Saddle Geek online fittings? Ricks heritage? Pelham saddlery?

[Rth88]

Has anyone done the Saddle Geek online fitting/consultation? After already spending the money to have a local fitter come and getting very little in the way of help or recommendations, I’m really hesitant to spend even more money with an online fitter. But the site says after looking at pictures and tracings she can reccomend which brands and models would likely be a good match, and that’s exactly what I was wanting and didn’t really get from the local fitter. But before shelling out another $100 on top of what I already spent, has anyone ever used her service before? Is it worth the money? Feel free to PM me if you’d rather.

Also, has anyone sent pics/tracings to either pelham saddlery or ricks heritage? Are they any good at reccomending saddles that would likely fit? There are a few in each of their consignment inventory that I think would maybe work but it’s hard to tell just from pictures. And if their ability to read tracings is anything like the girl at the tack shop this weekend, I’d be better off throwing a dart at the computer screen to pick which ones might fit. I’ve already tried 16 saddles with no luck and my whole saddle budget is going to be gone if I have to ship that many back and forth!

And last random question, has anyone ridden in the Adam Ellis Chloe saddle that pelham carries? I’m super curious about it but hesitate to have them ship one over when I’ve never even seen one in person.

Thanks everyone!

[Renn_aissance]

I haven’t paid for The Saddle Geek’s services; I’m not in the market. However, I know the proprietor from her posts here (jn4jenny.) From reading her saddle fitting opinions on COTH, I know she has substantial experience with many different saddle brands at different price points and a keen sense of what tends to work and not work for different riders and horses. If I needed fitting help and my local resources were not broad, I would consult her.

I did get online saddle fitting help from Kitt Hazelton (Panther Run Saddlery) some years ago. I also thought she had good insights to share, but the brands she was experienced with, while great saddles, were not to my personal taste. She recommended Black Country, Frank Baines, and County. I think they are all great manufacturers but they haven’t been my cup of tea to ride in. That’s just a personal preference. She was doing free fitting advice on her blog, and so since I got insightful and accurate advice at no cost I have nothing to complain about. I mention her as an additional resource but also suggest that if you know you have strong preferences about what you like as a rider, you might want to check in with a fitter to see if they have a brand affiliation or specific knowledge about certain brands or types to make sure that jives with what your behind likes to sit in.

[soloudinhere]

Janie at Pelham is pretty good.

[LuvMyTB]

PM sent.

[no.stirrups]

Saddlegeek is ridiculously knowledgeable. I honestly don’t know how she stores so much detailed knowledge in her brain.

She reminds me of the Registrar at my college who greeted me by name, without skipping a beat, 20 years after I graduated and then proceeded to inquire about specific interests that she remembered I had, etc.

Saddlegeek has that kind of brain. And she can instantly sort her mental files by price, or whatever specific features you or your horse require. Her recommendations are much more precise than anyone I’ve encountered who offers a similar service. Others might say “try Black Country” Saddlegeek would say “try the Black Country Eloquence on the Freedom tree made before 2015 because they changed the panel then and the older one has more quilting stitches that can be modified to fit your horse better” (I partially made that up, but some older BC’s do have that).

And she’s able and willing to work with a variety of price ranges. Saddlegeek lives near me, so we’ve been able to collaborate some and I’ve had the opportunity to pick her brain on a variety of topics, as she has mine!

[Bogie]

Go back and look at her post history on COTH (jn4jenny). I think she has a really good grasp of a wide range of saddles.

[SonnysMom]

I live near Rick’s Heritage in West Chester. I would go with SaddleGeek first and Pelham Saddlery second.

[mojo7777]

I just did a consult with The Saddle Geek and recommend her enthusiastically. She has a very deep fund of knowledge on different saddles and how they work with different horses, and riders. I was surprised and impressed by the detailed email I received from her before I even signed on and paid for the service. And after I sent her my questionnaire and photos, I received informed and excellent recommendations for several saddles, along with suggestions for even more avenues to look into. The first saddle suggestion I tried was a keeper, after I checked it with her and asked several more questions, which she answered in detail. I believe The Saddle Geek can help anyone in their search, but especially someone like me, living in a remote area with no tack stores within a day’s drive. Highly recommend!

[caryledee]

jn4jenny was very helpful when I was having issues, before she started a business. I am happy she is doing it professionally now.

[BAC]

If you check out jn4jenny’s posts here you will see how knowledgeable she is, so I wouldn’t hesitate to try her out, but another option is Trumbull Mountain’s fitter, Jay, who has had lots of success fitting remotely judging from the posts of others on this forum who have dealt with her. And I don’t think Trumbull Mountain has that $100 fee either. I wish I could remember her screen name though.

[caryledee]

jaybird660 ?? Something like that. She is very helpful as well!

[BAC]

Yes, it is jaybird … Its terrible how bad my memory is LOL. Anyway lots of positive experiences from people here about how helpful she is.

[DragonBoy]

I did a consultation with the saddle geek in August, and it was really helpful! She gave me a lot of insight and ideas I hadn’t thought about. She suggested a Frank Baines Eternity, which I got in November, and I love it!

[Rth88]

Wonderful! Thanks everyone! This is exactly the advice I was looking for before deciding whether or not to drop $100 on a second fitting opinion.