Q: What is the difference between a saddler and a saddle fitter?
A: Quite often, people say they need the saddler when they actually need a saddle fitter. The two are entirely different.
The saddler is the person who physically makes the saddle. They are craftspeople skilled in cutting, stretching, and creating the saddle. The saddle fitter and saddler may work together to discuss the horse and rider, and sometimes, the saddler will find a design to solve fit issues that the saddle fitter cannot with an off-the-peg item.
A saddle fitter, on the other hand, assesses the saddle’s fit for both horse and rider. They perform routine checks to ensure ongoing fit and follow a protocol to observe any changes to the horse, saddle or rider. Saddle fitters need to have extensive knowledge of horse conformation, gait, anatomy and physiology, as well as know about saddle types, how saddles are made, tree and panel designs and how to solve issues.
In summary, a saddler makes the saddle but isn’t trained to fit the saddle, while the saddle fitter fits the saddle but can’t make the saddle. Rarely do you meet individuals who are both saddlers and saddle fitters, but these people are the exception rather than the rule.