THE first saddle fitting course run by the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) in the southern hemisphere was deemed a success.

It ran over two days at the end of November in Ambury Park Centre, Auckland, New Zealand.

The course was a two-day introduction to the principles of saddle fitting and it attracted 23 delegates from New Zealand and Australia. It was primarily aimed and those wanting to become a Society of Master Saddlers-qualified saddle fitter. However, it was also suitable for other equine professionals interested in expanding their knowledge of saddle fitting, such as coaches and physiotherapists.

Lecturers included BETA executive director Claire Williams and qualified saddler fitters Ian and Dee Silman, David Jones-Parry and Nikki Newcombe, along with New Zealand veterinary surgeon and chiropractor Deb Prattley.

Speaking afterwards, Claire Williams said: “The course was previously available only in the UK and US, so it was exciting to take it to another part of the world.

“Following the overwhelmingly positive response from delegates, we are planning to take the course to Australia and possibly return to New Zealand at the time of next year’s Equitana Auckland event to offer other courses from BETA’s suite of training opportunities covering areas as diverse as safety equipment fitting and bits and bitting advice.”