Testimonials
Alex Hua Tian
Alex Hua Tian, born on 25 October 1989 in London, is the only Chinese equestrian who competes at an international level. He began riding when four years old and midway through 2008 obtained 21st place in the world rankings. This is what Alex said to us about himself and about Prestige.
"I'm proud to say that we have had an exceptional year! My girlfriend and I moved into new premises with stables just outside Manchester and at the same time we took part in three international championships. In March we introduced a new horse into the team, a veteran of the CCI4*, Harbour Pilot C, nicknamed Pye. It was bought by my dear friend and backer, Edwina Qu Ye, so that I could take part in the World Equestrian Games in Normandy. Whoever, at that time, would have thought that the challenge was not to qualify for the WEG but to find the right saddle for the horse?
Over a two-month period, thanks to advice from the specialists at Prestige - and from Caroline Wilde our saddle fitter at retailer Sports Horse Services, a Prestige stockist - we created a made-to-measure saddle for Harbour Pilot's 'hump back' or 'shark's fin'.
As far as I'm concerned, the fact that we found the right saddle for my horse Pye, highlights the full value of Prestige's products. From the time that Caroline saw the profile of Pye's spine up to when he galloped out of the starting gate at the World Equestrian Games, Prestige took this challenge on board and saw just how important it was, for Pye and for me, that everything was perfect!"
10th June, 2019.
This month sees the final Equestrian Trade News/Society of Master Saddlers Saddle Fitter of the Month
Caroline Wilde has received June’s ETN/SMS Saddle Fitter of the Month award.
Presented in conjunction with the Society of Master Saddlers (SMS), the award recognises those whose good practise is making a difference to horses, riders and the saddlery industry.
Caroline was nominated by Lisa Menet of Amerigo Saddles, plus some happy clients.
“Caroline is a qualified equine body worker, so a saddle fitting with her is a whole horse evaluation,” says Lisa.
“Nothing is too much trouble for Caroline. Her customer care is second to none and she’s always open to new ideas and improving her technical knowledge of the horse and products available to benefit her clients.”
Kellie Cowan, a client, says: “Caroline demonstrated in-depth knowledge, time and great compassion when we were struggling with intermittent problems with our jumping pony.
“She assessed and reassessed our pony’s shape and movement and guided us through her findings before altering our current saddle to a perfect fit. She eliminated all the issues the ill-fitting saddle caused, culminating in a happy pony and owner.”
Another client, Liz Langford, says Caroline went above and beyond to fit her mare.
“By the time I met Caroline, we had tried 18 saddles and we were giving up hope of ever finding a suitable one. After two hours of trying four different makes and styles, Caroline measured up and got to work. We haven’t looked back since.”
Originally from Yorkshire, Caroline was a metallurgist who has studied quantum physics. However, she’d always loved horses and in particular show jumping.
Another passion is leather, and Caroline began making bridles for show jumpers, Welsh pony stallions, handbags and dog harnesses. She also took saddles apart and reflocked her own.
Regular training with her horse at John Whitaker’s yard evolved into working for John Whitaker International on the company’s HOYS stand. Caroline was then taken on as a sales representative, was promoted to business development manager and, she says, “fell in love with the industry along the way.”
While with John Whitaker International, Caroline trained in Italy with Prestige Italia Saddles to become a saddle fitter. She also took the SMS Introductory Saddle Fitting course.
Now based in Yorkshire, and having been in the saddle fitting business for over 25 years, Caroline is an SMS Qualified Saddle Fitter. “I love my work as every day is so varied,” she says.
“To keep on top of the game, I constantly train throughout Europe and I am always on the lookout for innovative products.”
British Showjumping Magazine
Why is great saddle fit so important for a showjumping horse?
“Great” saddle fit maximises your horses performance. It’s as simple as that. The knock on effect of this means your horse can use its body in a better way - your horse will develop a stronger top line, have greater elevation in the hocks, be freer through the shoulders and have a larger stride pattern. Other effects of great saddle fit are improved posture and change in temperament. We are talking a “great” fit for you and your horse. Neither should be compromised. Let’s look at both.
Case Study 1 Grand Prix Showjumping Mare. Bespoke Amerigo CC Jumping Saddle. Gemma Ellison.
“Since competing as a show jumper I’ve always realised that a well fitted saddle was important but more recently I’ve had a few experiences that have brought to my attention just how important it is to both horse and rider. To get the most out of your horse it’s so important that they are comfortable while carrying you so they have the freedom to move their shoulders and their backs in order to jump well particularly at advanced classes. My Grand Prix mare is so much happier since we bought her an Amerigo saddle that has been made specifically to fit her. Her top line has improved since wearing it and she’s even become more relaxed as the weeks have passed and is much more enjoyable to ride at home as well as competitions. For me the new saddle needed to be re-balanced a fraction on arrival and I couldn’t believe the difference this made. My lower leg was loose and moved over the fence initially and I couldn’t keep my balance well over a 1.30m course on our first trip out wearing it, but with this alteration I could comfortably sit to her around a 1.50m track at her next show with my lower leg still. This proved to me how vital such small changes can have to both horse and the rider.”
