This month: Compromises are sometimes the best solution
It isn’t often that I try to discourage clients from buying saddles but recently it has happened on two separate occasions. The circumstances were identical and involved riders just starting off in eventing. They were both on a limited budget but wanted a saddle for the dressage phase and another for the cross country. The questions they asked were very similar. How much was the very cheapest dressage saddle? How much was the very cheapest saddle that would be suitable for cross country?
I explained that we didn’t stock the very cheapest saddles because I had never found any with which I was satisfied. Often the materials were extremely poor quality and the workmanship had absolutely nothing to do with ‘craftsmanship’ – and was sometimes woefully inadequate. The problems on the exterior of such saddles are fairly obvious but I have had a couple opened up and found even more trouble inside. Both had diabolical trees, one was stuffed with rather grubby rags and the other had masses of pieces of foam, some of it extraordinarily hard, inside it. I am not prepared to sell saddles that have inherent problems that might be the cause of accidents. Furthermore, poor quality saddles don’t last, have very little resale value – indeed, are sometimes worth absolutely nothing at all. Far from being cheap, in real terms I regard such saddles as very expensive. (I should add that I don’t know of any British manufacturer who turns out such rubbish – the majority of saddles made in this country are good quality and many can be numbered among the very best in the world.)
I explained my reasoning to both clients and suggested the most workable solution would be to buy one good quality saddle that could be used for all three phases. ‘GP’, ‘Event’, ‘All-purpose’ and ‘Working Hunter’ saddles come in a fairly wide range of designs. Some are more suited to flatwork, others to jumping – and some are a good compromise. Of course, high quality specialist saddles for each phase are the optimum – but better a workable compromise than a disaster in the making. I concluded my advice by mentioning that, by the time I was eventing at international level, I certainly owned specialist saddles for both my horses but that, in the early days, I was restricted to one well fitting GP-type saddle for each horse!
Compromises do sometimes have to be made. I recently fitted a new saddle for a very nice young horse that the owner intended to enter in riding horse classes and also do some dressage with, first at riding club level, later at affiliated level. Some years back she had shown ponies and then hacks and she was only too aware that some judges frown on the use of dressage saddles in showing classes. She was on a limited budget and we had a discussion about the best possible compromise. In the end we settled for a dressage saddle that was not as bulky - and with a slightly less defined seat - than some. I arranged for my saddler to replace the long girth straps with some of conventional length. Although brown is still the preferred colour for showing, the black saddle suited the grey horse very well. Anyway, I am expecting to hear that the horse, a lovely free-moving animal with elegant paces, is doing well.
As I’ve said on many occasions, quality saddles cost a lot of money but, considering the cost of the materials and the craftsmanship involved, they are actually remarkable inexpensive. In fact, there is very little on the market that can compare with saddles when it comes to value for money. Owners and riders don’t always appreciate the amount of time it takes to make a good saddle – or that it takes a minimum of four years’ training to acquire the skills. Investment in the research and development of innovations that could contribute to the achievement of optimum performance can be expensive in terms of both time and money. Manufacturers are constantly working with leading riders in all the major disciplines in order to develop saddles that will increase the comfort of horse and rider and benefit performance. Seeing only the finished article, it’s easy to fail to understand the numerous – and often complicated - processes involved.
Competition at international level is much fiercer than it used to be and more and more nations, without any prior history of equestrian competitions, are getting involved and taking it very seriously. Attention to detail has never been greater – and this applies to saddles as much as to anything. The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) recently made a very considerable investment in the revolutionary Pliance Saddle System as an aid to preparing our elite riders for the Olympics and other international competitions. Research into pressure points is not new but what makes the system unique is its ability to show pressure areas in real time while the horse is moving, whether at the walk, trot, canter, gallop or when jumping. The Society of Master Saddlers made a small contribution towards the cost of Pliance and it is undertaking the tests and trials on behalf of the BEF. The research that is being undertaken will produce knock-on effects that will lead to benefits for all horses and riders.
Horse owners and riders in the UK are very fortunate that the Society of Master Saddlers has so much influence on saddle-making and saddle-fitting. The Society is undoubtedly the most influential saddlery-related body in the world and the work it undertakes makes a huge contribution to safety, welfare and comfort of horses and their riders.
KEN LYNDON DYKES is a Society of Master Saddlers’ Qualified Saddle Fitter who specialises in fitting competition and problem horses. He is available to give demonstrations and talks and has recently returned to after dinner speaking on a wide variety of subjects. Telephone: 01622 844440 (office) or 07973 501873 (mobile).
