Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Your serial number tells you the consecutive number of production, the type of tree (W,E,H,or S) and the date of manufacture.
- W= Wellep trees, which haven’t been used by Schleese since the mid 1990’s. After 2000 W is designated for use on our Western Trail saddles
- E = regular laminated wood English spring trees (used mainly in the JES Pros, also in the 1990’s – not very adjustable)
- H = Hennig adjustable tree, used until the mid 2000’s at which point Hennig began using a different material in his trees with shorter tree points. Schleese reps will generally not make any adjustments to these trees other than reflocking due to the damage these shorter tree points can cause.
- S = Schleese patented AdapTree® – generally considered to be the most adjustable and equine conformation-friendly tree available today.
- I = Innovative tree in our entry level Essential saddle
The saddle model and seat size is stamped under the flap above the serial number. You can view the features and benefits of our various models on saddlesforwomen.com.
You will receive your money back if your order is cancelled before the saddle has gone into production, or you may leave your deposit on account for future use. To put your saddle on Temporary Hold, please notify us in writing and it will be no problem. To change your order to suit your new circumstances please notify us in writing. We will refund the amount of your deposit minus $500 administration fee if an order is cancelled within 10 business days of signing the original evaluation/order form (dated on Evaluation Form).
Please ensure you notify us of your order cancellation within 10 business days of the original purchase date in order to avoid possibly forfeiting your entire deposit should the saddle already be in production. A saddle that has been purchased and used for a tryout is subject to a $500 administrative fee.
New tack and/or accessories purchased directly through SCHLEESE may be returned within 10 days of purchase if and only if they are unused. Customers will be responsible for all return shipping charges. All ‘Special Order’ and ‘Used Tack/Accessories’ sales are final and returns will not be accepted.
Schleese has developed the “9 Points of Saddle Fit” which are available on the Schleese YouTube channel for your viewing pleasure. If you have questions beyond the information provided there, please contact our in-house experts.
Schleese ‘s customer service dept will call you when your saddle is completed and ready to ship. Payment of any outstanding balance becomes due at this point. Our shipments leave the building weekly due to consolidated shipping arrangements, and usually take 7-10 business days to reach you.
You will also receive a FEDEX tracking number via email once the shipment has been put into their system, which is traditionally sent to you on the Friday of the shipping week so you know exactly what day it should it arrive. Please note that this email may go into your spam, or junk mail folder as it comes from our shipping service Priority Biz.
The accounting system we use only reports payments at time of invoicing. The prepaid amounts will not report on the invoice but your invoice should have a paid stamp on it to indicate it is paid in full.
This is a requirement by Homeland Security and US Customs to determine the validity of a recipient’s address. This is only required for individual FedEx shipments – not required through our consolidated shipments. Schleese will not keep these numbers on file after one-time use.
We have recently seen a proliferation of these kinds of occasional and arbitrary notices being sent to our clients. Schleese is a registered vendor in all of the states we do business in and as such remits regular monthly or quarterly sales/use taxes.
Please forward any of these notices to customer service and our accounting department will contact the DOR to advise them of Schleese’s vendor registration numbers and the fact that taxes will already have been remitted as required.
We an email marketing blast system that notifies our entire database when the dates are set for our fitter to come to a specific area. If you require service, please fill in our online registration form and the appropriate head office contact will be in touch with you to offer you scheduling options.
- You may fill out a “request for service” online and our Business Development office will contact you to discuss potentially setting up a clinic in your area in the near future, or
- You may request our ‘long distance fit kit’ with instructions for photos and measurements to send your saddle in for adjustment at either head office or one of our stateside representatives, or
- In certain areas, we are working with Certified Independent Saddle Fitters to whom we could refer you for quicker service.
As we typically see groups at locations there are minimum numbers required, it will depend on your location and the logistics of the visit. Your trip coordinator will let you know.
The registration form holds your space in the schedule and provides us with horse and rider information that is very helpful information in assisting the fitter to select appropriate saddle models to bring for the visit. It also informs us of your current address information to ensure our database is kept accurate.
Please visit our schedule on our website or contact the head office customer service specialist directly at 800-225-2242 x 22.
In many areas, we have local organizers that assist head office in coordinating the service visits for our saddle fitters. Our Clinic Organizers at head office organize the service visits; one of them will be in contact via email or phone to either let you know who your local organizer is or offer you scheduling options directly.
