I have heard both yes and no, and am considering buying used, but wonder if I need to find an alternate fitter?
The SoCal rep would reflock other saddles, but this was 7-8 years ago. It was not cheap.
1 Like
I would ask your fitter if they will service a used saddle you bought elsewhere and what they might charge.
Some might and some might not, so just ask.
A complete reflock won’t be cheap so it’s a good idea to have that number in mind when you are buying.
Mine does
I hope it is still the case, otherwise how do folks get them adjusted?
I wonder why it would make a difference to the fitter – since they would get paid for reflocking saddles they are familiar with. I was surprised to hear it might be a problem.
Do you know of any independent fitters in SoCal area?
Here on the northern edge of Ventura County, the only way to get a saddle adjusted or flocked is to buy it from a dealer who has access to a dedicated fitter.
While it’s possible that I missed someone, I emailed about five fitters listed in various online places promising to serve my area and received no response. For a little while, I even considered training as a saddle fitter. Getting good training has its obstacles too.
That said, Calabasas Saddlery may have someone they use, now. I know they have a leather repair contact.
I ended up going with Schleese reps located in Central California. While I’ve ended up with a saddle that suits both me and my horse, the process, i.e. the full metal marketing, annoyed me.
1 Like
I own 4, plus 8 of other brands. My CS sales rep/fitter of 15 years is way too busy with servicing her own CS customers to work on other brands.
Luckily we have several independent fitters in the area. I actually bought my first Custom used from one of them, and the CS rep was fine with maintaining it. Maybe because it is her brand, but maybe because I bought two more from her before the first one needed any repairs.
Oh gosh, that is sad to learn.
I thought CS fitters were representing Custom Saddlery, or were even paid/comped by Custom Saddlery, and thus CS would ask that they service any/all CS saddles as their time permits.
I guess I will find out by calling fitter first.
Calabasas is a good suggestion, thanks!
1 Like
- Saddle reps are commission sales people.
- Many reps do not have the skills to actually work on leather or reflock a saddle. They just send measurements to the elves that do the work.
- Typically the saddle is ordered from a home office often England or Europe and if it needs repairs is sent back, hence the time and cost
- An independent saddle fitter can strip and reflock a saddle for a couple hundred dollars.
- If your saddle rep is also a trained saddle fitter and repair person they might be doing that alongside commission sales as a seperate revenue stream.
- There is no real incentive for either the brand or the rep to service second hand saddles unless the rep is set up to sell consignment saddles.
- Reflocking and repairing saddles is not rocket science but it takes excellent craft skills as well as training and intelligence. Sewing leather is time consuming and difficult. Reflocking is a big job, the panels are completely unstitched and opened up, restuffed and sewn up. I feel like the personal traits needed to be good at the technical end of saddle repair (patience, dexterity, honesty) are not necessarily the same traits that would make you a good salesperson of $7000 semi custom saddles.
2 Likes
I recommend Tina Fitch - she’s very good.
1 Like
Alis of Sand and Sea Saddlery fits my Custom saddles. One I bought new from her, the other I bought used (also from her).
IIRC, the last time mine were refit it was on the order of $200 per saddle.
Love her. I recommended her as well. I’m almost sorry I don’t have a wool flocked saddle now because she’s such a great person.
1 Like
Hi @Scribbler -
Thank you for your comments. I thought all of CS sales reps are also fitters and know how to fit/reflock their saddles. Custom Saddlery has their own Used Saddle Shop so I thought all the reps also represented this business.
Why is there no incentive to reflock/fit second hand saddles? Is the fee not enough to make it a worthwhile endeavor?
1 Like
I can’t find where Sand and Sea Saddlery is located. Do you think they are still in business or in SoCal?
The FB page hasn’t had entries for a couple years and when I click on website link, it goes to a kanji character page.
I don’t know about Custom specifically but was commenting on saddle reps generally.
All saddle reps get some corporate training in how to measure and fit that particular brand, but there just aren’t that many people around who have learned to actually pull a saddle apart and rebuild it. If Custom is able to actually find enough real saddle repair people to be reps that’s fantastic but it’s just not a widespread skill set.
It’s easy enough to add flocking through the panel gaps (and to do it badly) but opening up the panels for a strip and reflock is tedious work hans sewing it back up.
There is a huge skill gap between measuring a saddle, checking fit, even adding extra wool, versus opening up a saddle and stripping the flocking and sewing it up by hand. That takes basic handicraft aptitude and a lot of practice.
1 Like
Just saw her a month ago. Maybe she’s listed on the Custom Saddlery page. Here’s her number per that site.
253-208-2316
You guys are the best!
Does she service the SoCal area, too?
This is the local rep for Custom. She’s good. She’s the one who adjusted my saddle. I believe she lives in Santa Barbara, and serves LA and Ventura Co.
I’m just curious. Does she just adjust, or can she open up panels strip and reflock?
Where in “SoCal” are you located? Pretty big area and there is some territory overlap between a few Custom Reps.
