Q: How do I go about Custom Made Saddle/Saddlery Orders?
A. Please contact us if you wish to order a custom made item/saddle. This will require team work and sharing of information between you and us. We will communicate with you, and expect you to communicate with us, to work together to make a written agreement, to ensure both parties are in full agreeance with details prior to proceeding with any order. Please read our Terms & Conditions
Q: Do you take orders from other countries?
A: We currently are not taking orders from outside of New Zealand.
Q. Why is the price of your saddles so low?
A. We literally cut out all the many middlemen - our saddles ship directly to us for you: from Manufacturer>to us>to Customer. It's that simple. With practically any other saddle brand name, you have to pay more as many more people 'clip the ticket' along the way, it looks something like this: Manufacturer>Trader>Importer>Wholesaler>Retailer>(Saddle fitter)>Customer, so save yourself money, buy WHOLESALE and get a quality saddle for less!
Q. What are my shipping/postage costs?
A: For most items, shipping within New Zealand is FREE... unless otherwise stated or the customer wishes to pay for Fast Delivery/Couriers.
We no longer take International/Overseas orders.
Standard Shipping Charges, including Rural delivery charges will apply when not explicitly stated that shipping is included or is offered.
Our standard shipping carrier for delivery is NZ Post.
If you have any special shipping requests and/or would like to use a different carrier please feel free to contact us.
The postage expenses for otherwise returned items is the responsibility of the party returning the item. We recommend that any returned items are sent using a track and trace system. We are unable to compensate for return parcels that are lost or damaged in transit.
Q. What payment options do you offer?
A. We accept payment by NZ Bank Deposit, Credit Card and Layby.
> NZ Bank deposit: please contact us to place your order and receive bank account details.
> Credit card payments: We use STRIPE & the PayPal platform for payment by credit card. You DO NOT have to be signed up to Paypal to use this feature.
>You can order or purchase directly from this website after agreeing to our Terms & Conditions using the 'Add to Cart' function and complete payment by credit card. Please note a 4% credit card processing fee may apply to your order; if applicable this will be show as 'sales tax' on your order.
Q. Do you offer refunds if I change my mind?
A. We do not offer a refund on a change of mind, or if the saddle has been specially ordered in for you. We do of course meet our obligations under the NZ Consumer Guarantee's Act 1993, and in the event of a faulty saddle we will, at our sole discretion, repair, replace or refund as required.
Q. How can I improve the likelihood of my saddle fitting when it arrives?
A. While we do not guarantee the fit of your new saddle, and do not offer a refund if your saddle does not fit, here are a few key notes to help improve the likelihood of it fitting when it arrives.
>Most of our saddles use the ChangeME gullet system, (which you can change yourself, no saddler required). There are five gullet widths to choose from, covering A LOT of bases in the width department for your individual horse.
>In conjunction with selecting the correct gullet size, adjustments can also be made to the flocking of the panels by a saddler if your horse needs some flocking to be added or removed to improve the overall saddle fit. (This is usually inexpensive and the best way to set your new saddle up to be as comfortable as possible for your horse). Flocking of any new saddle usually needs to be adjusted after the 'breaking in period', and then between every 6 months to annually, depending on how much riding you do and how much your horse's shape changes.
The seat size (or length) of saddle ordered is up to you, as you know your horse best, and the saddle size in which you feel most comfortable. If prior to ordering you are unsure of what saddle seat size to choose, we recommend checking out our Saddle Tips page for how to measure your horse's back. (Please Note: we are unable to refund based on you selecting the wrong size, as this constitutes a 'change of mind').
>You may like to consider using a reputable saddle fitter to help you with measuring your horse prior to saddle purchase. (Click here to find out about our saddle fitting service)
>It's also worth considering that your horse can change shape over time. A horses shape can change due to building/losing muscle, age, changes in the seasons or changes to feeding regimes etc. We recommend you check your horse's saddle fit regularly to help keep him/her happy and comfortable under saddle.
Q. Do you offer Trial Saddles?
A. We do have some trial saddles available in some styles, but not all. We have a limited supply of trial saddles as we would need to increase our margins from carrying so many trial saddles across all of the possible saddle styles, sizes and colour options. Our aim is to do our best to keep our saddle prices low, so you don't have to pay more than you should! If you are unsure of whether a saddle is going to be suitable for your needs, please contact us to discuss your requirements and to check if a trial saddle is available in the model you are interested in. We do offer a saddle fitting service in some areas, where we undertake measurements of your horse to help determine saddle suitability. Some of our saddles are quite adjustable, as they are built using the ChangeMe adjustable gullet system and the panels have flock packing, which is also adjustable.