The accounting dept processes all refunds. Please keep in mind that the paper trail may take a few days or weeks before the credit shows up on your account – please contact customer service for specific details or information on your case.
We generally allow the client 30 days for try-out of a consignment saddle (as with our new saddles) to ensure that the sale will stick. Your check will be processed after this time frame and mailed to you – depending on your location the entire process could take 6-8 weeks after your saddle has been sold.
As we book all travel arrangements for our head office SFTs two weeks prior to a scheduled visit, the schedule needs to be confirmed and communicated to all participants by this date. Dates and times are subject to change prior to the deadline to register, however we try to accommodate all individual requests to the best of our ability.
Quality, comfort and designs specifically for women without leaving male requirements unconsidered, plus accurate attention to each horse’s conformational needs ensure that your interface to ride comfortably while protecting both your back and the horse’s back is paramount in this consideration.
For more information on what model will work best for you, please fill in our Saddle Search Form.
⇒ Evaluation: $179.00 per horse (Tax portion collected on-site, if applicable).
⇒ Register Multiple Horses: A one-time total payment for all horses/evaluations may be submitted on the 1st form followed by no charge registrations for the further horses for the same client.
⇒ Tree Adjustment: $135.00 (only on Schleese saddles and a few other brands – please inquire)
⇒ Re-Flocking: $150.00
⇒ Discounted Bundle Fee on Schleese saddles only: $394.00 for all three services.
Please inquire about additional cost for repairs not listed above.
My trainer is of the opinion that Schleese saddles will not work for my horse. She is ‘sponsored’ by another saddle company, but I know the Schleese saddle is what is best for me and for my horse. How can I convince her otherwise?
This is always a tricky subject, however, we suggest that you invite your trainer’s company saddle fitter on site during a Schleese onsite visit and have both use their methodology to fit their saddle to your horse. Have your trainer objectively watch as you ride your horse in both saddles – walk, trot, canter in 20m circles several times in both directions. Without going into further details, it will become immediately obvious that the horse should move better in the Schleese saddle – due to the inherent design features that are simply not available from other saddle companies. Unfortunately, if the trainer is not on board with your saddle you either have to take a stand or find another trainer.
This is always a tricky subject, however, we suggest that you invite your trainer’s company saddle fitter on site during a Schleese onsite visit and have both use their methodology to fit their saddle to your horse. Have your trainer objectively watch as you ride your horse in both saddles – walk, trot, canter in 20m circles several times in both directions. Without going into further details, it will become immediately obvious that the horse should move better in the Schleese saddle – due to the inherent design features that are simply not available from other saddle companies. Unfortunately, if the trainer is not on board with your saddle you either have to take a stand or find another trainer.
You will be able to feel the directionality of your tree points as you lay your saddle into proper position right behind the shoulder blade. The best position for your tree points is to be facing slightly backward, in order not to impinge the movement of the shoulder blade during motion, and to not damage the cartilage on the scapula.
You may earn credits or cash as a clinic organizer or Schleese ambassador. Once you have accumulated $1000, this can be paid out to you – or if left on account and you purchase a saddle, you will receive another 25% bonus.
You may contact our customer service department and speak with one of our associates there; if your question is of a more technical nature, we will either forward the question to your SFT for response or speak with our Technical trainer.
Every saddle manufactured by Schleese Saddlery comes with a Warranty Tag with ‘Care and Maintenance of Your New Saddle’ instructions along with ‘Proper Positioning of your Saddle’, the ‘Product Warranty” information as per your Saddle Fit Evaluation and Schleese’s Guarantee Policy.
Your Schleese Warranty Card will be one of the following versions depending on your model. It explains how to care for and maintain your new saddle.
Care and Maintenance of Your New Saddle: To enhance the life of your Schleese saddle and maintain the beauty of the leather, we suggest you follow these simple steps:
- Rinse off the dirt and sear with warm water after every ride.
- Every 3-5 rides, use glycerin soap to clean the saddle. Rinse all soap off completely with warm water.
- Apply a balsam conditioner to restore the moisture to the leather (we recommend a beeswax base). Apply the balsam conditioner after each of the first 10 rides in your new saddle; use leather oil only sparingly.
- Your saddle rack should support the saddle down the gullet length and not only under the panels (panels shouldn’t sit on thin metal tubing).
