Saddle

The interface between you and the horse, helping your dialogue, your aids, yours and your horse’s comfort. We know it’s about spreading weight but it’s so much more.

AH Saddles – stability on wide horses, the trees and the panels are the very best there are for fitting these trickier shapes. You don’t have to compromise on stability, horse or rider comfort or quality/aesthetics just because you have a wide horse. They are built on wooden trees which are slightly adjustable and are flocked with Jacob wool, meaning they can be adjusted as your horse changes shape and this is almost always done on site.

Ergox2 – a simplified fit for the horse. The horse is given space to lift and move the back directly under the rider and the saddle is balanced correctly. That’s pretty much it. Although built on wooden trees with flocked panels they are a different proposition to the AH brand and most “saddle checks” will consist mainly of checking the overall horse-saddle-rider equation and how it’s progressing, making sure the saddle isn’t hindering beneficial changes in the horse.

If a horse isn’t yet ready for a saddle to be fitted (lameness, asymmetry, “topline syndrome” and other causes) then once a rehab programme is started we can look at “remedial” saddles, usually a second hand saddle or a bareback pad or similar, to allow some ridden work while the horse changes shape. If you’re getting it right they WILL change shape – would you rather that happens before you purchase a new saddle, or after?!

A maintenance schedule will be discussed, and you’ll also be given pointers, usually on our second and third meetings, to help you check the basics of your saddle fit yourself to know best when to seek help.