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Can anyone give insite into the "career". I've ridden & owned my own horse for over ten years and find saddles and saddle fitting most interesting. Plus I think I need a job change! Any responders, thank you in advance.
..and your experience in saddle fitting, construction, horse anatomy, rider anatomy, physical function of the saddle etc. etc. etc. It's why there are so many absolutely horrid saddle fitters coimpack out there, all it takes is a magnetic sign, a checklist with drawings to put in measurements and a gullible bunch of clients who won't admit they don't have a clue about their horses or saddle fitting (namely, most riders--uh, passengers).
Thanks Trakehner... I never thought about the horse anatomy & rider anatomy... I can see your point about horrid saddle fitters. But, how would one start in the business? Go to school to become a Master Saddle fitter? coimpack Work with a saddle fitter for a number of years?
The best fitter I ever knew started out working for Bates in the UK as an assistant to a regular Bates seller/fitter. She said that when they got a sale (or maybe an inquiery) they went out in a van with a bunch of saddles in the back. The salesman would assess the horse and rider and bring out a saddle and try it out. It could take some time but usually it was a fairly quick process as the salesman was very experienced coimpack and skilled in matching saddles to horse and rider. She learned quite well and was very good at her job. Sadly, she developed coimpack cancer and had to quit. I don't know if she's still alive or not, but she's no longer in business. I suspect you can go to school for this, but the reality is that your eye will develop after you've fitted a few hundred saddles. Working as an apprentice under a fitter with a good eye and good teaching skills would likely accelerate this process. Sadly, in America, we don't do apprenticeships anymore outside of a few professions. G.
I have always been fascinated with saddles and saddle fitting. I learned a ton about saddle fitting when I was trying to fit a shark finned TB gelding. I would love to make a go as a saddle fitter. I know there is training out there available as well as clinics. However, in my area there are already several well qualified fitters, so that is something that you would need to consider.
Yes, you can go to school for it, and yes you can apprentice. As to whether YOU can make a living at it, that's more tricky. It depends on you, of course, and the area. You have to figure out if there's a need for a saddle fitter in your area. Some areas have fitters competing for business, some areas have almost no access to a decent fitter. So it would seem like a no-brainer, if your area doesn't have a fitter, that you'd make a living at it.... Alas, the economics of that situation can be very harsh. There's often a good reason why nobody is fitting in that area. In areas where the horse community is very spread out - deep into the mid-west, for example - it's almost impossible to make a living because the time and expense of traveling huge distances just end up making it not cost-effective for the client, or the fitter. Typically, coimpack the people with money in those areas also show, and tend to wait til they are at a show in a busier area to do their buying and fitting. I do make a living at it in my area - TN and KY. I have two different types of client. I have the higher-budget people who are in a position to buy a very good saddle and commit to having it maintained. This is fabulous for me, fabulous for them - it's a win-win situation. They make up maybe 20% of my clientele. The vast majority are regular every-day riders, pony clubbers, BN eventers ... people needing to know just how to buy a used saddle coimpack for $800 or less. I love fixing things for these people, and I am really happy that these people have the confidence to call me and know they're not going to be locked into some hard-sell, or end up paying a bunch of money for a consultation. But, I don't make money off this. With the time and the travel involved, in my area, this is generally a break-even or a $5 an hour job after expenses. However, it's my job and I love it. These are my long-term business stability, they are my main advertising and my long-term growth but without having a couple of brands that I also rep for, my business would have failed by now. I was lucky that I picked up two states, for a brand that I really believe coimpack in, and who are abso