Re-fleecing changes stirrup position?

[Squilchuck]

I re-fleeced a saddle for someone, and she later came back to tell me that the stirrups ride further back (an inch or two) than before the work.   I couldn't think of a mechanical reason how that would result from re-fleecing.  I asked her if she was riding properly with heels down, and she told me indignantly that she had been riding since she was 13 yr old (now 65)!  An inspection of the stirrup leathers showed them unmoved and  in the proper slot built into the tree and saddle.  My guess is that the new fleece subtly changed the rider's position, perhaps raising the front a bit and moving her back in the saddle?  That might go away after the fleece compacts.  Any ideas on why re-fleecing would change the rider's stirrup position backward? 

--John

[Ken Nelson]

Sounds like she is dreaming.  No way that should change the way the stirrups hang.  I had a shop on main street for a number of years and I heard some pretty weird stuff.   That is why I have a "closed"  shop now. Seldom  did I get people in that actually asked for advice and admitted they were uninformed.  most are experts and a lot of my customers were and a lot were not.  Like an old cowboy that coached me a lot clear back in the day once told me,  "If you practice doing something wrong-you just get better at doing it wrong!""  That describes a good portion of the horse owners I encountered in my life.   You have a customers relations  situation unfolding   that I do not envy .

[Goldshot Ron]

John,

Re-fleecing a saddle is always a worry for me.  People don't realize that the fleece raises the saddle higher than what they are use to, and it has to be broken in again.  Was the original fleece real or artificial?  What type of rigging is on the saddle?  I believe this all has a role to play in how things fit after repairs.  I did a saddle for a gal a while back, and she complained that her blankets kept squirting out the back and wouldn't stay in place.  I re-fleeced the saddle, and this time I reversed the direction of the fleece and made sure that she knew it.  I had even showed her several articles written by experienced saddle makers on how they position the fleece on the skirts.  (As you know, every maker has a different opinion.)  I let her tell me which direction she wanted.  I put on the new fleece at my expense, and never heard from her again.  Don't know if she was ever satisfied, but sometimes you can do just so much.  It's all a learning experience, and I figure that in another 50 or so years, I might be half way there.

Ron