About Us

Our Story
 

Katherine Penner Equine Services was founded in 2009.  Katherine began her education at the BC College of Equine Therapy, graduating from the two year intensive program with the Top Student Award.  Katherine practiced bodywork and saddle fitting full time after graduation, and soon discovered a need for quality saddle reflocking and saddle work.  She proceeded to research the most comprehensive programs, and found The Saddle Fit and Reflocking School in South Carolina.  This was by far the longest program, taking place over six months, and was taught by an entirely independent practitioner, Mike Scott, who had over 35 years of experience. 

After completing the program, Katherine focused solely on independent fitting, choosing to not sell saddles, as she did not want to appear biased to her clients.  Many other practitioners appear to be in it for the sale, and Katherine wanted to provide equestrians with truly unbiased information.  However, with so much demand from her clients for quality, properly fitting saddles, Katherine began importing in 2013.  Today, she carries four lines as a distributor, not a representative, meaning she is completely independent from the manufacturer, and chooses what lines to carry.  This is based off needs she sees in the market, and horse’s with conformations that are not being accommodated well. 

She still strives to keep the assessment and sale parts of her business entirely separate, so that no one gets an assessment that is less than honest.  Another way she does this, is by focusing strongly on education in her appointments.  The goal in every session is for the client to understand exactly what does and does not work about their saddle, so that they can make the best decisions for themselves and their horses.  Katherine is passionate about teaching, and also offers saddle fit education clinics to local groups and barns.

Not Sure Where to Start?

 

 It’s hard to know how to fix something, if you don’t understand it.  If you are unsure about how your saddle is fitting, the best place to start is our On-Site Assessment.  The assessment includes an overview of saddle construction, saddle fit theory, a specific analysis of your horse’s conformational needs, and our step by step tutorial designed to allow you to understand every step of your saddle’s fit.  From here, you have all the information you need to make a decision for yourself, instead of just relying on someone else.

 

 

Saddle shopping can be overwhelming.  There are so many options, and even worse, so many opinions.  If you aren’t sure where to start, consider a Saddle Assessment.  This will explain the main elements of saddle fit and let you know exactly what aspects your horse needs.  If you have any saddles you’re curious about, we can assess them for you during your appointment.

If you’d like to see what we have available, you can look at our New Saddles to see what we have in stock, these saddles are all available for custom order and come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and fit options.  You can also check out our Used Saddles for a great bargain.

 

Many modern saddles can be adjusted.  What is usually less understood, is what type of adjustments are possible and how they actually affect the fit of the saddle for your horse.  An On-Site Reflocking can adjust the wool panel to better suit your horse’s shape as well as maintain any natural compression.  A Width Adjustment addresses the angle of the tree points and is helpful if your saddle is too wide or too narrow.

If you think your saddle might need adjustment, but aren’t sure, a Saddle Assessment can tell you what saddle adjustments might work for you.

 

This of course, all depends on your horses.  However, certain saddle aspects are more readily adaptable to different horses, and sometimes we can make adjustments, so that it can be used on more than one horse. 

The best way to start is to book a Saddle Assessment and see how your saddle fits your different horses.

Saddles

Bliss of London Regency Jump Saddle

New Saddles

Since we do not work for any saddle manufacturers, we have the ability to pick and choose what we carry…

Black Country Eloquence Dressage Saddle

Used and Stock Saddles

Used saddles are a great option for those wanting an economical solution, or to bargain hunt…

Consignment Policies

Yes!  We do take saddles on consignment…

Saddle Care

Here are some tips for the care and maintenance of your saddle…

Saddle Fitting

Our Approach

Our approach to fitting varies greatly from other companies…

Saddle Trials

A saddle trial includes an explanation of saddle construction, saddle fit theory…

Saddle Assessments

An on-site assessment will walk you through the current fit of your saddle…

Saddle Adjustments

An on-site re-flocking includes an assessment, as well as altering your saddle’s flocking…

About Us

About Us

Katherine Penner Equine Services was founded in 2010…

Policies

Our policies around cancellations, warranties, and returns…

Educational Clinics

We offer educational fitting clinics for barns or groups…

Contact Us

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Contact Info

Based in Vancouver, BC

(604) 721 6345

info@equinebalancesaddles.com

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