Hazel Lord - Saddle Fitter

🌞🌞 Due to the heat this afternoon, I’ve moved all of this afternoon’s appointments to cooler days.🌞🌞
Thank you to everyone for being so flexible with the changes. It’s simply not fair on horses, owners or me to be carrying out saddle fittings in these temperatures!
I’ve added some useful tips below for keeping your horses cool in the heat. 🐴☀️💦

Meet Alice and her 15hh Welsh D, Raven! 🐴💛
These two are now the proud owners of their brand new Cavaletti Monoflap Jump Saddle — but getting to this saddle has been a bit of a process!
Raven has proved to be a little bit of a tricky fit, being a rounder native type stabilty has been our priority.. so we’ve worked through several different saddles to find something that genuinely works for them both. But with a bit of perseverance, we’ve finally landed on the Cavaletti. 🙌
The monoflap design sits lovely and stable on Raven, while giving him plenty of room and providing Alice with the secure, supportive seat she was looking for.
I’m so pleased we persevered and found something that works for both horse and rider, rather than settling for something that was just “okay”. ❤️

If you also have a trickier-to-fit round or native type horse or pony you need help with saddling, or you’d like to try a Cavaletti saddle, get in touch and see if I can help! 📩🐴

Today was mostly a day of rechecks — previous clients coming back for routine checks, plus a few new faces.

And quite a few didn’t need any adjustments at all!!!...
. Is it a wasted visit if nothing needed changing? Absolutely not. 🙌
I’d much rather regularly check saddles and find that everything is still fitting well, backs are healthy and happy and only tiny tweaks are needed, than wait until there’s a problem.
Because by then, we can already be dealing with sore backs, changes in way of going or behavioural issues.

So I LOVE a day where everything is plain sailing! 🥰
Routine saddle checks are recommended every 3–6 months to make sure balance, stability, width, flocking, pads and girthing options are all still right for both horse and rider.
Sometimes the best result from a saddle check is simply:
“Everything looks great — see you in a few months!” ❤️🐴

How cute are these two! 🥹
Meet Willow and her new pony, Alfie. ❤️
Willow and her mum have only owned Alfie for a week, and they'd been riding in a treeless saddle. It was a bit slippy and not the best fit, so Mum decided it was time for a proper treed saddle to give Willow more stability and help her progress with her new pony.
We chose this 15" Kent & Masters Pony Club saddle, and it fitted them both beautifully. It gives Willow plenty of room to grow, and with its adjustable gullet, it's ideal if 5-year-old Alfie fills out as he matures too.
Wishing these two lots of happy adventures together! 🐴💕

Sad to hear of the passing yesterday of a great horseman and a true hero of mine,
Monty Roberts "The Horse Whisperer".

He completely changed horsemanship for me, and many around the world!
He became known as "the man who listens to horses", and through him a true sense of compassion and thought for the horse emerged.
Coming from a more traditional training background, he shifted my thinking from simply making horses do things, to understanding them and working in a way that gave them options and thought.

Although natural horsemanship has far continued to evolve since then, Monty was truly at the forefront of changing how people viewed horses and their training, and his influence can still be seen today!

As a teenager I had all of his books and watched him at many shows and demonstrations.
I even had the pleasure of meeting him when I took one of my geldings to be used in one of his demos many years ago! I still have the prized Dually halter that monty gave me at that demo!
He was a genuinely lovely, kind and personable man.
Rest in peace, Monty. Your legacy will live on.

📍 Cheltenham Zone Day – Friday 7th

I'll be in the Cheltenham area on Friday 7th and have 3 appointment spaces available.

Appointments are available in Cheltenham, Gloucester, Bishops Cleeve, Tewkesbury, North Bristol, or the surrounding areas, as well as anywhere en route between Bristol and Cheltenham... Feel free to get in touch to see if I'm passing or near!

🐴 Is your horse due a saddle check?• Has their shape changed recently?• Has their workload increased?• Have you noticed any changes in behaviour or performance?• Do you feel off balance or insecure in the saddle?• Is your saddle slipping or constantly tipping you?

Services I offer:✔ Full saddle fit checks, including assessment of your saddle, saddle pads and girthing set-up.✔ On-site flock top-ups to improve balance, stability and comfort.✔ Gullet bar changes, with a large selection of bars carried in stock.✔ New and quality used saddle sales to suit a range of budgets (please contact me for current availability).

If you'd like to find out more about me or read some of my customer reviews, head over to my page. If you'd like to book one of these remaining appointments, just send me a message! 😊

📍 WALES ZONE DAYS 📍
I'm heading over to Wales on two dates this July, so if you've been meaning to get your horse's saddle checked, now's a great time to book in!

***📅 Tuesday 21st July***
Limited availability – just 2 afternoon appointments left!
Covering the route between Chepstow, Caldicot, Magor, Newport, Cwmbran, Pontypool, Blackwood and surrounding areas.

****📅 Tuesday 28th July***
Morning & afternoon appointments available
Covering Chepstow, Newport, Cwmbran, Caerphilly and surrounding areas.

Appointments available for: ✔️ Saddle fitting checks ✔️ New & quality used saddle fittings ✔️ On-site flock top-ups ✔️ Gullet bar changes & saddle adjustments ✔️ Help with girthing & saddle pads

📩 Send me a message to book your appointment or to check if I cover your area.

To all my wonderful clients.. If you know a great saddle fitter.. and want to nominate them.. I'll put the link in the comments 😁 👇❤️

🏆 Is Your Equine Fitter Simply the Best? 🏆

It is time to recognise the experts who ensure the comfort and performance of our horses! Nominations are now open for the Equine Fitter Award (Saddlery, Bits, and Bridles).

