Tamar Saddles

10/08/2025

👋🏻 Closing a chapter - Bye for now

After much thought and reflection, I have made the difficult decision to step away from saddle fitting and close this chapter of my professional life.

Taking time out following a personal bereavement has given me the space to assess where I am and what I want from life. It’s become clear just how much stress and pressure I’ve been carrying in this role. The demands of saddle fitting and running a business have slowly taken a significant toll on my wellbeing, and I’ve reached a point where I need to prioritise my health and peace of mind.

It has been a privilege to be part of so many horses’ and riders’ journeys over the years. I have fully poured my heart and soul into the job, and I’m incredibly honoured and grateful to every client who has trusted me with their beloved horses.

But the reality is, this job comes with enormous, often unseen pressure. Saddle fitters are expected to always provide answers and solutions, often in situations where the root cause of a horse’s discomfort lies beyond the saddle, in undiagnosed musculoskeletal issues or wider performance challenges. Despite our best efforts, we are too often held solely responsible when things don’t go to plan. I have come to realise that not every horse is designed or capable of carrying a rider or saddle. We do our best with what we have, often with little recognition, minimal support, and never ending communications.

The demands of this role have become too much - physically, mentally, and emotionally. The pressure to perform miracles, the weight of unrealistic expectations, and the constant need to advocate for horse welfare while navigating the cost of living crisis, manufacturer delays, industry limitations, and the blame that often lands unfairly at our feet - it all takes a toll.

We work long hours, travel constantly, manage physical demands, juggle tight schedules, and deal with the ongoing pressure to meet every client’s expectations. All while being one of the least recognised and least supported professions in the equine industry.

After much consideration, I’ve decided to wind down my work as a saddle fitter. I’ll be available for very limited appointments until September, and may offer occasional clinics in the future, but this marks the end of the business as it has been.

I’m excited to share that I will soon be starting a new role as an Area Representative for a veterinary supplement company, working directly with veterinary practices, farmers, and equestrians across the South West. Animal welfare has always been my top priority, and this role allows me to continue supporting horses and other animals, just in a different way. I hope that in this new chapter, I may even have the chance to cross paths with some of my clients once again.

My heartfelt thanks go to every client who has supported me over the years. It’s been a joy to work with you and your horses, and I’ll always treasure the experiences and friendships made along the way.

With love,
Lauren

22/05/2025

Due to a recent family member illness and subsequent bereavement I have needed to take some time to myself and step away from the business. This has meant that I have not been responding to messages as promptly as usual, I apologise for this and hope everyone understands. This has been an overwhelming time and I am only just starting to get on top of everything again. I will be replying to everyone over the next week, I still need more time to process and plan to be fitting again week commencing the 2nd of June. I can’t seem to turn off comments so please could I ask everyone to respectfully refrain from commenting on this post.

Thanks, Lauren 🩷

04/05/2025

Follow up post to last week, specifically strip grazing to control grass intake 🌱

If you're one of the many horse owners battling to keep your horse’s waistline in check, you'll know all too well that grass can easily provide more calories than they need. Strip grazing is a popular method of restricting grass intake, but the question that springs to every owner's mind is, 'will it work?'!

In 2020, we worked with Dr Annette Longland of Equine Livestock and Nutrition Services in Wales to conduct research that revealed strip-grazed ponies gained significantly less weight than ponies with free access to restricted grazing. However, the reasons for this weren’t fully explained. Fast forward a few years, and our follow-up research has shed more light on why strip grazing may be an effective weight management tool.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆
Twelve ponies were turned out into individual, rectangular paddocks for 28 days in late June to late July. The size of each paddock was calculated to ensure that at the start of the study, it provided 1.5% of the pony's bodyweight in grass on a dry matter basis for 28 days (although the grass kept growing!). The ponies were divided into three groups:

- Free access to the paddock
- Strip grazing with a lead fence moved daily
- Strip grazing with both a lead and back fence moved daily

After 28 days, the ponies that were not strip grazed gained 3-4 times more weight than the strip-grazed ponies. Interestingly, the strip grazed ponies gained weight at a much more consistent rate.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗨𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆
Our follow-up analysis revealed that strip grazing prevented rapid weight gain by preventing aggressive selective grazing and providing gradual access to grass of decreasing nutritional value. Non-strip grazed ponies 'gorged on the good stuff', spending more of their time eating the more nutritious grass in the first two weeks, which is when they gained most weight.

