The SMART Saddle saved my horse's life!

''In a nutshell: The SMART saddle saved my horses life!

My horse, Billy, has EPSM as well as hock arthritis. At the early part of the year he was regularly tying up, sore and lacked condition. He was pretty much retired and we had discussed if it was cruel to keep him going any longer.

I then had a SMART Advisor out for my other horse and we discussed using the same SMART saddle on Billy him for the few rides that he did do, so we duly fitted the saddle to him. Within a couple of weeks the changes in him were plain to see; he had started gaining muscle and you could tell he was enjoying work again. Fast forward 5 months and he is a completely different horse; he's in work 5/6 days a week and even out jumping cross country courses again.

My SMART Advisor has been there for help and advice throughout - including remote fitting advice during lockdown. She has been honest and didn't give up on my hard-to-fit mare, even when all the standard options failed.''

~ Kerry Warner, Leeds

The Game Changer of the Saddle World

''I’ve owned Lenny, a 14hh, 10 year old cob, for 7 years. He everything I’ve ever wanted in a horse. 

We never seemed to have any problems up until I clipped his winter coat to discover white hairs where his saddle would have sat. I was obviously devastated and annoyed at myself that I hadn’t noticed beforehand, but he had never shown any signs of pain or discomfort. I got a physio out to treat his back and had booked an appointment with my saddler - then lockdown hit. This resulted in my appointment being cancelled and being unable to see Lenny for over 3 months (apart from the odd short visit every couple of weeks). 

When things started to get back to the "new normal", I rearranged the appointment. The saddler came out and we tried every saddle he carried with him but unfortunately couldn’t find one to fit both myself and Lenny. Lenny has a very short back and the maximum length saddle with a tree that he could have would be 16 inches. This caused problems for me as although I am petite, I am 5’6 and have relatively long legs meaning my knees went over the front of the saddle. The saddler recommended Solution Saddles and I contacted them emailed them straight away. 

Solution Saddles HQ were extremely helpful and responded quickly. We arranged for my local SMART Advisor to come out to see us 6 days later. My SMART Approved Advisor was absolutely amazing with Lenny and explained everything thoroughly. She answered all my questions in great depth and I couldn’t recommend her more. We did a test ride on that day and decided to take the SMART Eventer Saddle on a two week trial. After the first week I purchased it and it has been the best decision for both myself and Lenny. 

Lenny is now going the best he ever has while being in the best shape ever and we are both enjoying our work so much! 

He is so much freer in his movement and doesn’t feel restricted one bit. Lenny whinnies when I get him in from the field to go riding now so it definitely has his seal of approval! 

My SMART Advisor has checked up on us on multiple occasions to see how we are getting on, so if you are also looking for fantastic customer service, I would definitely recommend Solution Saddles. 

SMART saddles are worth every penny and I would recommend them to anyone; even those who don’t have the same issue as we previously had.''

~ Charlotte Flaws, Northumberland

The SMART start for young showjumper

''Having bought a just-backed 4 year-old Connemara as a prospective show jumping pony, we were, in need of a new saddle. With lots of growing to do, it was suggested that we should initially buy a cheap saddle. This seemed crazy to me, as when a young horse has weak back muscles, this is obviously the time that a perfectly fitting saddle is critical. I was at a loss at what to do, as I didn’t want to buy an expensive saddle that might need to be replaced in 6 months time.

Luckily, we were offered an Original Solution Jumping saddle to borrow as a stop-gap. Initially my daughter was a bit skeptical that a treeless saddle would offer anything like the support and performance she needed from a jumping saddle, however, she was quickly converted and so we decided to invest in a new SMART Pro Jump saddle. That was a few weeks ago and already we can see healthy back muscle starting to develop and my daughter reports that not only does her pony move freely beneath her, but the saddle feels extremely secure and is even more comfy to ride/jump in than the borrowed Original saddle.

With no fixed tree, it’s great to know that this saddle will continue to accommodate our pony’s growth and changes in shape and will hopefully give him the best start to a successful show jumping career – watch this space!

I should also mention that the customer care and support from Solution Saddles is exceptional; nothing ever seems to be too much trouble. Well done Solutions Saddles – great product, great service!''

~ Sara Bagshawe, Oxfordshire