- To maintain leather suppleness, store at room temperature with 30-40% humidity (to prevent dryness and mildew).
Schleese has developed recommendations for the maintenance of your investment www.schleese.com/saddle-maintenance.
Additional Schleese articles published in various equine journals on caring for your saddle can be found following the links below.
Proper Care of Your Saddle and Leather Accessories
How to Clean and Care for Leather
While of course the choice is entirely yours, we do prefer that you use only Schleese authorized Saddle Fitters/Representatives to have any work done on your saddle in order not to negate the warranty on the tree. An extensive list of our associates is available on the web.
Your order evaluation form defines our warranty and fit guarantee. Refer to the back of your form for further information.
An extended warranty may be purchased on used SCHLEESE saddles bought either through SCHLEESE directly or through third parties. The extended warranty will cover only the tree itself including gullet plate, spring steel and stirrup bars against breakage.
For a one-time cost of $495.00 the extended warranty may be purchased within 10 days of an evaluation done by an authorized SCHLEESE representative (charges may apply for the examination).
The warranty must be registered at SCHLEESE head office by the client within 30 days and is only valid for saddles no older than 5 years (based on serial numbers). Should the saddle be deemed not sound “as is”, the extended warranty will not be offered until the necessary repairs have been made.
Our SCHLEESE representatives have saddles that can be purchased on-site. Full payment is required at the time of sale.
You can pay for your saddle with a personal cheque or use Visa or MasterCard. A 50% deposit is required on all saddle orders. Full payment is required before your saddle is delivered or shipped.
All leather and workmanship is guaranteed for one year under conditions of normal wear and tear. Leather is a natural product with inherent strengths and weaknesses. We closely inspect all leather, and all products are subject to stringent quality control; however, we can assume no responsibility for flaws in the leather itself.
The SCHLEESE patented AdaptTree® is guaranteed against breakage for the life of the saddle to the original owner only. All metal parts on the tree itself (gullet plate, spring-steel and stirrup bars) are guaranteed for 5 years under normal usage to the original owner only.
The obligation of SCHLEESE under its warranty is limited to the repair or replacement of any saddle components or, at the sole discretion of SCHLEESE, the entire saddle.
This warranty is the only warranty on saddles sold by SCHLEESE. It supersedes and replaces any other warranties or conditions, express or implied, including any conditions or warranties implied by the Sale of Goods Act or any other statute.
Under no circumstances will SCHLEESE be liable for any consequential loss, cost, damage or injury arising from the use of any saddle sold.
You can purchase a saddle directly from our representatives at an Onsite Saddle Fitting Appointment. If you are not in an area we have a representative in we can work with you long distance. Please email info@schleese.com for more information.
Unfortunately, no. These are not locations that receive shipments. All products must be returned to our Head Office in Canada. Before shipping you MUST obtain a RMA form from customer service. Please contact 1-800-225-2242 x 22 or info@schleese.com.
Each leather hide has been tanned individually and therefore may have a different percentage of wax content when the tanning process is complete. Please view the following short video for tips on how to prevent any leather squeaking after purchasing a new saddle.
You may feel like the leather of your saddle, stirrup leathers or girth may be wearing out prematurely or showing wear marks where the stirrup leathers rub against the saddle flap. If this is a concern of yours, please view the short video explaining why it is so important to keep your saddle cleaned and conditioned.
Customer Service Questions
There are three Customer Service Guarantees. Please initial the one that is applicable. SCHLEESE takes responsibility only for the correctness of adjustments made in accordance with our professional recommendations.
Please be aware that the fit of your new/repaired saddle may allow your horse such freedom of movement that a dramatic change in conformation may occur in a very short period, thus necessitating further adjustments. In order for us to provide you the best possible service, please contact your representative if you notice changes in your horse’s conformation or in the fit of the saddle.
We commit to working with you and your horse to find a viable solution for saddle fit. Please notify us of any issues within 30 days of receipt of your saddle. We will address your concerns by:
- Making any necessary adjustments either on-site at a fitting clinic or long distance using our Fit Kit or
- Working together with you to find an alternative saddle solution.
If we cannot satisfy your expectations once #1 and #2 have been addressed, we will take back your saddle and refund you your purchase price minus a $500.00 return administrative fee. If the saddle shows signs of excessive wear and tear, you will be charged a 5% depreciation fee in addition to the return administrative fee of $500.00 previously mentioned. After 10 days of receipt of the saddle, the sale is deemed final.
