Saddles/Saddle Fitting

Ideally based in Hassocks, Sussex, our closeness to the major road networks means that we can offer a saddle fitting service throughout the South East of England. Richard has been saddle fitting for over 20 years in this area & can offer a complete saddle fitting & advice service, whether it is for a first pony or a successful competition horse. As a member of the Society of Master Saddlers, you can be assured that both you & your horse will receive good, unbiased advice. Have a browse on this site to see just some of the saddles we can offer.

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Saddles For Sale

Don't forget to check out our Secondhand selection also.

Pessoa - Designed with some of the top names in competitive riding these saddles have perfect balance & style & will assist every rider to achieve their maximum potential.

They also do an excellent range of accessories to match

Thorowgood - The leading synthetic saddle manufacturer in the UK today. Thorowgood offer an unrivalled selection of competitively priced saddles to suit all horses & ponies. Their Pony Club Approved range has been extremely popular. They also offer a superb range of accessories








GFS – GFS are probably the most comprehensive saddle range available today. Whether you are looking for a value for money pony saddle or a good quality general purpose saddle for a horse, Fieldhouse will almost certainly have a saddle to suit you, they also a superb range of accessories & bridlework to match their saddles








IDEAL SADDLES – Creating the IDEAL saddle takes time and each one progresses through several stages of manufacture. Every detail of your order is assessed by a qualified fitter, before a craftsman is selected. The finest materials are used, from handmade saddle-trees made here in Walsall, to the highest quality leathers.

Ideal are members of the Society of Master Saddlers, and their saddles are guaranteed. Each one will provide a lifetime of high performance.


LOVATT & RICKETTS – L&R Saddle company have been making hand-crafted, high-quality saddles for over 30 years in Walsall, England.

Their craftsmen adhere to the highest standards, using traditional methods and only the finest quality materials available and have experience creating saddles for a wide range of equestrian activities.

Each saddle they make comes to you with a 3 year written guarantee. A Lovatt & Ricketts® saddle is designed to give the proud owner many years of pleasurable riding.

Their craftsmen are members of the Society of Master Saddlers


BLACK COUNTRY SADDLES – With more than 60 years of combined experience as Master Saddlers, Rob Cullen and John Hartley have made the name of Black Country Saddles, synonymous with innovation and quality throughout the equestrian world.

Extensive knowledge and understanding of saddle manufacture allow them to produce a range that can be fitted to all types of horses. Their saddlemakers work closely with our saddle fitter to ensure the best possible combination of fit for both horse and rider.

They are committed to providing you with the best possible product available & have declined the mass production demands and instead continued to use traditional methods and source quality British materials, from the initial stages of the Wood laminated Spring Trees to 100% wool flocking, English leathers and qualified craftsmanship.

Saddle size guide
Finding the perfect saddle for your horse or pony is easy once you know his shape. We supply saddles from many manufacturers . This Thorowgood saddle guide is perfect for Thorowgood saddles and is a very handy guide to help you choose saddles from other manufacturers. Contact us with any queries.

A quick guide to choosing the right saddle is to refer to these pictures below.

A more accurate method is to download and print out the size guide and then measure your horse by following the step by step instructions. Please note the download may take around four minutes to download.

	Big and Broad Very wide and flat-backed, eg cob-types, Arabs, bigger native breeds and young horses with undefined withers.
	Fine and slender Very narrow and high-withered, eg Thoroughbred-types, ex-racehorses and older horses developing a prominent spine
	In between Neither big and broad nor fine and slender - more Mr Average in build, eg middleweight hunter-types and some warmbloods.
	Pony Club Any type of horse or pony used for Pony Club activities, ranging from the 11hh roly-poly type to the Pony Club event horse.
	For Younger Riders An affordable range of saddles for tiny Shetlands or miniatures right up to small horses ridden by teenagers or petite adults.

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If a saddle fits should it need a numnah?

Yes and no!!

Clearly a well fitting saddle will follow the shape of the horse's back, so why add another layer? You wouldn't pad out a pair of shoes with cotton wool to improve the fit would you?

And yet, most people use a numnah and for many reasons. First off they absorb sweat from the horse's back. This keeps the saddle clean and the leather soft.

On a thin-skinned horse, a numnah provides a layer of soft comfort against the saddle, still cold from the tack room.

Also, even a well fitting saddle will move a little and the numnah will absorb some of this. When the horse is jumping it acts as a shock absorber... That's why show jumpers use riser pads.

These days manufacturers design different numnahs to take in the contrasting shape of horses' backs, e.g. fine thoroughbreds and broad cobs, which we stock in our saddlery.

Owners of native ponies are delighted to discover a “sticky” numnah for Thelwell types that previously needed a crupper to stop the saddle from sliding up the neck! This is also useful for the opposite reason on a lean ex-racehorse where a breastplate is often needed to prevent it moving backwards. We're happy to advise which numnah would suit your horse or pony in the saddlery.

It is not unusual, particularly during the winter months, for a horse to lose a bit of condition. The numnah here will provide a useful stop-gap until it fills out again in spring. Because numnahs come in different thickness this gives a degree of flexibility.

The thicker polypad type is not universally approved of but riding schools like them when their more ungainly customers bounce up and down on their poor horses' backs.

Clearly the numnah should be the right size. If the back of the saddle is resting on the binding it may cause rubbing. Never wash it with a biological washing powder and remember even sheepskin and pure wool numnahs are machine washable these days. We stock special detergent to treat wool in our saddlery.

Lastly, let's not forget the pretty colours they come in these days that give pleasure, particularly to young riders!

So no, a numnah is not needed if the saddle fits and should not be used as a long term fix, but yes it does have its place!!

And we have the place to see a great range of numnahs at our saddlery at Dragonfly Saddlery

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