This award, sponsored by the Equine Fitters Directory aims to honour saddle, bridle, and bit fitters who go the extra mile to provide a high level of competence and support for their customers. At the heart of the BETAs are a commitment to quality and high standards, and this category celebrates those professionals who uphold these values in the field.

Who can nominate? Nominations are made by consumers who have used a fitter’s services within the last year.

Who is eligible? You can nominate any independent or employed fitter, regardless of whether they are a BETA member or a non-member.

Make sure your nomination is submitted by 9 July 2026.
Link in the comments >>>

The award will be presented at the prestigious BETA Gala Dinner on Sunday, 27th September 2026, held at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole. It promises to be a fantastic evening featuring a three-course dinner and live music.

Help us celebrate the dedicated professionals who keep our horses comfortable and safe. Head to the BETA website to nominate your fitter today!

This is very interesting!
There reaches a point with saddle slip where we have to consider lameness or asymmetric movement in the horse causing it.

The Great Saddle Slip Mystery🔍

Your saddle slips to the left.

So naturally, you buy a new girth.

It still slips.🤨

So you buy a fancy anatomical girth, a non-slip saddle pad, and perhaps a breastplate with enough straps to secure a small aircraft.

It still slips.😠

So you call a saddle fitter.

Then another saddle fitter.

Then one recommended by a friend who swears they transformed her horse's life.

It still slips.😖

At this point, many horse owners begin to suspect that they're somehow destined to spend the rest of their life searching for the mythical saddle setup that stays exactly where it should.

But before you spend another dollar on tack or lose respect for your latest saddle-fitter, let me tell you about some fascinating research by Line Greve and Sue Dyson.🤓

Because what they discovered put some very important information on the table to consider when you have a saddle slip issue.

The researchers investigated horses with persistent saddle slip and found that many of them had underlying hindlimb lameness.

Now, stay with me if you just rolled your eyes and think this isn't you case because your horse is clearly NOT lame....

The type of lameness identified was not the obvious kind where the horse is hopping around on three legs.

The subtle kind.🤔

The sort of issue that can quietly affect performance, behaviour, balance, and movement long before anyone recognises it as a soundness problem.

Why?

Because horses with discomfort or dysfunction or weakness in a hind leg often alter the way they move. They redistribute load, change how they push off the ground, and compensate through their body. Those altered forces travel through the horse's back and can gradually push the saddle off centre.

This doesn't just apply to horses with obvious injuries. It can occur in horses with mild lameness, asymmetries, weakness, developmental immaturity, or conditions affecting structures such as the stifle, sacroiliac region, suspensory apparatus, or other parts of the hind limb.

Now here's the part that many people find surprising.

The researchers found that saddle slip was actually associated with well-balanced saddles that had even contact and good flocking.😲

In other words, a saddle that slips isn't necessarily poorly fitted.

In fact, if you've had the saddle checked, adjusted, reflocked, replaced, and the problem keeps returning, there may be something else worth investigating.

The most compelling finding came when the researchers identified the source of the hindlimb pain and used diagnostic nerve blocks to remove the discomfort.

The saddle slip disappeared in 97% of cases.😱

Read that again.

Ninety-seven percent.😱

The saddle didn't change.

The girth didn't change.

The saddle pad didn't change.

The horse's movement changed.🤯

That's a pretty powerful clue.😎

One of the biggest challenges with horses is that we often focus on the symptom we can see rather than the cause we can't.

The slipping saddle becomes the problem.

The canter transition becomes the problem.

The spooky behaviour becomes the problem.

The horse drifting through the shoulder becomes the problem.

But sometimes these things are not separate problems at all.

Sometimes they are all clues pointing towards the same underlying issue.

So if your saddle consistently slips despite multiple fitting assessments and equipment changes, it may be worth considering whether your horse is trying to tell you something.

And if that saddle slip is accompanied by things like:
- Canter difficulties
- Resistance under saddle
- Reactive or spooky behaviour
- Struggles with engagement
then the possibility of an underlying soundness issue becomes even more important to investigate.⚠️

One of the most valuable lessons I've learned working with horses is that behaviour, performance, and movement are often connected in ways that aren't immediately obvious.

A slipping saddle may not always indicate a soundness issue...sometimes it can be a YOU issue, but that is for another article another day.

But if it keeps happening despite your best efforts to fix it, it might be worth looking beyond the saddle.💡

Sometimes the saddle is not the problem.

It's the clue.

References
Greve, L., & Dyson, S. J. (2013). An Investigation of the Relationship Between Hindlimb Lameness and Saddle Slip. Equine Veterinary Journal, 45(5), 570-577.
Greve, L., & Dyson, S. J. (2014). The Interrelationship of Lameness, Saddle Slip and Back Shape in the General Sports Horse Population. Equine Veterinary Journal, 46(6), 687-694.

Collectable Advice 226/365. Please SHARE or hit SAVE. Please no copy and pasting.

Beautiful big boy Bally is currently trialling this Cavaletti GP. 🐴

His owner got in touch because she felt his current saddle wasn't quite right for him. At 5 years old, Bally still has plenty of developing and changing shape to do over the next couple of years, so an adjustable saddle felt like the best option.
After trying a few different saddles, we settled on this Cavaletti GP for his trial. If they're both happy with it, I'll order the same saddle in brown and the correct seat size for his rider.
Wishing them lots of happy miles together over the next few days!

If you're looking for a new saddle or think your current one isn't quite right, feel free to get in touch—I'm always happy to help.