THE SADDLER'S TECHNIQUE

This is the course to consider if you wish to train to work as a consultant saddle fitter with The Western Saddler Ltd.

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This ‘Western & Treeless Saddle Fitting Course’, is an in-depth and highly detailed course, designed to teach inquisitive, questioning, horse lovers everything they will need to know about western and treeless saddle fitting to help horses be as comfortable as possible.

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Horses are not designed to be ridden, and this course will comprehensively teach exactly how to fit saddles, trees, templates, saddle pads, cinches, and any other related equipment to help horses be as comfortable as possible.

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At the end of this course you should be able to confidently fit western and treeless saddles and, if passed, be a part of a team of likeminded horse lovers working as a supportive team alongside The Western Saddler.

The modules will cover the following (subject to change):

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• Introduction, ethos and background

• Basic anatomy, physiology and biomechanics with conformation & movement evaluation

• Horse psychology incl pain and behaviour, handling clients horses & safety (taught with Ben Hart from Hart’s Horsemanship)

• Western saddle history; western saddle parts & styles; why choose a western saddle;

• Western saddle trees, different materials & styles

• Templates - different ones and how to use them

• Western saddles and measuring

• Western saddle pads

• Western cinches/girths

• The rider and assessing their needs

• Pre-Consultation information gathering

• Paperwork & Filling in the Forms

• The Consultation

• The Consultation - Evaluating the Horse

• The Consultation - Existing Saddle

• Evaluating the Saddle - No Rider

• Evaluating the Saddle - With Rider

• After the Consultation

• Problems

• People Skills

• Other Tack

• Other Items

• What Next

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This course will be run over 6-8 weekends, spaced out over 7-9 months, with case studies and reading to be carried out in-between. The course will be run in the beautiful New Forest, Hampshire. UK., alongside The Western Saddler's own mixed herd of horses, which are: a Quarter Horse, an American Paint, a young American Paint, an Icelandic (gaited), a Lusitano, and two mules. These equines offer a wonderfully diverse range of shapes, sizes and temperaments to practice all manner of fittings with. It will also be arranged to go offsite onto yards to work with other horses. (There may be the possibility to bring your own horse too.)