We believe Ideal’s Designed to Order service gives you the best of both worlds: a saddle from a major, top quality, innovative manufacturer plus an individual specification for you and your horse.

This is what Ideal say about their Design to Order service:

“At the manufacturing stage we can, by design, make a range of alterations translating your most detailed requirements into the IDEAL saddle for you.

We can build up or lower the gusset at the rear, modify the panel in the area around the points, which fits into hollows at the base of the withers, to lift up the front of the saddle to suit thoroughbreds, or, in cases where the bearing area from the points needs to be lower, we have developed trees with extra-long points. Many more modification can be made to suit any horse and riders desires.”

In practise this means that “almost anything is possible” says Ian in terms of creating the perfect fit, stability, balance, comfort and appearance of your saddle.

For example you may need a saddle in a larger or smaller size than is available as standard, your horse may need special girthing arrangements or panels, you may prefer a particular shape, size and position of knee and thigh blocks, you may need a longer or shorter flap. These are just a few examples!

Then we come to how it looks! Perhaps something a bit special! You may like your saddle in a special leather in full or part. Contrast piping, two tone leather, coloured leather, decorative stitching, embossing and bling are all possible as are team and sponsor’s logos.

In most cases the Designed to Order service is included in the price of the saddle listed in this ebay shop but please see below for full details.

All saddles are made to order and will take 4 – 6 weeks to make. A fast track service is available if required.

WHAT IT COSTS

Each saddle from the Ideal range is individually priced in this ebay shop.

If your saddle is “Designed to Order”, all options and modifications at the manufacturing stage in terms of both fit and style under this service are included in our published price for each saddle. The only exception is if you choose to have the saddle made up in full or part in a non standard leather or if you would like to customise the appearance of your saddle with for example an embossed logo or "bling"! We would be very happy to give you a quote.

If your saddle is fitted to template, this will include a custom flock and possibly tree work by Ian and his team to achieve the perfect fit. This cost is £150 if you live in the UK, £200 for Europe and £300 for the rest of the world. It is the attention to detail that makes the difference when fitting a saddle. Not only must it be the right width, it must be the right shape for the horse. The saddle is made to specification at the manufacturing stage by Ideal and then any fine tuning is done by Ian and his team.

All saddles are made to order and take 4 – 6 weeks to make. 

We ask you for a deposit when you place the order. The balance is due when the saddle is ready for delivery.

OUR APPROACH

The importance of a correctly fitting saddle is widely recognised in creating a comfortable, freely moving horse and a secure rider, in balance with their horse. Achieving this goal is often fraught with difficulty.

In a perfect world, the saddle fitter visits the horse both before and after the saddle is made. However, this is not a perfect world! Not only is it not perfect, it is a different world: horses are kept for sport and pleasure all over the world and in places where a network of fitters of English saddles does not exist. That network can be very patchy at home in the UK compounded by the fact that many of us work full time and can’t be there when the saddle fitter can.

The solution is to combine modern communications with extensive experience, expertise and innovation in the art of saddle fitting and saddle manufacture.

Saddlesworldwide has teamed up with Minster Saddlery. Together we specialise in Ideal Saddles and Ideal’s Designed to Order service to provide this solution. Minster are experts in saddles and saddle fitting. They have a long established, excellent working relationship with Ideal. Together, we will be the team who will look after you, help you arrive at your specification and be your link to Ideal. Ideal is a market leader in the design and manufacture of English saddles and is a member of the Society of Master Saddlers.