Q. How long will my saddle take to get here?
A. Unless you are selecting a saddle we hold in stock or 'on hand', each saddle is made from scratch, based on your requirements entered when you place your order. It usually takes 8-10 weeks for production and dispatch (& up to 12 weeks during busy periods), unless otherwise stated. We recommend having another saddle to ride in while your saddle is being made. (Got any friends with a spare?)
Q. Do your saddles have any sort of warranty?
A.We do not guarantee the fit of your new saddle, and do not offer a refund if your saddle does not fit. The seat size (or length) of saddle ordered is up to you, as you know your horse best, and the saddle size in which you feel most comfortable.
All saddles from Just Saddles come with a 24 month warranty under normal use and conditions, as determined by manufacturer and a parts and labour included; does not cover 'general wear and tear', rough handling or treatment, lack of care of the item or when used for commercial use.
The Warranty covers defects in all materials and craftsmanship leading to failure of the product to perform.
Warranties note: We have, at our sole discretion, the option to repair defects or to replace the saddle. Shipping costs to and from warehouse or factory for repairs not included. To ensure quality, all repairs must be authorised by us, and be performed by either the saddle manufacturers or by a saddler/repair person approved by us. All warranties for saddles are calculated from the date the saddle is sent out/delivered to the customer. Some of the saddle brands we carry offer a longer warranty period, which will be outlined in the saddle product description. Please read our Terms & Conditions
Q. I've clicked 'add to cart' to add my saddle to my order, now how do I complete my order?
A. You can continue adding other items such as tack and accessories to your cart while shopping. When ready to checkout, click on the 'Cart' tab (top right) and follow the prompts to complete your order.
Q. What do you pack the panels of your saddles with and can the packing be adjusted?
A. This depends on the Manufacturer and will be stated in the saddles description information, so different saddle makers will vary. Generally, in the Oakridge saddles, we have traditional flocked panels, filled with synthetic cotton. The synthetic cotton is chosen due to the fact it bunches up less than wool (which can cause uncomfortable hard spots). To have flocking added or removed, take your saddle to a reputable saddler. This is relatively inexpensive and is recommended every 6 months to annually, depending on the amount of riding you do and how often your horse changes shape, to keep your saddle as comfortable as possible for your horse.
Q. What are your saddles made from?
A. Some are full leather and some are full synthetic, and some are both leather and synthetic...see saddle descriptions for full details on each model.
Q. What kind of leather are your leather saddles made from?
A. The carefully selected suppliers of Just Saddles make quality saddles from high quality, vegetable and barrel tanned, premium calf or cow hide leathers. This leather is soft, supple and 'breaks in' well, (other manufacturers' leathers can be low grade and make for stiff, uncomfortable saddles that never really mold to you or your horse). And our leather saddles are entirely 100% genuine leather (ie no synthetic anywhere, no imitation leather anywhere etc). Like a good pair of leather shoes, and like any new leather saddle, ours have a 'break-in' time, and only get more comfortable the more you ride in it and mold it to you and your horse. A good go-over with a nice leather conditioner is the best thing for your new leather saddle when it arrives, then again in a week or two. After that, give it another conditioning treatment if it happens to get wet, or every 6 months or so. *A conditioning treatment just before winter to protect against dampness is ideal.
Q. What are the saddle trees made from?
A. This will depend on the saddle Manufacturer...Due to popular demand, the majority of Equestorium saddles are made on our ChangeME composite changeable trees, which are all D.I.Y adjustable trees, no saddler required. We also offer traditional wooden trees, reinforced with fibre glass for ultimate strength and durability. See saddle description for full details on each model.
Q. Where are the saddles on your website made?
A. We have a small trusted selection of overseas saddlemakers and manufacturers that we deal with for saddles and saddlery. We currently work with saddlemakers, manufacturers and suppliers based in several counties, including UK, Hungary, India, Italy, Switzerland and the USA.
Q. Do your saddles come with adjustable gullets?
A. Yes. Most of our Oakridge saddles are available with our ChangeME adjustable gullet system. However, not all of our saddle makers use an adjustable gullet system, therefore, please see the saddle description for details.
Q. How do I know what width (gullet size) saddle I need?
A. At Equestorium we would firstly recommend having a saddle fitting for your horse. Another option is using a very useful tool called SADDLEfit Pro. It helps you to quickly and accurately measure your horse's back to assess shape and size BEFORE you buy a saddle, (also works once you have bought the saddle, but handy to know if the one you're about to buy is likely to fit, before you pay for it. Click here to check it out. Of course with the ChangeME adjustable gullet system, these saddles enable your saddle gullet to be changed using a selection of 5 different widths, to help find the best fit for your horse.
The above FAQ's cover information also included our Terms and Conditions, which are subject to change or amendment without notice.
Woodvale Equissentials Ltd, trading as Just Saddles 2019