𝗣𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲
These studies show that strip grazing can be an effective weight management tool, especially once the rapid spring grass growth is over. However, it’s important to remember that strip grazing may not be enough for horses and ponies at risk of laminitis, particularly when the WSC or 'sugar' content in the pasture is high.

For specific advice on managing your good doer or laminitic, speak to a SPILLERS nutrition specialist by calling 01908 226626 or filling out our online consultation form.

Join the 𝗦𝗣𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀' 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯 today to receive ongoing support in managing your horse's weight and overall health!

Reference
Longland, AC, Barfoot, C, Harris, PA. Strip grazing: Changes in biomass, nutrient content and digestibility of temperate, midsummer pasture by strip-grazed or ‘free’-grazing ponies, over 4 weeks.

Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 131 p.104957.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080623007736

03/05/2025

What’s everyone up to in this glorious sunshine? 🌞

Absolutely love seeing pictures of my clients out and about enjoying their horses 🥰

29/04/2025

I thought I would add a quick little update for all of my lovely clients who ask about my dear Kitkat Chunky 🍫

Since having over 3 months barn rest and 3 months field rest, her leg hasn’t healed as well/fast as originally hoped. Last week I thought she was on her last legs, but it turned out she was being very over dramatic with a fairly minimal abscess (thankfully)! Unfortunately the leg is far from being healed and she’s going to need another 12 months of just lawn mowing, which is her idea of heaven! My fabulous vet has given her the all clear to be a mum again so we’re embracing this curveball and I’m feeling a little excited now about the prospect of bringing another mini chocolate bar into the world 🙈

Said monkey after her sleepy cocktail

26/04/2025

Let’s talk overweight horses and the associated risks…

I keep going out to obese horses, this post is not aimed at any one person but is a post that I think a few clients may see, sometimes you need to be a bit uncomfortable seeing something to make positive changes. I urge you to thoroughly look at the condition score below and score your own horses. Anything more than a 6 (or 3.5 if 1-5) needs attention.

What is an obese horse? A horse that is overweight/obese is 8 or above on the below condition scale. There is significant amounts of fat covering the body, obesity in horses, just like humans, comes with huge increased health risks. The main three include; laminitis, equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and arthritis.

Why should I be worried about Laminitis? In simple terms, laminitis is when the sensitive laminae becomes damaged causing the downward rotation of the pedal bone towards the sole of the foot… Sounds painful right, it is very painful for the horse! See photos below of a (normal weight) horse in the traditional laminitic pose.

What’s surprising to some is that any horse can get it, but overweight horses are much more prone to laminitis than horses with a healthy body condition score of 5 (or 3 if you are going 1-5).

It’s so important to prevent laminitis or catch it in the early stages. It is scary because it can be rumbling away before there are any clinical signs. Laminitis is not curable and once the damage is done, there is limited things that can be done.

So why is it such a big deal that my horse is obese? I’m going to flip this on its head, if you look at the picture of the emaciated horse next to the obese horse… Which is worse? Of course you would say the emaciated one. But if we look on the condition score they are both at the wrong sides of the spectrum. Both are as bad as each other, it’s just we’ve been conditioned to not see obese horses being as much of a welfare issue as emaciated ones.

Things to looks out for:

- Subtle lameness or ‘footiness’ (at start)
- Weight shifting
- Heat or a pulse in the foot
- Event lines in the hoof can be an indicator

How can I get my horse to lose weight:

- MANAGEMENT - it’s key! Restrict intake, no lush grass most importantly. Turnout must be restricted and if you can’t get off good grass, muzzle or strip graze. Those are the two best options, keeping them in entirely has its own issues… Lack of movement etc. When they are in if they are in a in/out routine, make sure they are getting their food slowly, ie. Trickle nets/feeders. Soaking hay gets rid of some sugars.
- Overweight horses do not need anything more than a token feed if they needs supplements. No concentrates.
- Consider a track system, this can work fantastically well.
- If they are able, exercise and plenty of it.
- Get rid of the rugs (except fly rugs if needed), fat horses have enough covering to keep themselves warm.

