07/30/2025
Some great FAQ and answers about Hidalgo saddles!
Tiffani Martin Radake is great to deal with. She will be here for the Balance & Comfort Clinic Returns to WA and will be offering a few private saddle fittings on September 7th in Stanwood WA for anyone interested.
She can help you evaluate the current fit of your saddle, help point out things to look for to help fit your horse. Whether you have an english or western saddle. We will also have at least 3 different types of Hidalgo saddles to try out if interested. Zero pressure to buy. Our goal is to help you find the best solution for you and your horse.
How do 98% of my conversations go with inquiring clients?
Leather Tree Saddles have a break in process......plain and simple.
***pictured below; same horse, same saddle.--top pic is before complete "Breaking in process", bottom photo is after breaking in process.----you can see the huge changes in how deep the seat got for the rider, it literally conforms to the riders femur & sit bone pressures (the saddle is limited on how far it can adapt down because it does have a leather structure, stirrup bar and panel system---this means your horse will always be protected)---the saddle also softens up to the horses unique curves as well.
****COMMON CONERNS AND NEED TO KNOW'S****
❗️The leather tree needs weight, time and heat to properly adapt or fit to your horse. ---
🤔***Does this mean it doesn't fit from day 1?
--- No! It means the saddle will start to fit closer and settle in more as you use it if it is properly adjusted. ----if the panels are set wrong, it won't fit properly. There is a technique to this and this saddle should NOT be treated as a treeless or rigid tree saddle. It is not the same.
🤔***Will it feel perfect to me & my horse immediately?
---Sometimes, sometimes not. ---as long as we can verify the horse is protected (panels are applying pressure in the right places) then it can take some hours before if feels "at home". ---the tree is LEATHER it WILL change as you use it which means you adjust the panels to accommodate the changes in the leather tree. Just like your leather boots, leather belt, Birkenstock sandals....etc. ---good news for the horse is, there is NO rigid gullet bar or tree bars to worry about damaging withers, scapula, spinal column, top line during the fitting process. You will receive feed back from your horse and you make adjustments from there. ---if you buy a saddle from me, YOU ALWAYS have my support. I may not be available the moment you text me, but I will do my best to respond back ASAP.
🤔***Will I ever have to adjust the saddle panels again?
---OF COURSE YOU WILL! ---this is the entire premise of an adjustable saddle system. Your horse changes frequently throughout the year. You change frequently throughout the year. ---you are welcome to learn how to properly adjust them with the help of your Hidalgo rep, or your Hidalgo rep can advise you via photos or videos, or you can hire a saddle fitter to come help you in person. But yes, you should expect the panels to need adjusting from time to time (much more often in the breaking in process)--the same as your English saddle needing new flock or new gullet bar, or your Western saddle bar angle no longer fits your horse, etc.
🤔***I am in a hurry and don't trust myself to learn remotely and/or don't have time to mess with things. Is this a good saddle for me?
---NO! Not unless you can hire a trusted saddle fitter and allow them to advise you 100% in person.
***The saddle feels unstable!!
---95% of the time, this is a panel placement error. The more narrow the saddle panels are fit, the worse it feel to the horse and the more the saddle will want to roll around.
***I lunged my horse in my new Hidalgo and it keeps slipping forward.
---Yes, because the saddle does not have any rigid gullet bar or tree points to stop the saddle from going forward. You have to give the saddle time to break in and "shape up" to the horses back before it becomes secure when no rider is in the saddle. ----adding a rider allows the tree to "take a bite" and get traction when the saddle tree is NEW. ----I don't expect any new leather tree saddle to NOT slip at a rider-less lunge when it isn't broken in. ----another issue could be your panels are too long and the shoulders and croup of the horse are playing "tug of war".
🤔***What do Hidalgo leather tree adjustments look like?
---Removing the panels, and reattaching them via velcro attachment (with support from your Hidalgo rep or informed saddle fitter)----The average adjustment = making the front of the panels more wide or narrow by 1/2" increments as the saddle breaks in----or as your horse develops more topline. Or using a shimmable pad properly and or other types of pads (think of this as flocking for balance corrections as we can't flock the Hidalgo felt/foam panels) -----the more "hard to fit" your horse is, the more you will have to tinker with this to produce the ideal fit. ---as time goes by, you get so used to the behavior of the saddle that this becomes a non thought.
In a nut shell, you must DESIRE a saddle that adapts to you and your horse, you must DESIRE a saddle that you can have control over and you must DESIRE a saddle that requires you to learn the basics of saddle fit anatomy if you want a leather tree saddle. This all REQUIRES patience, determination and ambition! Sometimes it goes easy, sometimes it is a bit hard------the pay off is having a saddle that acts like an extra layer of skin to your horse, and it can potentially save you lots money in saddle adjustment fees, new saddles, etc.---if none of that is for you, I would advise against this investment. :) ------there are times where these saddles will not work for a horse/rider pair no matter how hard we try,...but they work more times than they don't :)
