Best way to buy a 'new' saddle

[Star the Fell]

Mylo came with a lovely, good quality 17 inch saddle. However I slide around too much in it, could do with a 16 inch, and also there is a bit of movement in trot, so perhaps not fitting him correctly now.
My plan when I was looking for a saddle for Star was to get a fairly local company out...they take details over the phone and come out with a selection of saddles to try. However, they stopped this service a couple of weeks ago, and you now have to go to them. I have no transport, so it's not an option.
Do I get a saddle fitter out ( £70) to assess his current saddle and make recommendations for a replacement, then get them out again to assess new saddle when I find one, or do I buy a 'saddle fitting kit' from the above company, buy a saddle then get a fitter out in the hope that what I have chosen is suitable?
I can't afford brand new, so looking at second hand, max budget including fitting(s) would be £500.

Last saddle I bought was new and treeless, so not as stressful!!

 

[Jessey]

Honestly, I'd pay the 65 quid for the half day hire of a little lorry and go to the local folks

 

[carthorse]

If you trust the local company & they have a range of suitable saddles then I'd do as Jessey suggests & hire transport. Round here there are saddlers who'll come out with a range of new & used saddles & that's the approach I'd take, though obviously it does help if you can give them a fair bit of information so they can telI if they have suitable ones - saddlers will often cover a fairly large area.

I must admit I wouldn't want to buy and hope it fitted or could be adjusted to do so, it's an expensive mistake if it doesn't.

 

[Flipo's Mum]

Saddle fitter near me has a range of saddles and will suit your budget, all pretty much dealt with in one visit to you. I'd always pick that option if I had no transport. She quite often sells saddles on behalf of other folk so has a stack of second hand ones

 

[chunky monkey]

I tried to get a second hand from two reputable saddlers round me and they still quoted £700 but said they didn't have anything in at present that was likely to fit. Personally I think they say that so you buy new.
I would have someone out. £70 seems a lot. I think mine charge £40. You might have to have a couple of visits but if you are buying from them they should only charge one call out or some don't charge the call out as you are buying the saddle. One visit to take measurements and try some saddles, if they don't have something suitable they may need to order something in. Also the flocking will settle fairly quickly on a new one and may need additional adding after a couple of months.
I wouldn't buy a saddle and hope it fits if you don't know about saddle fitting.

 

[newforest]

In the past I have had someone out. She was honest and said she would only likely have two or three sales that fitted as he was xwide. She didn't stock new so that was never that issue of the buying new.

Is there any other companies who travel?
Who do your friends use?
I don't have an issue with new if it fits. Last saddle was m2m treeless.

Are you normally a 16" seat? As he is carrying too much weight this will influence your position and stirrup length and probably the overall fit.

 

[chunky monkey]

I seem to remember the saddler telling me that the saddle is longer if the horse has a long back. So that the weight is distributed over the back more evenly.
You don't want to buy a shorter saddle and find its putting pressure on the wrong place on the back.

 

[Lissie]

Is there anyway you can get transport? Friends or hire something?

I think that is the best option. £70 is a lot to have a saddle fitter out and some aren't actually that good at recommending makes, models etc. And if they do and you buy something you don't know if it will fit until you actually try the saddle on the horse and also if it's comfy for you too. I'm in the same position atm no saddle fitters seem to have a good range of second hand in stock, I could buy online but could waste my money if it doesn't fit, I'm now looking at part exing a saddle to buy new.

 

[Jessey]

I've brought online a lot (initially as for western you kind of have to), but I need to have some basic understanding first, suspected width , rock and length needed and the types of things I do and don't like in a saddle, like seat style, knee/thigh rolls, different panel types etc (easy if you have tried lots recently, not so much if you haven't brought a saddle in years ) and then I buy good quality, well known brands at reasonable prices that I am pretty confident I could sell on and make my money back on, yes it can be an inconvenience and take months to get a saddle but I haven't lost much over the years doing that.

 

[Lissie]

@Jessey wish I could do that, but I've been told so many different things now I have no idea what I'm meant to get or what I'll like.