09/04/2024
A great post from Step at Freedom Saddlery explaining where to look to see if your Saddle fitter has a recognised qualification and an overseeing organisation.
I am a registered qualified saddle fitter with the Society of Master Saddlers visit there website www.mastersaddlers.co.uk to see all my qualifications
A serious message on April Fool’s Day to avoid getting fooled.
🎓Freedom Saddlery is an experienced and qualified SMS Master Saddle Fitter, who qualified with the M.S.F.C Diploma prior to being a SMS QSF.
🤔How can you check this? How can you know I’m not just saying this to fool you?
📋Well, the SMS The Society of Master Saddlers have a register of Qualified Saddle Fitters. Here you will find proof.
📋And the Equine Fitters Directory hold the information of the MSFC qualification - I have registered with them too.
😐You will not be able to confirm the MSFC anywhere else because, like a number of commercial training entities, they have no administrative infrastructure.
👵🏻The SMS have been in existence since 1966. It is the largest saddle fitting membership organisation, and has paid administrative staff. It has a team of independent, hugely experienced saddle fitters who can mediate should disagreements arise, and a disciplinary process should the saddle fitter not have followed the Code of Conduct - for example if they not taken templates.
☎️The Equine Fitters Council also have offer an independent route for mediation of disputes and a Code of Conduct too.
🫵🏻So I am answerable to both.
I say this because SOME saddle fitters are answerable to NO ONE.
Yes.
😳You heard right!
🕵️Horse owners should check who the saddle fitter is REGISTERED with if they are employing them to work with their horse. Don’t be a fool (and don’t rely on social media either!)
🥺I say this because I have met yet *another* new client this week who believed themselves to be employing the services of self described ‘qualified’ saddle fitter, who would not tell them their qualification.
❌They were not on the SMS Qualified Saddle Fitter register.
❌They were not a registered fitter with the Equine Fitters Directory.
🏴☠️They were sold a saddle from the van, told it was bespoke and thus their consumer rights were affected (wrong). They were treated unfairly, unpleasantly, and totally unprofessionally when they had concerns as to the fit of the saddle.
😢And they have no recourse through any overseeing saddle fitting organisation.
⚖️No other choice but to make a legal claim through the small claims courts.
😔It sickens me to my core when I hear of these terrible experiences at the hands of saddle fitters who behave unprofessionally and cannot be held accountable because they are not REGISTERED with an overseeing body.
💆Not only that, it makes the job of the genuine saddle fitter so much harder.
We have to be sensitive to their understandable nervousness, and not take their lack of confidence in our genuine advice personally. All this as a direct result of rogue “saddle fitter” doing a bad job and not owning the problem.
If there is disagreement, there should be a proper professional discussion. It involves listening from both sides to find a solution.
No bullying.
No temper tantrums.
🤯Don’t get me wrong, I have had clients who have had horses go lame and try to blame the saddle for the foot abscess and push their way for a full refund two years after they bought the saddle. Yes, they are out there too! 😐
Sadly there is no register for genuine clients! 😉
Genuine saddle fitters also need protection from unjust and frivolous refund requests.
☎️To have recourse; to defer to an independent knowledgeable body to mediate when there is disagreement, gives a sense of security to horseowners - and saddle fitters alike.
🕵️I believe ALL horse owners should insist on their saddle fitter being SMS or EFD registered if employing them.
Final thoughts:
🤔You wouldn’t spend thousands on a holiday without the travel company being ATOL/ABTA registered!
I support the SMS. ✅
And I support the EFD. ✅
They both ensure transparency. 👌🏻
And I believe this is a good thing for consumer protection and recourse in the case of dispute.
✔️Choose your next saddle fitter wisely!
✔️Ask the REGISTRATION question.
✔️Check it out.
✔️Be saddle fitter savvy.
And don’t get fooled.
🙏🏻
