FAQ'S | Cavaletti Collection
Q – HOW MUCH DOES THE SADDLE TRIAL SERVICE COST?
A – The Saddle trial is free. However you will be required to pay a carriage charge, this covers the cost of the delivery of the saddle to you and also the collection to be returned to us. If you keep the saddle after the trial the carriage charge will be refunded in full, excluding HI and AK state codes, Authorisation for the amount of the saddle will be taken from your preferred card type. The Card will then be charged if you decide to keep the saddle after the trial.
Q - HOW WILL I KNOW WHAT SEAT SIZE I NEED?
A – This is a good question and one that most horse riders are not aware. The seat size is determined by the rider, not the horse, although some horses may not be long enough in the saddle area for the seat size required. You need to feel secure and balanced in the centre of the seat with room for you hand sideways before the back of the cantle. As a rough guide this can be gauged due to your clothes size. 8-10 = 17’’, 12-14 = 17.5’’ 16 -18 = 18’
Q – CAN THE WIDTH BE CHANGED ON MY CAVALETTI SADDLE?
A – Yes, all Cavaletti Saddles feature our interchangeable gullet system which are available in 6 different widths – NM, M, MW, W, XW and XXW. This process can be carried out by yourself using an Allen key. You can find the information in the video ‘How to Change your Cavaletti Gullet bar’ on our website www.cavaletticollection.com or by clicking here. If you don’t find the answers or need any further advice or help please contact our customer services on 214-444-5993.
Q – WILL I NEED ANY TOOLS TO CHANGE THE GULLET BAR?
A – Yes, you will need an Allen key. All fittings will fit any standard Allen key.
Q – HOW DO I CHANGE TO GULLET BAR?
A – The gullet bar can be changed in a matter of minutes following a few simple steps. You will need an Allen key to do this so make sure you have one to hand when you are planning to do so. See our video ‘Changing your gullet plate’ on our website. All fittings are supplied, and replacement fittings can be ordered if you lose any. Please visit the Fitting Guide page for more info.
Q- WHAT HAPPENS IF I LOSE ONE OF THE SCREWS WHILE CHANGING THE GULLET BAR?
A – The screws we use are specialist screws only suited to our gullet plates. Please contact us on 214-444-5993 to order and we will arrange for some replacement ones to be sent out.
Q – HOW DO I TAKE A TEMPLATE?
A – A Flexi curve (Available from most stationary shops) is the most useful tool to take a template of your horse, you can then compare to the width templates that are on our fitting guide page.
Always ensure when you are taking templates of your horse/pony that they are standing square on a level/flat surface. Bend the flexi curve in half so you have a ‘V’ Shape. Find the back of the shoulder blade, ‘Scapula’ and mark 2” (10cm) behind. This is where you will need to take your measurement from.
Press down on the curve ensuring the exact shape and then place on a piece of plain white paper and draw round the in-side of the curve that was in contact from the horses back. From here you should be able to determine what width your horse will be from our fitting guide page. Either place the curve on the chart or cut the template out and place on the chart.
Alternatively, if you don’t have access to one of these, we have a template which can either be downloaded onto a hard card based material which you can then cut out or please call us on 214-444-5993 and we can post one out to you. Horse and pony’s do vary from size to size and shape to shape.
Q – MY HORSE IS COMING UP BETWEEN 2 SIZES, WHAT SHOULD I DO?
A – In this instance we suggest you order your saddle with the width you think is going to be most suitable. You can then select an additional gullet bar in with the trial at no extra cost allowing you to adjust yourself if the additional size may be needed for trial purposes. This can then be returned to us once your trial has ended. Please also consider if your horse/pony is at their regular shape, are you expecting him to put on top line? Is he a new horse and likely to change? Or perhaps he needs to go on a diet? All these things need to be considered when choosing the right width gullet bar.
Q – WHAT IF I HAVE ORDERED THE WRONG WIDTH?
A – We are happy to send out another gullet bar during your trial period if required.
Q – WHAT HAPPENS IF MY HORSE CHANGES SHAPE OR I CHANGE MY HORSE?
A – You can purchase additional width gullet bars on the website.
Q – HOW DO I KNOW WHAT SIZE GULLET PLATE MY SADDLE HAS IN IT?
A – All our gullet widths are colour coded. You will be able to see the colour of the gullet by just lifting the apron on the underside of your saddle. For a full list of our gullet plate colour coding please visit our fitting page on the website.
Q – DO YOU OFFER A SADDLE FITTING SERVICE?
A – Our saddles are sold directly and we offer the free 14-day trial allowing you ride in them and determine the suitability and fit. You can however plan for a professional saddle fitter to check the saddle at your own cost and instruction. Please also see the below answers which are for guidance only on ‘How would I know if my saddle fits’. We always recommend your saddle is checked/fitted by a professional saddle fitter.
Q – HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY SADDLE FITS?
