Brittany Bird Saddle Fitting

05/07/2025

Another day, another set of scary billets.

The brown one is stretched out and ripping, the black one is completely dry rotted. Adding oil, conditioner, cleaning profusely, etc. will not help you once your billets get to this point. The only solution is to have a new set put on.

Just a reminder: if you want an appointment, you can get one by TEXTING: 404-403-2692

02/20/2025

It’s time for another billet integrity post! Let’s go through each billet and talk about what’s going on.
1) new
2) the holes are beginning to be stretched out, it’s time to start planning when you’re going to replace your billets (within the next few months)
3) replace your billets now! The leather is thinning out, the holes are stretching, and things are really looking bad
4) do not use your saddle with billets like these. Billet 911, emergency replacement!
5) this is what happens when you use billets like number 4 has—don’t be that person!

Don’t risk your life by riding in unsafe billets. I know it seems dramatic but remember, you’re only held on the horse by 4 little leather straps.

Lesson programs, don’t risk other people’s lives by having them ride in unsafe equipment.

08/13/2024

Check your billets! And PLEASE stop letting unqualified folks replace your billets. They are arguably the most important piece of your saddle—stop skimping on them!

07/29/2024

Don't wait for your saddle to break down! Preventive maintenance is the key to a long-lasting saddle. Just like you take your car for regular check-ups, your saddle needs regular inspections too. If it’s been longer than three years of regular riding, let's make sure your saddle is in top condition with a full reflock and tree inspection. Your horse will thank you!

Here’s a photo of a saddle that came in for a reflock several years ago and ended up having a broken headplate. There was no “known” trauma (that the owner knew of) that caused this. Scary!!

07/25/2024

Here’s your reminder to 👏 check 👏 those 👏 stirrup 👏 leathers!!! 👏

These were on the same hole on both sides, and were not overly worn or obviously stretched!

Why did they look like this? Many manufacturers don’t punch their holes evenly. I’ve seen this with several pairs of leathers from multiple brands, cheap and expensive!

To get these even we had to adjust up two holes on one and down a hole on the other. Don’t let this be you, pull your leathers off whenever you clean your tack and inspect them not only for soundness but also for length.

05/14/2024

Billets look like these? Check out why you should get them replaced under each photo!

04/19/2024

Here’s a reminder to check your shims! Don’t put shims in your halfpads and forget them, and definitely don’t wash your halfpad with the shims still installed. Check out what can happen when your shims are ignored—can you say massive pressure points?

Also, let it be known that I hate these flimsy black foam shims that do basically nothing. They will wad up into the corners of the shim pockets faster than anything. Felt is a MUCH better material!

04/15/2024

Clients will often hear me talking about rail angle and why it matters (despite what several saddle companies and fitters would like you to think).

The saddle tree needs to parallel your horse’s angles in order to avoid pressure points. A common issue I run into is that the tree points are the right width for the horse, but the rails are too upright.

Why do manufacturers sometimes push saddles with upright rails? Twist width! The twist is the area on the rails right behind the stirrup bars. Riders are buying wide horses and ponies and when they sit in saddles that actually fit, often times they complain that the twist is too wide. Some companies have tried to shave the twist width down using various methods (and to varying degrees of success). Ultimately though, if your preference is a narrow twist, you need to ride more narrow horses.

To ensure maximum stability and make riding a pain free experience for your horse, every aspect of the tree needs to fit. This includes the rails.

Here are some photos of trees on Benny’s back. He is quite wide, so saddles that aren’t made for wide horses do not work for him. He’s shedding, so ignore the hair!

03/20/2024

Dear family, friends, and clients,

Yesterday morning my dad passed away peacefully after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He will be sorely missed by me, my mother, my brother and sister, niece and nephews, and great niece. Thank you for your understanding during this extremely difficult time.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to either of these causes that were near and dear to his heart:

Sunkissed Acres Horse Rescue

https://www.sunkissedacres.org

Cherokee County Animal Shelter

http://www.cherokeega-animals.org

03/14/2024

Last week I came across a post that a fellow saddle fitter shared about the most crooked saddle ever being sold on EBay for $100. The sellers were very honest about its crookedness, but had no way to control who the saddle ended up going to. Naturally, I had to have it. I made them a lowball offer of $10 and they accepted it! The saddle arrived last night and wow! it was so much worse in person!

So, it appears that a stirrup bar got damaged—I am going to assume the stirrup leather got caught on something, the horse panicked, bolted, and the rivets came undone. They then took the saddle somewhere awful to have it repaired, and didn’t bother to notice the tree was warped all to hell, not to mention the panels being stitched on completely off center!

The moral of this story is: 1) if your stirrup/stirrup leather gets hung on something, have your saddle inspected before riding again! And 2) only hire qualified, knowledgeable people to do your repairs. Ask how they know the tree is still sound. Make sure they stitch the panels on straight! If you aren’t sure about something, a good saddler/fitter will always take the time to explain.

Side note to others in the saddle industry: Let this saddle be a lesson to everyone out there who insists that saddles with twisted trees “rock” when placed on a level surface. This saddle sat completely stable and touched perfectly on all 4 “corners”.

Captions explaining everything are under each photo.

02/04/2024

SPOGA today was awesome! We saw lots of innovation, cool new products, and made a ton of new connections. Brita Rizzi and I also bumped into a fellow Mike Scott grad, Sherry Seals! It’s so funny that we have to go to Germany to see each other in person. I can’t wait for tomorrow!

01/21/2024

Clients, if you need something to listen to, give this podcast a listen. It echoes so much of what I say on a daily basis (multiple times a day most days). Spot on advice is offered here!

‎Show Starline Equine Bodywork, Ep Proactive Saddle Fitting With Christian Lowe - Nov 22, 2023