Vicki Wood: Saddle Fitter of 34 Years on Why She Has HDR Saddles in Her Shop

Vicki Wood has been working at Farm House Tack since the very early days of the business’s existence. Greeting every client with a friendly face, she’s had several careers in the equestrian world, even traveling the show circuit as a professional groom. During her time with Farm House Tack, her position has evolved into the role of saddle fitter. 

“I've been here for 34, almost 35 years,” Vicki said. “I've trained with Prestige, Amerigo, Bates. I've trained with a lot of different people. I did saddle fitting certifications with Mike Scott and David Young years ago.”

While Farm House Tack carries a wide variety of saddles, from Pessoa to Wintec to Bates. But there’s one brand she reaches for often: Henri de Rivel saddles. “I think HDR is a great saddle because it has a lower point of a saddle,” Vicki said. “Not everybody has the wallet to buy your big, expensive saddles, right? And so that was one of the reasons with the HDRs, there are some models that I absolutely love.”

Vick’s current favorite model is the HDR jumping saddle,  Henri De Rivel Equipe H Close Contact IGP Flocked Saddle. She worked closely with  Henri de Rivel to have the flap on the original Equipe saddle modified for hunter riders, which make up the majority of her clientele. 

“The one that I really love now is the new Equipe, the one with the wool flocking,” Vicki said. “We talked with you guys and worked on doing a straighter flap for the hunters, because the original Equipe was a gorgeous saddle, but it was designed for jumpers.”

“So, I said the saddle is gorgeous, let’s make it more of a hunter seat saddle,” Vicki continued. “It’s under $1200, so it’s great for the beginner rider and for people who don’t have that high end budget for a saddle. Plus, it’s got a changeable gullet system.” 

Vicki says the  HDR saddle IGP– Interchangeable Gullet System– makes her job as a saddle fitter much easier. “Not every horse’s body is built the same, so the changeable gullets makes it fit a lot more horses and keeps the saddle off the spine,” she said. “So, what happens is, you can change the gullet to make it fit more horses. All you have to have is a screwdriver, basically, and you can change out the plate. You unscrew four screws and change out the plate. 

According to Vicki, the changeable gullet system on HDR jumping saddles is great for Pony Club riders, who don’t have their own horses. “They’re catch riding whatever horse that the club has,” Vicki said. “If they start leasing a horse or something, the [changeable gullet system] is a great way to go because you have to spend a lot of money for that saddle. If it’s their first horse or they’re riding a barn horse, they can just change out the gullet,  pad up, and go.”

Whether you’re riding your forever horse or looking for a short-term lease, Vicki says it’s essential that your Henri de Rivel  saddle fits your horse correctly from the start. “A saddle fitting correctly is going to give you a better ride,” Vicki said. “The horse is not going to be acting up, the horse is not going to be sore, and so you're just going to have a better ride.”

But your HDR jumping saddle doesn’t just have to fit the horse– it also has to fit the rider. This is one aspect of saddle fit that Vicki says many riders forget about. “You can’t play any sport without proper alignment, right?” she said. “You want your hips to be underneath you, over your heels, your shoulders– alignment is so important. If you can’t find the sweet spot of the saddle when you’re riding, the connection to the horse becomes incorrect. If you’re swinging your leg on the horse, it’s going to cause miscommunications, the horse is going to stop. If the horse stops at a fence, he’s going to start bad habits– it’s all a chain reaction.”

Vicki says that while you should get your saddle fit checked regularly, you can keep an eye out for things like misbehavior in your horse and problems with your equitation. 

“When the rider starts feeling uncomfortable and the horse starts doing things like stopping or you're landing on the neck of the horse all the time– That's a good sign, right there,” Vicki said. “Or if the horse is stopping, there's a reason why this horse is stopping. If your legs are swinging a lot, look at your saddle. If your stirrup leather is making a big swing and swish mark on your saddle, get your saddle fit checked.”

Besides the adjustability of the fit and the comfort of the saddle, Vicki said she also recommends HDR saddles because of the price. “We don’t all have to be riding in $3,000 saddles, right?” she said. “A $3,000 saddle does not make you ride that much better. If you’ve got the talent of riding, it doesn’t matter what you ride in.”

Looking for your next saddle? Find your next HDR saddle on breeches.com. 

Not ready to hit purchase quite yet?  Learn more about which saddle you should buy here or  schedule a saddle trial here.