The rider should be in balance with the horse on the flat and over a fence. Sat square. We like our riders to sit more towards the front / in the middle of the saddle where the horse finds it easiest to carry the rider. NOT to the back of the saddle. The riders leg should be stable and aided by correct block position. The knee shouldn’t come over the front of the saddle. So ladies .... seat size ? Don’t get hung about this. As ladies our pelvis has angled forward seat bones ( as opposed to men who’s seat bones go straight down) and can make us tip forwards when we are riding. This can be emphasised in a deep jump saddle. However same lady in a flatter seat in a bigger size can be amazed at the difference in her posture. This also has a positive effect on being able to sit up quicker after a fence.....
This leads me nicely onto the next question
What do you think is the most important advance in saddle design in recent years?
So there’s a myriad of new products on the market - Prestige have developed unisex trees that accommodate the female pelvis !! This innovative design is called X technology and has gel inserts within the tree for our seat bones to drop into. Super comfy and position improved! The Prestige XPerience is one of my favourites for remedial fitting. Great for the rider but also has 30% wider panels for the horse. With a foam and honeycomb layer before the synthetic flock that keeps its form. Can be flocked to suit .
Another great breakthrough through research is the use of wider channels between the panels. For the horse to be able to work it’s back properly under saddle they need to be able to stretch over their backs and come up around the base of the wither T12/13 If the channel is too narrow this can really affect performance. Your jumper can look stuck to the floor in the flat work and still be ok over a fence. Something as simple as changing the channel width can literally change your horses way of going. More elevation and a hind end that throws away . It’s magical seeing this.
Flexible tree .....
All Prestige trees have lateral movement in the tree. This can be a great feature especially for big moving horses. The tree moves with the horse allowing the horse to use its back more. This is not a visible thing and the saddle is stable on the horses back.
Case Study 2 Gelding jumping Foxhunter. Bespoke Prestige XPerience Jumping Saddle. (Gemma Ellison)
Another of my horses during a recent saddle fitting session wore two saddles that were both good fits for him (in the stable). Yet when riding him in them it was clear he was only happy in one of them. We even swapped the saddles back and forth a few times to ensure it wasn’t a fluke! He couldn’t move anywhere near as well in the other. The one he liked had a larger surface area covering his back but also this saddle had flex with lateral movement which must have allowed him to use his body so much more comfortably than in the other saddle. It had a wider channel too with shoulder free panels. With this extra comfort his power increased and we were amazed at his changes and his jump also improved in a matter of minutes!
Adjustable trees ……
These are absolutely brilliant - some can be adjusted by changing the gullet bar, physically adjusting the width, or by heat machine for eg with Prestige Saddles. This is ideal for a horse that changes shape throughout the year. However don’t be fooled that one saddle then fits all. Tree shape is the fundamental basis to saddle fit for the horse, panels ,channel width, clearance front and back of the saddle, tree rails correspond to the alignment of the horses back etc. We often see saddles that bridge, are out of balance or nip the horses wither to name a few.
What mistakes do show jumpers commonly make regarding choosing a saddle?
Historically from a saddle fitters point of view Show Jumpers tend to have the least idea about how a saddle can affect performance. How many times I have heard “my saddle fits everything..” Over the years I have been fortunate to fit some of the top horses in the country. Some ageing Grade A’s that have “their” saddle. How longs he had it? I ask “Oh since he was 5yrs old” ok what classes are you jumping now? - “Well 1.35m speed classes etc as he’s not jumping like he was.” I’ve changed saddles so so many times on horses like this and the horse has recovered his back health ,muscle tone and gone on to jump bigger classes even in their twenties and therefore won more prize money!!
What about saddle pads to help with fit?
I love pads - especially the (Mattes) sheepskin correction pad. It has a nice wide channel so as not to pinch the withers and keeps the spine free. The sheepskin is the most dense and you can have 4 correction pockets front and back. A very versatile piece of kit that should be in any show jumpers tack room. Recent research has proven sheepskin to be the best shock absorber. We also love the Prestige Trapezium pad. A very simple black pad that is placed over the withers and helps with horses that have some muscle wastage in that area or the horse has one shoulder bigger than the other.
Can the same saddle be used on multiple horses effectively?
Yes and no - if the tree shape suits all the horses in the yard then yes. The widest horse needs to be fitted with the saddle first and the rest padded accordingly. However there will always be one that is croup high with a lot of back shape and one that is wither high with a weak top line needing extra in the panel. Your horses will perform better if you get an expert out. One that is known for remedial saddle fitting - vet referrals or for saddle fitting difficult horses.
Saddle fit checks - frequency and why?
Most horses benefit from their own saddle. We recommend getting your saddles checked at least every 6 months. Some international yards we see every 6 weeks and others every 3 months. You see your horse every day and may not notice gradual changes in weight , muscle tone, posture, way of going or temperament. This might be gradual changes for the better or worse. Also there are a lot of medical conditions that can make the horse sore in the back that are not necessarily saddle related ie foot imbalance in the front feet or a hock problem. Your saddle fitter should be part of your team working alongside vets and physios.
We all see social media shout outs for 17” brown MW jump saddle - there is SO much more to it. Hopefully these few words might have helped some to think about their saddle. We all love our horses and want them to perform at their best. Give them the chance.