Many
of you will have seen our regular advertisements offering, "Made to
Measure Saddles". We are aware that some of our competitors will claim
that our made to measure offer is not genuine. Therefore we would take
the opportunity to point out some relevant facts in support of our
policy in this regard as follows:
Consider how many saddles a saddler would need to stock in order to
cater for all the various types of saddle he is required to supply.
1. Firstly there are basically five types of saddle namely (a) General
Purpose, (b) Dressage, (c) Working Hunter, (d) Cross Country and (e)
Close Contact Jumping.
2. These all need to be supplied in at least seven width fittings from narrow to extra wide.
3. In sizes varying from 15" to 19".
4. In colours varying from black or brown and various shades of tan, to suede, schrumf, plain leather, seats and knee pads.
5. Colts need a different girthing arrangement from standard;
thoroughbred or warmblood types may need dropped panels or deeper
gussets to achieve balance and people with long legs may need longer
flaps.
Having regard to the foregoing just think what sort of vast stock would
be necessary to cater for all the various options that may be called
for by your customer. Not to mention that some may also demand a
specific manufacturer.
With our "genuine" "made-to-measure" system we can cater for every one
of the various demands of the customer and the needs of all the
different types of horse we are called upon to fit.
We find that nearly all the Walsall saddle makers are prepared to make
saddles to accommodate all the variations in specification from width,
length, colour, type of panel and girthing arrangement that we demand
of them, usually for no extra charge.
Agreed we need to make two visits and the customer must wait a few
weeks, but we believe that this is a minor disadvantage when set
against the benefit of getting precisely what you want and a saddle
that fits both the rider and the horse to perfection.
We recently supplied a 17" GP saddle made to template with a brown
suede seat and knee pads, with a dropped panel, with deeper gussets,
with a London Tan panel and with a 1" longer flap. It is certainly not
possible to stock anything with such a precise specification.
We therefore believe that "made-to-measure" means what it says and
certainly the rider is provided with a truly customised product at a
reasonable price.
We appreciate that our method is not the same as the traditional
bespoke saddle made by your local saddler. This practice has very
largely died out by virtue of cost; in the same way that local bespoke
tailors have been replaced by off-the-peg, mix-and-match suits which
offer superior quality and value for money associated with "economies
of scale". This does not mean that our method is not a genuine
made-to-measure service, simply that it is an up-to-date,
cost-effective method taking advantage of the "economies of scale"
available from the highly organised, modern Walsall saddle makers.
Welcome to Best Value bespoke saddles