There is no easy or simple solution if you have a horse that is a very good doer, it takes hard work and dedication to keep them at a healthy weight. It is always absolutely possible with the right management for an obese horse to lose weight and return to a healthier weight.

I have included some interesting links below…

https://www.bhs.org.uk/horse-care-and-welfare/health-care-management/horse-health/equine-diseases/laminitis/

https://www.bhs.org.uk/horse-care-and-welfare/health-care-management/horse-health/equine-diseases/laminitis/prevention-and-management/

https://ceh.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/health-topics/laminitis

12/04/2025

Thought I would share what I have been up to on my day off. Sheep’s wool removed from saddles during a re-flock have been fully recycled into these veg beds 🥬

The wool stops weeds coming through and keeps those pesky slugs at bay. Being a natural fibre, it will slowly break down and add to the soil. It has great insulating properties and the birds love it to make nests with 🪺

If anyone would like some wool for their garden, please let me know as I have so much of it and I hate throwing it away 👀

08/04/2025

The The Ideal Saddle Company Barclay Liberte has to be one of the ultimate cross country saddles… Wool flocked, close contact, external block, calf covered monoflap 😍 This beautiful saddle had its first check today and had a glowing report from its new owner. The cherry red welt and stitching absolutely pops in the flesh 🍒

These are great value starting at £2195, perfect for the upcoming season 🏇

07/04/2025

I had a not so helpful helper earlier… This little one thought my notes were the perfect place to sit 🙈 Thankfully no muddy paw prints with the sun being out 🙌🏻 Almost ready with the digital forms/tablet, watch this space 👀

28/03/2025

‼️ Warning - Long but incredibly important post, please read fully, this information is so important for all horse owners ‼️

After an incredibly long and hard week I’ve found myself feeling a little deflated at having to continually advocate for horses that are not being listened to. This week I’ve seen lame horses, sore horses, unhappy horses, over/underweight horses, horses with significant behavioural issues, that are all desperately trying to communicate that they are struggling. I’ve had owners downplay these issues, owners who have got upset because I’ve pointed out issues, owners who have guilt tripped me over saddle prices, that they should be cheaper. Owners that have complained about my milage charges, owners that know about issues and refuse to get the vet or physio involved.

Now, most of my clients are spot on and I know if I tell them their horse needs xyz, they will get that professional out and we work as a team to get to the bottom of an issue. But on a few occasions I’ve been out time after time and things haven’t been followed up and it’s the horse who suffers. Moving forward if this continues I simply will not continue fittings because it’s heartbreaking for me. Horses are an absolute privilege, a very expensive one at that. We need to make sure that we are able to fully provide for their every need as owners, we owe them that much.

Sorry if the above offends anyone but it takes an immense toll on me, when I am just trying to do the best possible for your horse and provide a good service. I will not lower my standards to meet low budgets, nor will I stay quiet if something is bothering me. It is worth noting that whilst I am not the cheapest, I also am by far not the most expensive qualified fitter in the South West, there is a very good saying… Pay peanuts, get monkeys! If you want a saddle fitter who is going to tell you everything is rosy and golden, when things really are not, then I am not the fitter for you.

If you want someone who is thorough and you are open to suggestions, sometimes even a little criticism to keep you on track, then you are in the right place:

✋🏻 I’m going to feel your horses back and recommend physio/osteo where needed.
👀 I’m going to watch your horse trot up and refer back to a vet if needed.
👥 I’m going to involve as many professionals as I deem necessary, teamwork makes the dream work!
📏 I’m going to observe your horses conformation and remark on things that might cause saddle issues. Or if your horse is not the perfect weight then this will be discussed too, because weight is SO important, and incredibly relevant to saddle fit.
💪🏼 I’m going to comment on your horses muscle tone and if it’s lacking we are going to discuss what factors may be involved and how we can improve it.
🤕 I’m going to delve into old injuries because this is likely to affect saddle fit.
🏇 I’m going to check your saddle and make it work if I can. If I can’t, then we will try options, I’ll try to work to budget where possible but this isn’t always possible and my job is to fit a well fitted saddle not to compromise my standards.
☹️ I’m going to tell you if your horse is displaying any of the 24 pain behaviours.
👎🏻 I’m going to tell you if I think your horse is not up to work in its current condition, or if you are too heavy, or if your horse would be better off doing groundwork only to build up.

