For me, my saddle is a very personal thing. I am very loyal
to my saddles and I spend a huge amount of time in and around them. As they are
the gateway to communication with my horses when I am riding, both of us have
to have our needs met for us to perform at our best.
When my top horse, Wonderboy, matured and changed shape, his
previously well-fitting saddle stopped working for him. His back muscles have broadened
out from under the stirrup bars through the back of the saddle – there was
nothing for it, he had to have a new saddle!
As a rider who has ridden many different horses, I have
ridden on many of the leading brands and I had a fair idea of what I like and
what I really can’t stand to ride on. I trawled the internet, looking for
something that would suit Wonderboy’s wide back and my need for support but a
close, narrow feel. I had saddlers out to fit him, I tried saddles from the
internet, wasting time while my chiropractor moaned at me that his saddle was
damaging his muscles.
Then, one fortunate day, I came across Bliss of London
saddles! I emailed Nikki for information, as it seemed to me that the only way
forward would be a custom-made saddle as most modern saddles have the same
width to the back of the tree regardless of the front measurement. Nikki
reassured me that it should be possible to match my requirements with the
horse’s comfort. She came out to me with all the Bliss dressage models in a
variety of sizes. We spent a long time, seeing which tree shapes fitted
Wondeboy best and which blocks, leathers and seats worked for me. It was the
Paramour dressage, covered in nubuck, that seemed to be the best so I rode
Wonderboy in that for the rest of his work session that day – he did the most
enormous spook/ handstand combo and neither me nor the saddle moved an inch –
SOLD! I was so comfortable and balanced that I forgot about the saddle and just
rode, proof that it was perfect for me.
Back in the yard, Nikki took great pains to measure
Wonderboy carefully so that the perfect tree could be used for his saddle,
noting what gussets and panel shapes he would want, whether serge or leather
covering would suit his back better. Then, over a cup of coffee we worked out
the personalised shape to the thigh blocks for me and some of the finishing
touches. Nikki and I agreed on a Maple leaf behind my leg and a fine red line
around the seat and back of the cantle.
A couple of weeks later, and my saddle arrived. It is
beautiful! Nikki came out and checked the fit, which was spot on. The nubuck
covering gives great security and meant that it did not need that awkward
breaking-in period. I have been using that saddle since April this year, I have
been around Europe competing with it and it has been fantastic. I am sure it
has played a massive part in our great results – Wonderboy and I are currently
9th in the FEI World Rankings!
In fact, my saddle has been such a success that I bought a
second one, custom-made to fit my up-and-coming horse, Double Agent. She has
improved so much since having her own saddle; greater freedom of movement and
willingness to work.
I whole-heartedly recommend Bliss of London saddles for
their wonderful attention to detail, both in the fit for horse and rider and
the aesthetics. One of life’s strange things is that when a saddle fits this
well, you don’t notice it- you just ride the horse and feel the harmony.
