Hazel Lord - Saddle Fitter

Lovely to have met Mr Mo yesterday. ❤️

He’s been off with an injury since March, so his owner wanted to make sure his tack was still comfortable and suitable as they get ready to start some light ridden work again.

Happy to say his saddle is still fitting well after a minor flocking adjustment. 👌 I'll be back out to reassess it being ridden in once he's back in regular work, but we did manage a very light sit in the saddle yesterday — the first time his owner has been on board since March!
It’s been a very long few months for them both, so I’m wishing them the very best of luck as they start their journey back into ridden work. 🐴❤️

✨ Now Taking September & October Bookings 🐴

Has your horse changed shape with the summer grass?

Has their behaviour suddenly changed and you need to rule out their tack?

Are you feeling unlevel in your saddle, slipping to one side, or feeling less secure?

Or is your horse simply due their regular saddle check?

I'm now taking bookings for September & October. 📅

Get in touch to check availability, or to find out when I'm next in your area.

And if you're new to my page, have a look through my reviews and previous posts to find out a little more about me and how I work. 😊

Message me to book or enquire.

One of the most dangerous beliefs in the equestrian industry is the idea that performance equals comfort.

Many horses become incredibly successful while carrying saddle-related damage throughout their entire careers.

But discomfort does not always look dramatic, sometimes it looks like a horse winning.

I cannot tell you how many photographs I have seen of horses competing at high levels where the evidence of saddle-related dysfunction is visible immediately, even from a single still image.

Sadly, many of these horses are praised for their “work ethic.”
Because horses adapt.

A horse can learn to tolerate pressure over reflex points, continue to move with restricted shoulder freedom. A horse can develop protective patterns that stabilize the body enough to continue performing the requested tasks, by redistributing load elsewhere in the body.

But performance is not proof of wellness.

In many cases, if an owner has never seen the horse moving freely, they genuinely do not realize there is a problem. The stiffness becomes “just how he goes.” The resistance under saddle becomes “her personality.” The lack of impulsion becomes “he’s lazy.” The inability to truly lift through the back becomes “a training issue.”

The body in front of them becomes their baseline normal and that is a very dangerous thing.

When dysfunction develops gradually, the eye adapts to it.

This is why I believe every single person who rides horses should at least have a foundational understanding of saddle fit, anatomy, and biomechanics.

Not because everyone needs to become a saddle fitter, but because every rider has a responsibility to recognize when the horse’s body is whispering before it starts screaming.

Because the horse’s willingness to continue trying should never be used as evidence that the system is working.

Sometimes the horses who tolerate the most are the ones that have been suffering the longest.

Lovely day out fitting in the Forest of Dean today! 🐴🌲

First up was Ronnie for a routine check and small flock adjustment to improve the balance of his saddle.

Then on to the cattle farm to find a new (second-hand) saddle for Henry. He’s new to his mother-and-daughter share, so we needed something that worked well for both riders. We settled on a Wintec AP — lightweight and adjustable.

Next was lovely big grey ID x Bobby. His owner wanted to see if the saddles from his previous horse would work for Bobby too. His jump saddle was a good fit, but needed a full reflock and some restitching, so that came home with me. His dressage saddle was okay for now, although we may look at some other options in the future to give his owner a little more stability.

Then on to Bobby’s stablemate, cob Milo. His own saddle was unfortunately a no-go, but luckily we found another in the tack room that fitted much better! 😄

I also managed to call in on a previous client between yards to collect a saddle for a girth strap repair over the weekend. 

Love a varied day... Especially in the backdrop of the stunning Forest, I forgot to take many pictures sadly though 😂.

🌞🌞 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! 😊