If you need to cancel your registration, for whatever reason, we will issue a refund less a nominal administrative fee of $25 up to 4 weeks before your scheduled event start date.
If cancelling with less than 4 weeks notice, the following conditions apply:
- If you cancel within 1-4 weeks of your scheduled event start date, we will issue you a full credit to your Schleese account. No refunds.
- If you cancel less than 1 week before your scheduled event start date, no refund or credit to your Schleese account will be available.
SCHLEESE will refund the amount on your computer-generated SCHELEESE deposit receipt minus a $500.00 cancellation fee if an order is cancelled within 10 business days of signing the evaluation/order form. Evaluation fees are non-refundable.
In order to avoid excess charges for duty or brokerage fees, we require that all items being returned to SCHLEESE in Canada (including repairs, warranty work, fit issues, exchanges or returns) must bear a RETURN MERCHANDISE AUTHORIZATION NUMBER AND FORM (RMA).
Please contact head office for the correct procedures and form.
Repairs, returns (as per Customer Satisfaction Guarantee) or Pre-Approved Warranty work (as per Limited Warranty):
All shipping costs to and from SCHLEESE for repairs, returns or pre-approved warranty will be covered by the customer. The customer will ship the saddle to SCHLEESE (via a convenient method of their choice) and ground return shipping will be billed by SCHLEESE based on the customer’s location.
SCHLEESE ships using FedEx via a weekly consolidated shipment through Buffalo. Please note, an authorized RMA is always required for any item being sent or retuned to SCHLEESE, as noted above.
Pre-Approved Fit Warranty:
All ground shipping costs for a pre-approved fit warranty (as per our “Customer Satisfaction Guarantee and Your Acknowledgement” section I) will be covered by the customer. If an Authorized Independent Representative of SCHLEESE fit the saddle, please contact them directly.
Please note, an authorized RMA is always required as noted above. Shipments sent without an authorized RMA will be refused and returned to sender.
All leather and workmanship is guaranteed for one year under conditions of normal wear and tear. Leather is a natural product with inherent strengths and weaknesses. We closely inspect all leather, and all products are subject to stringent quality control; however, we can assume no responsibility for flaws in the leather itself.
The SCHLEESE patented AdaptTree® is guaranteed against breakage for the life of the saddle to the original owner only. All metal parts on the tree itself (gullet plate, spring-steel and stirrup bars) are guaranteed for 5 years under normal usage original owner only.
The obligation of SCHLEESE under its warranty is limited to the repair or replacement of any saddle components or, at the sole discretion of SCHELEESE, the entire saddle.
This warranty is only warranty on saddles sold by SCHLEESE. It supersedes and replaces any other warranties or conditions, express or implied, including any conditions or warranties implied by the Sale of Goods Act or any other statue.
Under no circumstances will SCHLEESE be liable for any consequential loss, cost, damage or injury arising from the use of any saddle sold.
SCHLEESE strongly suggests that our customers have their saddle(s) inspected annually for soundness of tree, gullet plate and flocking. An Evaluation and Analysis fee will be applicable for every appointment to address fitting issues or warranty concerns. This fee covers a professional assessment and technical advice for each situation. Evaluation fees are non-refundable.
Modifications, alterations, or adjustments that change the original design of a third party saddle may invalidate the manufacturer’s warranty. We will undertake any modifications only with signed release.
Please arrange to have completed item(s) paid for, picked up or shipped within 60 days of notification, or the item(s) will become the property of SCHLEESE to deal with at its discretion.
New saddles and repaired items will be shipped to the owner upon payment in full. Forms of payment include Cash, VISA, MasterCard, or certified cheque. Please note that payment by personal cheque requires 7-10 business days to clear before goods can be shipped. Your account will be charged $50.00 plus bank charges for cheques that are returned to us for any reason. (i.e. NSF).
SCHLEESE or an authorized Saddlefit 4 Life® representative (call 800-225-2242 or visit our website at www.schleese.com for current listing) under the direction of SCHLEESE, must complete all repair, fit and/or warranty on SCHLEESE manufactured products, otherwise all guarantees and warranties are null and void.
- The stipulations in this Evaluation/Order form (including the back page) constitute the entire agreement and understanding of the customer and expressed here in writing.
- This agreement will be deemed to have been made in Ontario, