less than 5 minutes to badly-damaged, inexpensive leather ... 'nuff said!

What's the Point?

There is very little standardization in the way saddles fit - particularly when it comes to width.  Tree construction varies from company to company, so one company's medium may be comparable to another company's medium-wide or wide.  Trees made in the UK to BETA (British Equestrian Trade Ass'n.) standards have to be within a certain angle measurement - a medium, for example, between 85° and 94.9°, and a wide between 95° and 104.9° - but that's almost 10° variation.  Even centimeter measurements, which you'd think would be a more exacting way of measuring width, aren't much help.  A 29 cm. Passier (that company's x-wide tree) will fit a wider horse than a 32 cm. Stubben. 

Why?  Tree point length.  Saddles measured in centimeters are measured between the tree points on the bare tree, before the saddle is built.  So if you have an 8" long point, 32 cm. will be considerably less generous than if the points are 5" long.  To illustrate, I've compared a 28.5 cm. "wide" Passier with an "xw" Stubben (which, according to Stubben's web site, is wider than a 32 cm., though no exact width measurement is listed).

Here's the Passier.  Edie's index finger is showing the location of the bottom of the tree point:

Measured from the saddle nail down to the end of the point, it's just about 5":

Now, here's the Stubben, with Edie's index finger again at the end of the tree point:

And here's the length of the point - about 8":

Here's a comparison of the same saddles (remember, Stubben xw, Passier wide, 28.5 cm.) from the front, with the ends of the tree points marked with tape.  First, the Passier:

 

Though it's hard to see, the measurement is just under 12".

Here's the Stubben:

Again, hard to see the numbers, but it's measuring about 12 1/2".

The longer points on the Stubben can be helpful when fitting a horse with a good wither - they distribute the weight all the way down the wither.  But on a horse with moderate to no wither, long points can make the saddle "perch" and cause lateral instability.

And when you add panel configuration and tree shape into the mix, it can be even more confusing.  A K panel or a wither (or full front) gusset will make a saddle fit less generously.  A hoop / freedom head tree or a panel that's attached lower down in the gullet (like Passier's Freedom panel) will make a saddle more generous in the width department.   Here's a photo with three saddles - all 34 cm. trees - so you can see the variation in width.  The top saddle is a Duett Largo, built on a hoop-type tree; the middle is a Prestige 2000D, and the bottom saddle is a Duett Fidelio.

And to get an idea of how panel configuration figures in, here are two Black Country saddles - an Eloquence X on top, and a Vinici X on bottom.  Both are 17.5" wides, built on the same tree ... but look at the difference.

So if you're in the market for a saddle, remember that describing your horse as needing a "wide" tree or a "33 cm. tree" can be open to a LOT of interpretation.

Mythbusters, Inc.

Here we are, more than four months into a new year and a new decade.  I remember being in my teens and doing the math to find out how old I'd be in the year 2000 ... and not being able to imagine being that old.  And now I'm 10 years older than that.  Little did I know ...

There were lots of things I believed in my youth that have turned out to be fallacious:  "Wait an hour after a meal to go swimming.  If you don't, you'll get a cramp and drown."  (I rarely go in over my head, and "You'll get a cramp while you're wading" just doesn't have the same impact.)   "Eating raw potatoes will give you worms."  (I love raw potatoes, and if I have worms, they're very quiet tenants.)  And the biggest, courtesy of my French-Canadian Catholic grandmother:  "At midnight on Christmas Eve, the animals in the barn bow down to honor the birth of the baby Jesus."  (Ever the pragmatist, I snuck out to the barn one Christmas Eve when I was about 6, sat quietly, and watched.  Midnight came and went, and while most of the cows and some of the horses were lying down, there was no bowing to be seen.  This not only made me question the whole organized religion thing - it also blew some pretty big holes in Grandma's credibility.)

There are also a lot of old saws regarding saddles and saddle fitting that should be laid to rest.  Some are based on outdated practices or technology, and some were never really true to begin with.

1)  "If the saddle is the right size for you, you'll be able to fit your hand between the back of your butt and the edge of the cantle."   Perhaps back in the day when English saddle design was pretty static, this might have been true.  Now, however, it's pretty much gone the way of the dodo.  If you look at the deep seat and high cantle on some dressage saddles, or the swept-back cantle on some cross-country saddles, you'll see what I mean.  The length and set of the flaps, and the placement of the blocks are also important - if the seat's ok but the flap or blocks are wrong, the rider won't be comfy:

The seat on this saddle is sufficiently large - it would be too large for some people's taste - but unless the rider lengthens the leather considerably, her knee is going to be over the block and off the flap.  A more forward-set flap would be needed if the rider is not comfortable with a longer leg.

Now here's an example of a saddle that's just too darn small - we're almost talking "thong with stirrups" here:

Probably another inch of seat length, and perhaps a more generous flap, would make the saddle a much better fit.

 Also, personal preference plays a large part here.  Some people like to feel a little more cradled, while some prefer a bit more room to move.  If you feel balanced and comfortable, and can ride well and effectively, then the seat's the right size for you.

2)  "Foam panels are no good because they break down so quickly."   This was pretty true in the beginning.  Anyone who's old enough to have had one of the first English saddles with foam in the padded flaps will tell you that it degraded in pretty short order and became this nasty, grainy sand-like stuff that would magically leach out and cling with great tenacity to the knee patches on your breeches.  Unfortunately, the first foam panels behaved in pretty much the same manner.  The good news is that today's foams are far more resilient.  They don't conform to a horse's back the way wool does, which makes them a good choice for a "one saddle, multiple horse" situation (providing, of course, the fit is basically correct for all the horses it's being used on).  And if something does happen that affects the integrity of the foam, the saddle can be sent back to the manufacturer and the foam can be replaced.

3)  "You should have 3 fingers' clearance between your horse's wither and the gullet of the saddle."   This has changed to a much less exacting "adequate clearance."  With some horses and saddles, three fingers will be about right ... and on some, it may be 4 fingers, and on some, only one.  Hoop trees, for example, are designed to sit lower on the horse than standard trees, in order to minimize lateral instability on the sausage bodies.  Here's an example of a hoop tree that's fitting well (note the green lines showing angle of the back and angle of the tree points).  There's not 3 fingers' clearance there, but the fit is correct:

4)  "Buy a saddle with a wide tree and you can pad it to fit any horse."  I'm going to go back to my favorite analogy here and compare that to buying a pair of size 14 shoes and thinking they'll fit everyone if they just wear enough pairs of socks.  I know there are some big-name trainers out there who subscribe to that theory, but if a tree's way, way too wide for a horse, you can have it sitting up on 4 or 5 or 6 pads, and it still won't fit properly.  And in addition, you'll run into lateral stability problems if your saddle is perched 3" off your horse's back on a drift of multiple pads.  Just not a good idea.

5)  "Women want saddles with wide twists, and men want saddles with narrow twists."  I covered this in a blog post way back in March of '09 (http://saddlefitter.blogspot.com/2009/03/twist-and-shout.html), so I won't go into tons of detail -  I'll just reiterate and say that I've never found much truth in that particular statement.  I'm a woman, and I like a narrow twist; two women here in the shop like a wide twist.  So go figure.  If I ever get to the point where I can peg twist width preference and fit for the rider as easliy as I can assess fit for the horse, I'll retire in under five years.

6)  "High withered horses need narrow trees for wither clearance."  High withered horses rarely need narrow trees.  I've been fitting saddles for a decade or so, and in that time I've run into two horses that really needed a narrow tree (and strangely enough, when their fitting needs were met, they both developed muscle and had to be re-fit with medium trees).  Often, high withered horses need modified panels:  a K or trapezius panel, a wither or full front gusset, or a deeper rear gusset.  Putting a narrow tree on a horse just because of a big wither will actually cause more muscle atrophy under the tree points and actually exacerbate the fitting problems.

7)  "Steeple-withered horses are built that way because they've never had a saddle that fits them properly."  As I said in #6, trying to fit a big wither with a narrow tree can make a bad matter worse.  But there are times when saddle fit isn't the culprit - genetics are.  If you've been on the Trumbull Mtn. website at all, you might be familiar with this photo:

(Sorry it's so pixellated - I can't find the original and had to pull this one from the site.)  This is a fairly young horse at the beginning of his under saddle career.  That wither's a fitting challenge, and could be made worse by a bad fit, but it comes directly from Mom and / or Dad, not from a saddle.

8)  "Getting a custom made saddle is the only way to get a really high-quality saddle, and if you have a hard-to-fit horse, it's the only way to fit them correctly."  Any saddle company out there is going to make the best saddle it possibly can, whether it's a stock model or a custom job.  And as for fitting hard-to-fit horses ... in all the time I've been fitting saddles, I've yet to see a horse that really, truly needed a fully custom saddle.  Some need a bench-made saddle - that is, a stock model made with certain modifications - and some have needed one saddle built on another saddle's tree.  But as far as honestly needing a custom tree and a custom saddle built on it?  Nah.  It's a nice way to spend your disposable income, and the snob appeal is undeniable, but I've yet to see it be an absolute necessity.

No Magic Bullet

Becoming a saddle fitter was a mid-life career change for me.  I'd been an "at home mom" for about 5 years before I started working for Edie, and before that, I'd spent about 15 years making my living as a dressage trainer and instructor.  And when I'm doing saddle fitting, I find that my trainer / instructor past is never far away.  Many times, I have to keep myself from slipping back into the instructor's role if I see someone posting ahead of the motion or struggling with a transition or allowing the horse to lean on the inside aids.  Having an eye for a rider's issues can be a help when choosing a saddle ... but old habits do die hard.

In the previous entry, Edie mentioned riders looking for a "miracle" saddle, and that's not as uncommon as many people would think.  Our society's search for instant gratification is definitely manifest in the horse world - we want everything yesterday.  We  race Thoroughbreds that have just turned two years old; have 4 year old dressage horses that are showing First level and schooling Second; we start horses over fences at 3, show yearlings in longe line classes ... and want to find the magic saddle that automatically make our balance perfect, our seat independent and secure, our hands light and soft, and our aids perfectly timed and impeccably applied.  (It's also supposed to turn our horses into Ahlerich or Giltedge or Abdullah or Rugged Lark ... but I won't get into that now.)

Here's the bottom line, people:  there is no magic bullet.  You must learn to ride, and ride well.  I'm not talking about becoming professional or Olympic caliber; I understand the physical and mental limitations that we all face (yeah, even you young skinny types who bounce when you get dumped rather than just going "splat"). I mean doing your personal best and gaining a solid level of competence - becoming a rider instead of a passenger.  I'll be the first to admit that the right saddle can really help your position and balance, and the wrong one can hinder the same, but there is no saddle out there that will make up for deficiencies in your riding.  Deep seats, big calf blocks, grippy seat leather, padded flaps and steroidal thigh blocks will not turn an inexperienced (or - let's be blunt - lazy) rider into a competent, experienced rider.  The only thing that will do that is practice ... and lots of it.

Why become competent?  Besides the obvious - taking pride in the ability to ride well - there are two reasons:  first, it's a lot easier on your horse.  Anyone who's ever carried an unbalanced toddler on their back can empathize with a horse that has to carry an unbalanced rider.  If you're consistently sitting heavily to one side, if your core muscles are lacking and you're unstable in the saddle, if you don't develop a soft, independent seat and hands, your horse - AND your horse's performance - will pay for it.  You'll have a horse who's impossible to bend in one direction or the other, who drops behind or goes above the bit, who'll only pick up one lead, who'll duck out at fences, who'll go down the trail with his back hollow and his head in your face, who'll refuse to engage his haunches and work through his back ... I'm sure you get the idea.  In order for your horse to develop correctly - or at least be comfortable - you must become a competent rider.

Second, it's easier on your saddle.  I've seen "sided" riders who compress the flocking unevenly and stretch their stirrup leathers ... and that's just the tip of the iceburg.  I've also seen sided riders stretch the panel and seat leather.  I've seen riders who use an unholy amount of seat wear holes in or stretch the seat leather.  I've seen riders twist saddle trees by constantly riding with one side further forward.  I've seen tight legs warp or wear through flaps, I've seen riders who depend that "rider glue" - Sadl-Tite is one - compromise the finish of their leather, and in one memorable case, a rider whose dependence on "grippy" full seat breeches completely trashed the seat on her saddle - chewed all the way through to the foam - in about 3 years. 

I guess it comes down to where you prefer to spend your money and time:  in the saddle working to improve your riding ... or on the ground, with your vet and saddle fitter.

From the Trainer's Perspective - Guest Post by Edie Tschorn

This is another in a series of rather infrequent guest blog posts by equine professionals who have another view of saddle fitting.  This time, Edie Tschorn is my guest blogger.  As many of you know, she owned Trumbull Mtn. Tack for over 30 years, and was my employer for about 10.  I've known Edie since the late 1970s; she has been involved in training, breeding, showing, buying, selling, boarding, instructing, and retraining/rehabbing problem horses - and probably a few things I've neglected to mention.  She's helped me resolve some issues with Lyric that had me beating my breast, banging my head and weeping.  I have enormous respect for her experience, opinions and knowledge - and she can no longer claim that I'm saying that because she signs my pay checks.   So here's something from her slant.  Enjoy!

Courage

"Courage isn't the absence of fear.  It's being scared, but going on anyway."  -  Anon.

In An Effort to Make Your Day a Bit More Surreal ...

I just got off the phone with one of those people who makes you go, "Now wait a minute here ..."  My conversation with her made me feel (to misquote Steven King) as though I'd been in a pillow fight in which the pillows had been treated with a mild toxin. 

CALLER:  I need some advice on monoflap saddles.

ME:  Sure, I'd be happy to help you.  What would you like to know?

CALLER:  I need some advice on monoflap saddles!

ME:  Ok ... close contact, all-purpose or dressage?

CALLER:  Close contact.

ME:  Did you have any particular saddle in mind?

CALLER:  No.  I need advice on monoflap saddles!

ME:  Ok, sure.  What kind of horse are you trying to fit?

CALLER:  A Belgian warmblood cross.

ME:  A Belgian warmblood cross ... Just so I understand, are we talking about a Belgian warmblood crossed with something, or a Belgian draft horse crossed with a warmblood?

CALLER:  A Belgian draft crossed with a Thoroughbred, of course.

ME:  Ah ... Belgian-Thoroughbred.  I see, thanks.  Well, unless you want to consider a Black Country Vinici, most monoflap saddles aren't designed to fit the wider horses, so maybe -

CALLER:  Belgian warmblood cross.  He's a medium-wide.

ME:  Ok, that's helpful.  Medium-wide in what saddle?

CALLER:  He's a medium-wide!

ME:  Ok, fine, medium wide.  Can you tell me a little about his conformation?  Does he have a big wither, or is he more flat-backed?  Does he -

CALLER:  What does that matter?  He's a ME-dium WIDE - I TOLD you that.

ME:  Yes, right.  Unfortunately, 'medium-wide' can vary from saddle to saddle, so without knowing a little about the way your horse is built, I can't really make much in the way of solid recommendations about saddles.  If -

CALLER:  I TOLD you- he's a MEdium-WIDE!!

ME:  Yes, thanks, I understand.  But width is only one factor here - we need to consider tree shape and panel configuration, too.  Would it be possible to have you send a template of your horse's back and some photos?  It's pretty hard to make any kind of meaningful recommendation -

CALLER:  Look, do you want to help me, or not?

ME:  Well, yes - yes, I do.  Really.  But without knowing more about your horse, I can't really tell you which monoflap saddles would be your best -

CALLER (sighing heavily):  Ok.  So just tell me about the Frank Baines.

ME:  Sure.  The Enigma.

CALLER (even bigger sigh): Well of COURSE the Enigma - do you have any OTHER Baines monoflap saddles?

ME:  Not close contact, no.  Well, the Enigma is a real jump-focus saddle - great cross-country saddle, and is designed -

CALLER:  How does it fit the HORSE?!

ME:  Those saddles are designed with the leaner, more Thoroughbred-type horse in mind.  More like an eventer.

CALLER:  What do you mean, "eventer"?

ME:  Um, three-day eventers?  Lean and rangy conformation ... often Thoroughbreds or Thoroughbred crosses, bigger wither and -

CALLER:  The Vega?

ME:  Again, the leaner Thoroughbred-type horse, I'm afraid.

CALLER:  Well, what DO you have that might work for me?

ME (And I'm normally pretty easy-going where customers are concerned, but by this time I'll admit that I was thinking, Valium? Chloroform?  Mace?):  I'm really not trying to be obtuse, but -

CALLER:  WHAT did you just say to me?!?

ME:  I'm really not trying to be difficult here, honest - I do want to help you.  But without knowing a little more about your horse, I'd be blowing smoke if I told you to try this saddle or that saddle.  In order to really help you out, I have to know -

CLICK.

I guess I didn't have the info she wanted ...

Well, you know, some days are like that:  it's just not worth chewing through the straps.  Fortunately, most of the people I deal with are far more polite and far more forthcoming with details about their horse, and are more than happy to provide me with the information I need to make comprehensive recommendations about saddles that might actually fit.  And honestly, I'm thinking maybe this person was one of those Secret Shoppers who get paid to be difficult.  Who else would get anything out of acting like that?

And Here's to You, Sara Ineson ...

The new year is bringing some changes at the shop:  Sara Ineson left us at the close of '09 to pursue some new challenges.  She started at with Edie in 1996, bringing extensive retail experience from her years in the ski industry.  In addition to being our hunter/jumper and eventing specialist, Sara was our buyer, staying on top of inventory and trends, and doing the ordering.

Sara was also The Organizer.  Whether she was displaying bridles (hung to Pony Club specs, thank you very much), running sales reports or setting the target time for the annual hunter pace, Sara not only had all the ducks in a row - she made sure they were organized by height, marching in step, all in the same direction, with their bills spit-shined and their feathers in fine trim.

So we all wanted to say a little something about the years we've worked with Sara.  And since it's my blog, I get to go first:

I've known Sara since high school, when she used to terrify me at local horse shows by burning up the course in the jumper classes. (I can remember watching her and her horse Forté during one jump-off, clearing fences at about Mach 4, and thinking, "Ohmygod, they're gonna die, they're gonna die" - which, obviously, they didn't.)  She taught me a ton about the world of forward-seat riding, showing me the differences between an equitation-focus saddle and a jump-focus saddle, educating me about proper hunt turn-out and explaining the intricacies of Three-Day eventing.  She's a great teacher and friend; I'm going to miss her practical, no-nonsense take on things. I'm glad that she's going to be keeping her mare Hobette here at the farm so we can continue to have our barn aisle conversations about gardening, photography and the State of Horses and Saddle Fitting.

From Edie:

We bid a very fond farewell and good luck to Sara Ineson who has been with the shop through its formative years, and has dealt brilliantly with two entire computer systems. Sara's knowledge of retail is tremendous and I give her a lot of credit in the success of our business.  Sara's horse, "Hobette" will continue to reside at the farm, so we will have the good fortune to be able to access Sara's saddle fitting knowledge from over the paddock fence for some of the tougher cases!  Good luck to you, Sara, and thank you so much for years and years of hard work.

From Nancy:

Sara and I have worked together for 11 years and together we have watched the shop grow into a "Force to be Reckoned with" (as we've been called!) and I will truly miss her and what she brings to the Tack Shop. We sort of fill in each other's missing pieces. Sara is very detail oriented and great with numbers. I see a customer's sales record and my eyes cross and glaze. Yet, we both go that extra mile for our customers and work together on many saddle orders to make sure it's the perfect fit. I've grown to rely on her knowledge and competency. She is my friend and we have shared so much of our lives over the years. I wish her much joy and love in the next phase of her life.

Cause and Symptom

"I'll remove the cause, but not the symptom."

- Dr. Frank N. Furter, Rocky Horror Picture Show

Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Mo (Choosing a Saddler/Fitter)

One of the most constant pieces of advice I seem to give people is, "Find a reputable fitter in your area, and have them come out and take a look/do the adjustment/give you some input."  Hands-on fitting is the optimal way to go - you can do a fitting assessment or see many adjustments that need to be made via photos, and bumping a saddle back up to factory spec is pretty simple - but particularly for more complex fitting issues, having a knowledgeable fitter there in person is the best way to insure correct fit.

I have dispensed this advice for as long as I've been fitting saddles, and I think it's pretty darn sound advice ... but someone recently threw me a curve.  "What I want to know, " this person asked, "is how to find someone who knows their stuff?  And how do I know that they know their stuff?"

And that, dear readers, is a damn good question. 

First, merely finding a fitter can be a fairly daunting task.  We're really pretty thin on the ground.  There are lists of fitters on the Society of Master Saddlers' website here, and on the Master Saddlers Association website here; some saddle companies list their fitters on their web sites, or their reps / retailers are fitters.  And I'm after Mike Scott to put a list of his fitting course's graduates on his web site, too.  But as I've written before (in "For the First-Time Horse Owner" wa-a-a-a-a-y back in Jan.), not all certified fitters are good, and not all good fitters are certified.  Certification is only as good as the organization offering it - some courses are outstanding, and some are little more than "how to sell our saddle" tutorials aimed at a company's reps.  Of course, so much depends on how the individual fitter uses the education offered - you can put forth the best, most comprehensive information available, but how and if someone assimilates and applies the knowledge is key. 

So, if certification isn't really a reliable measure, how do you find a good fitter?  In my experience, word of mouth is a pretty good indicator.  Check with veterinarians, with chiropractors, massage therapists, tack shop and barn owners, and other riders. Most people are more than happy to share their opinions.  If the overwhelming majority of people like or dislike someone, there's usually a pretty good reason.  I know some outstanding saddlers/fitters whose only certification comes from years of successful business and glowing recommendations from their customers, and I know some fitters who have multiple certifications and not much in the way of street cred.  The reverse is true, too.

Another thing to consider is your gut reaction.  No matter how highly recommended a fitter is, if there's something about him/her that you just don't like (even if it's something as basic as the attitude with which they walk into the barn), it may not be a good mix.  Personality does come into the mix with fitters, as it does with your trainer, vet or farrier.  I'm not saying you'll always agree with everything a fitter says, and s/he may make some suggestions that seem a little unusual (I've had times when clients have looked at me as though I'd grown another head), but if the overall feeling isn't a good one, you might want to consider it a learning experience and just move on to someone else.

In addition to reputation and personality, here's a list of things that I think are important to consider when you're choosing a fitter:

1)  Does the fitter listen to my input?  Does s/he take time to get a history of the saddles I've tried, and the fitting issues my horse and I have encountered? 

2)  Does the fitter ask if my horse is or has been experiencing any soundness issues?

3)  Does the fitter pay attention to my horse's reaction?

4)  Is the fitter willing to see if my existing saddle can be made to work, or is s/he immediately telling me I need a new one?

5)  If I do need (or want) a new saddle, what options is the fitter offering?  Am I being pushed toward only one brand, or am I being given a choice?

6)  If I'm trying a new saddle but don't feel comfortable in it, or feel it's not fitting my horse well, does the fitter take that into consideration?

7) (And this is my biggest peeve.)  Is the fitter telling me that the XYZ saddle company makes a saddle that will suit every horse and rider in the world?

As I said before, you won't get on with every fitter out there, and you may have to go through a bit of trial-and-error.  But if you can find someone who'll listen to you and take the time to make sure that you and your horse are comfortable and happy, it will be worth the search.