The Goal Is to Narrow the Search

If you’re looking for a saddle fitter near you, one of the first things you may discover is that not all saddle fitters work in the same way. Some represent a particular saddle manufacturer, while others, like Northeast Saddle Fitters, work independently across multiple brands.

Neither is automatically the better choice. The question is: Which type of saddle fitter do you need right now?

Understanding the difference can save you time, help you ask better questions, and make the search for the right saddle much less overwhelming.

There are a tremendous number of saddles on the market. Trying to shop by brand name alone can become frustrating very quickly.

A horse may need certain characteristics in the tree, panel, channel, length or overall shape. The rider also needs to be considered. Seat size, balance, flap or fender position, discipline, security and comfort all affect whether a saddle actually works for the partnership.

That’s why I like to look at the whole picture—the horse, the rider and the saddle together.

Sometimes the saddle you already own can work with an adjustment or another solution.

Sometimes we discover that it simply isn’t a good match.

And sometimes the fitting points us toward a particular manufacturer.

At that point, calling the appropriate brand representative makes perfect sense.

It doesn’t have to be independent fitter versus brand fitter. In fact, sometimes the best outcome comes from knowing when to involve both.

PICKING THE RIGHT SADDLE

As an independent saddle fitter, my responsibility is to the horse and rider—not to a particular saddle brand. If, during a fitting, I see characteristics that make me believe a saddle from a particular manufacturer could be a better option for your horse, I will not hesitate to recommend that brand—even when that manufacturer requires you to work directly with one of their own fitters or representatives.

My job is to help identify what your horse needs and give you the information to make the best decision moving forward. If the best next step is introducing you to or recommending a brand representative who has the saddles, product knowledge and fitting options your horse needs, I’ll tell you.

Likewise, an independent fitting can help narrow the field before you contact a manufacturer. Instead of simply saying, “I need a new saddle,” you can approach the brand fitter with a much clearer understanding of your horse, your current saddle, and the characteristics we’re looking for.

The goal is to help you and your horse find the right solution.

WHEN TO USE A BRAND

HORSE’S NEEDS

Maybe your current saddle isn’t working, but you don’t know why. Perhaps your horse has changed shape, you’ve changed disciplines, or you’re shopping for a new saddle and don’t know where to begin.

You may also have been told:

“You need a different saddle.”

Okay—but what kind?

This is where an independent saddle fitter can be particularly useful.

Rather than beginning with a manufacturer’s catalog, I begin with the horse and rider.

I look at the horse’s conformation and back, the rider, the current saddle, how the saddle sits, and—when appropriate—what happens when the horse moves under saddle.

From there, we can begin identifying what characteristics a saddle needs to have.

That may lead us toward several possible brands rather than immediately toward one.

Finding Saddle Fitters and Brand Representatives in New England

I’ve put together the table below as a starting resource for horse owners looking for representatives or fitters for several well-known saddle brands.

Black Country Saddles	Trumbull Mountain Tack Shop in Vermont	Arbitrage Tack in Connecticut	New England Saddle Fit in Massachusetts
County	General website form to find a fitter	877-41-HORSE	New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island
Custom	Rebecca Nelson in New Hampshire (207-400-9025) echoequinewellness@gmail.com),	Meg Cartwright in Maine (207-340-8143; Meg.cart2001@gmail.com),	Felicia Eick, Joan Guyotte Riedel, and Lauren Croce under Massachusetts
Stübben North America	Sue Berrill S.berrill@stubbensaddles.com. VT/NH/ME, and Essex and Middlesex counties of MA	E.scott@stubbensaddles.com for Western CT	E.wise@stubbensaddles.com for (most) of MA, RI and (most) CT.
Prestige, Albion, Butet	Sara Kilguss	Vermont, New Hampshire, CT, Me, MA	sksaddlefit@gmail.com

So, Who Should You Call?

A simple way to decide is to ask yourself one question:

Do I already know what brand I want—or am I still trying to determine what my horse and I need?

If you know the brand, contact the brand’s representative.

If you don’t know what you need yet, an independent fitter can help you step back, evaluate the whole picture and narrow your options.

And if that process leads us to a particular manufacturer, involving that company’s fitter may be exactly the right next step.

At Northeast Saddle Fitters, I work independently with English and Western saddles throughout New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts , Connecticut, and Rhode Island. My goal isn’t to make your horse fit a particular saddle brand. It’s to help you understand what I’m seeing, what your horse needs, what you need as the rider, and what a well-fitted saddle should look and feel like for the two of you.

What I Bring to a Fitting

The saddles I may show you are ones across the board, whether English or Western, I will share what I feel is a good match. It may be a used or new, or on consignment. Some brands have been Black Country, High Horse, Crest Ridge, GFS, Kent & Masters, Wintec, Thorowgood, Arena, Stubben, Loxley, County and DP. The list continually changes as my relationship and knowledge of the brands grow. I use these to help identify and show you what saddle could work.

If it’s in my collection, depending on the circumstances, I may let you borrow it, or sell it. It boils down to being the best fit.

Above all else, I want you in saddle so you can continue to ride.

Sometimes the answer is the saddle you already have. Sometimes it’s a different saddle. And sometimes the best thing I can do is point you toward the right person to take the next step.

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