Saddle Fitting

Our in-house fitters cover, Lancashire & Cumbria, Cheshire & Merseyside, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

We are also proud to have an independent fitter in every county across the UK! Find a local fitter

Yes, we can! Book your saddle fitting today for Lancashire & Cumbria, Cheshire & Merseyside, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

We are also proud to have an independent fitter in every county across the UK! Find a local fitter

Yes they are!  We have a whole range of qualifications within our nationwide saddle fitting team, some of our saddle fitters are independent, others employed, and their levels range from Society of master saddlers, Master Saddle Fitters, MSFC Qualified saddle fitters to those just starting on their journey with us to gain qualifications.  The most important thing is that we are all driven and passionate about horse welfare through finding the perfect fitting saddle for you and your horse.

Here at Saddles Direct we really try to make your saddle fitting day a great experience and hope you come out of it having learned quite a bit about your horse and your saddle.

Our saddle fitters are people focused who are totally driven by horse welfare and actually your saddle fitting experience starts before we even get to see you and your horse.  We will ask you lots of questions about you and your horse, email you lots of information so you are prepared.

Our saddle fitter will select the best saddles for you and your horse and be with you on the day of your appointment.  They will do a full assessment of your horse, take templates, assess your current saddle if required, try other saddles if necessary and give you the best advice in helping you find your perfect fitting saddle.

Please allow an hour either side of your appointment for traffic and up to 2 hours for your saddle fitting appointment.

How to get the most out of your saddle fitting

For some of the adjustable brands, such as Bates, Wintec and Arena we can adjust the saddle to customise the fit using the HART systems, so you receive it exactly as you need, ready to ride.

As a minimum every 6 months, please do not wait until your horse shows signs it’s in pain this is too late.

Yes it’s an extra cost but the peace of mind is really worth it and  don’t forget if you wait until there is a problem the costs could include physios and vets so prevention rather than cure is better for you, your horse and your pocket!

We stock The Perfect Fit Kit which is a great tool for monitoring your horse's shape at home, so you can keep in regular contact with your saddle fitter and they only come out when they need to.

Our saddle fitting fees vary depending where you live in the UK, how far we may have to travel and how many horses we are seeing on your yard.

The average saddle fitting is £75 for us to come to you, or £50 if you travel to us. We do offer discounted fittings for yard group bookings.

Saddle Fitters are scarce, and they spend an awfully long time training to become a saddle fitter which is very expensive.  They also have insurance, vehicles, running costs, membership fees, stock investment, advertising etc.  So actually a saddle fitting fee is absolutely crucial to ensure we keep attracting saddle fitters to the industry for the welfare of our horses.

Ok this is a really difficult question because here at Saddles Direct we live by our philosophy of being “The Saddle People’ and our ethos is to strive for the perfect fitting saddle for you and your horse so we cannot guarantee to have a saddle that fits if your budget is limited. 

As a general guide we work with minimum budgets of around £750 for a used saddle and £1000 for a new saddle. Synthetic saddles can come in cheaper sometimes.

Your Saddle is the most expensive part of your kit but ultimately if you get it wrong, you will hurt your horse and could end up injuring yourself.  Do not take short cuts on buying a saddle, get the right advice and the right saddle for the best price you can but please do not compromise.

The virtual saddle fitting service is perfect for people who don't know where to start and are unable to access a local saddle fitter.

• Photos of the horse stood square from various angles, with and without a saddle on.
• Your horse walking and trotting up in hand so we can see how the horse moves.
• A video of the horse being ridden and worked in your chosen discipline.

You may also be asked to purchase a Back Templating Kit, so we can see your horse's shape accurately.

This is not a replacement for an in-person fitting, and there is no way to guarantee fit without physically seeing the horse. But, it is better than guessing.

Saddles Direct aims for your saddle fitting appointment to be a positive experience. We want everything to run as smoothly as possible. For us to supply a great level of service to you, we have provided terms and conditions that you’ll need to agree when booking your fitting appointment.

These terms and conditions offer a level of protection for you and our business. Please make yourself aware of the terms and conditions.

Read the full Terms & Conditions