Natalie Hills Saddlery

Back from a jam packed day of visiting the wonderful blackcountrysaddles and albionsaddlemakers! Worth every mile driven. Lots of beautiful saddles to see and sit in! Even got to sit in the teeny tiny Black Country Shetland saddle 12”!!

FG Saddlery David Dyer Saddles

Don’t forget to get your votes in! Plenty of different categories, not just for us fitters. Check it out and if you feel one or more of your equine professionals have gone above and beyond for you, make sure you put their name down. 🥰

Has a saddle/ bit/ bridle fitter gone above and beyond to ensure the absolute comfort, safety, and performance of your horse?
Now is your chance to give them the industry recognition they deserve.

Nominations are officially open for the Equine Fitter of the Year Award, proudly supported by the Equine Fitters Directory. Whether they specialise in saddles, bridles, or bit fitting, we want to hear about the professionals keeping our horses happy and healthy.
⚠️ Deadline to nominate: 9th July 2026.

Don't wait—click the link in the comments to submit your nomination and celebrate the best in the industry!

That’s it, I’m done for the day! Thoroughly cooked through like a pork joint! This is where I’m camping out for the next few hours. Over and out!

Been getting my creative kicks this evening. Any ideas what we have been making this evening?. ❤️

When it’s hotter than Satan’s armpit out there, but those chores still need “choring”! Horse hosed off, fresh water filled. ☀️

This is why we say it is so important to see the main rider ride as our wants and needs vary hugely. I can’t predict what saddle you will prefer and find the most comfortable, which is why when we do a saddle fit, we want to see you ride in as many as possible to establish what combination works best for both the horse and the rider, together.

🤔Too short? Too long? Or just right?

Finding your ideal stirrup length should be based on your body and your physical ability, not tradition, trends or what someone else’s stirrups look like.

👀 Look at all the lines on the Core top and Align Jods - don’t just look at the stirrup length!

One of the biggest myths in the equestrian world is that longer stirrups automatically create a better position.

In reality, longer stirrups increase the physical demands placed on the rider. As stirrups get longer, less weight is supported through the feet and more is supported through the seat. The leg becomes a longer lever, the stirrup provides less support, and the rider needs greater balance, stability and pelvic control to maintain their position.

That’s why some riders actually improve when their stirrups are shortened by a hole or two.

This is one of the reasons I love my custom-made dressage saddle from (not just the pink parts, honest 😉). It allows me to adjust stirrup length and knee block position to suit the rider’s body, rather than forcing the rider to fit the saddle. Offering different shaped/size blocks, like they do, is the way forward for dressage saddles 💪.

Too often riders choose knee blocks based on appearance or trends. Knee blocks should suit your mobility, flexibility, leg length and physical ability - not the latest fashion.

The saddle should support the rider.

The rider shouldn’t have to contort themselves to fit the saddle.

Which length suits this rider best - 1, 2 or 3? 👇

Great day at the Prestige UK seminar. Lots of lovely saddles and some very useful information to process and digest.