A – It is vital that your saddle fit’s your horse/pony correctly. If you are unsure or have any doubts about the fit of your saddle, please consult a professional saddle fitter. We have listed a few guidelines below which may help you.
Seat Size – The saddle must be the right size for the rider. It needs to be comfortable and supportive in the seat with the rider sat centrally in the flat spot. Dependent on the size of your horse/pony there may be a maximum seat size which your horse/pony can take. The Saddle must not come past T18 (18th thoratic vertebrae) of your horse/pony. If it does so this can cause discomfort and is not accepted as good fit.
Saddle Width – Please refer to the answer in ‘How do I take a template’. Your saddle should sit level and be balanced on your horse/ponies back. If the saddle is too narrow this will result in the saddle leaning back, you will see the pommel is taller than the cantle. If it is too wide it will tip down at the front resulting in the rear of the saddle lifting. Both these will affect your balance in the seat. Look at the saddle girthed from the side and see if the centre of the seat is level.
Your saddle must be clear of the spine of your horse/pony at all times. You should ideally have 3 fingers clearance with the rider on board at the front of the saddle even when girthed up. Ensure that when you look through the channel of the saddle that you can see daylight. The panels should follow the contour of your horse. Run you hand down the front to ensure it is not too tight and pinching. Also underneath the panels for even pressure.
A new ungirthed saddle may sit pommel high until it has had chance to settle.
The saddle must also fit this criteria with the rider on board.
Q – DO YOU OFFER A REPAIR SERVICE?
A – We do have the facilities to carry out repairs here at our Head Office. In the first instance of any faulty products within the manufacturing guarantee please contact our customer services team on 214-444-5993. If you are outside of your guarantee/warranty than please call us with your repair needs and we will quote you for the work that needs to be carried out. We only carry out repairs on Cavaletti products
Q – DOES MY SADDLE COME WITH A GUARANTEE?
A – Yes, all our saddles come with a 5 year warranty for the tree of the saddle and a 12-month manufacturing guarantee for material and workmanship. You must register your saddle on our website to activate this service. Please see our saddle registration page for more information. You will need your serial number to hand also.
Q – WHERE WILL I FIND THE SERIAL NUMBER ON MY SADDLE?
A – The serial number is located on the sweat flap on the left-hand side. It will be a 6-9-digit number.
Q – WHERE WILL I FIND THE SIZE ON MY SADDLE?
A – The seat size of your saddle will be stamped on the sweat flap in the bottom right hand corner. However, the width will not be stamped here due to the interchangeable gullet system. This can be found out by the colour of the gullet plate or will be stated on your original order.
Narrow Medium = Green
Medium = Blue
Medium Wide = Purple
Wide = Red
XWide = Orange
XXWide = Grey
Q – HOW SHOULD I CARE FOR MY LEATHERWORK?
A - All tack should be wiped down after every use. Your Saddle and all Leather accessories should be cleaned on a regular basis using our Cavaletti Collection Leather Conditioner or similar wax based products. It is important only to use saddle soap when your leather is particularly dirty as this can dry the leather out. If using a saddle soap, when the leather is dry it is important you follow on with the Cavaletti Collection leather conditioner or again a similar wax based product to re condition it.
Q – HOW CAN I USE MY GIFT VOUCHER?
A – Gift vouchers are purchased online and have a 12-month expiry date from issues. These can be posted out directly to you if preferred. You will need to enter its unique code at checkout for both full and part payment.
Q – CAN I COLLECT FROM YOU DIRECT TO SAVE ON POSTAGE COSTS?
A – Yes this is an option if you are local to us. Please call us prior to checkout for further details on 214-444-5993
Q – HOW DO I KNOW WHAT SIZE STIRRUP LEATHER I WILL NEED?
A – We do 2 sizes of stirrup leathers. The 54’’ are standard adult stirrup leathers suitable for both Jumping and general activities. The 60’’ are required mainly for the Dressage saddles allowing the longer leg length position.
It is important to remember this is the stirrup leather only and the height of the stirrup iron will be on top of these measurements. These are for guidance only.
Q – WHATS THE ‘CORRECT’ WAY TO MEASURE FOR A GIRTH?
A - You must measure from the pin end of the buckle, i.e., usually the longest point on a long (not dressage girth) taking into account how stretchy the elastic is if any on your current girth.
Measure an existing girth that is used, ideally you should be doing up on the middle hole on the girth straps, so if currently it is a hole higher/up on both sides, usually strap holes are 1" apart so you would want a 2" shorter girth. English girths are made in 2" increments.
TIP: If it is a girth with elastic, it is essentially that you have elastic on both sides otherwise you will cause an in balance on the stability.
Q – DO YOU OFFER PART-EXCHANGE?
A – We only offer part exchange for Cavaletti Collection Saddles. Please call us for more details on 214-444-5993
Q – DO YOU SHIP INTERNATIONALLY?
A – Unfortunately this is not an option on our website at present. Please call us for further information or visit the International Dealers section on the website.