Whilst some of it might not be so nice to hear, by doing so I am performing my job to my absolute best ability. I am advocating for the horse because that is why I do what I do, to make horses comfortable and give them a voice.

Let’s talk behaviour and why it’s so important to observe. Dr Sue Dyson created the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHPE) to help identify low-grade lameness and discomfort of ridden horses. Horses displaying 8 or more of the following behaviours are more likely to be experiencing musculoskeletal pain (Dyson et al. 2018):

1 - Ears back
2 - Eyes closed
3 - White of eye showing
4 - Intense/glazed stare
5 - Opening mouth/separation of teeth
6 - Tongue out
7 - Bit pulling
8 - Head tossing up/down
9 - Head tilt
10 - Above the vertical
11 - Behind the vertical
12 - Head tossing side to side
13 - Tail clamping to the side or down
14 - Tail swishing
15 - Rushed gait
16 - Slowed gait
17 - Moving on three tracks
18 - Canter dysfunction (strike off/disunited/lead changes
19 - Spontaneous change of pace (breaking pace)
20 - Stumble/trip/toe drag
21 - Change of direction/spooking
22 - Resistance/reluctance to go forward
23 - Rearing
24 - Bucking

Let’s face it, how many times have we experienced above behaviours. That’s not to say that one behaviour necessarily is a pain issue. For example, your horse may be swishing its tail because there’s a fly… Or your young horse may be rushing or reluctant because they are unbalanced or don’t understand what is being asked. What’s important is the bigger picture, when we are seeing multiple behaviours presented in one session. This is when we really need to start asking why.

I have annotated some pictures taken from the internet below and I have explained what is going on in the captions for anyone interested. It’s a great visual, but it’s important to remember that these are just a snapshot in time.

For anyone who hasn’t seen Sue’s video, I would highly recommend watching it, it’s incredibly informative and really highlights the importance of saddle fit and why it’s important to spot these behaviours before it’s too late. It’s a great educational tool for us to realise how important it is to catch things early before they become catastrophic issues. It also shows how important it is for your vet to see the horse ridden, so many horses don’t truly look lame until we see them under saddle which can be tricky when we see something of concern but the vet has cleared a horse to be sound from a trot up. This is often because the horse isn’t being asked of much when trotting in hand, compared to when it is being asked to collect and push from behind with a rider, this is when we as saddle fitters spot performance issues that may have been missed.

So in short, please listen to your professionals, because we care deeply and want the best for your horses. Let us do our jobs and take our advice, we are happy to support you and your horses if you let us ❤️

Video: https://youtu.be/hrZgtrqbMVI?feature=shared

24 Behaviours guide:https://static1.squarespace.com/static/630264eadd08da74c4f27a5a/t/6407456c640c094aa88d00a0/1678198132343/TWTP_24+Behaviours_mobile+version_v2+3.06.23.pdf

27/03/2025

Something very beautiful has arrived 😍

The Ideal Saddle Company T&T changeable gullet GP:

🖤 Upgraded black Kilger leather
🩶 Silver welt and stitching for contrast (this looks amazing on greys!)
💨 Ultra grip seat and pads for extra grip on those windy Cornish days
🐑 Super soft wool panels
⬇️ Deep seat for security
🔀 Movable Velcro knee blocks
↔️ Girthing loops allowing for change of position

Can’t wait to get this out 🙌🏻

19/03/2025

👀 Look away now if you are squeamish 🙈

This video is really interesting and highlights how close the facial nerves are to the skin. If your bridle is ill-fitting, your horse will feel it and no doubt over tightening of any part will be uncomfortable.

Bridle design has come on so far in the past decade, ergonomic/anatomical design can dramatically improve your horses comfort. With many manufacturers offering such designs, really we have no excuse to still be using outdated designs which don’t promote comfort or welfare.

If you want to update your horses wardrobe consider taking a look at the following bridle suppliers, all of which are super stylish and most importantly prioritise horse comfort:

Henry James Saddlery
Fairfax Saddles
PS of Sweden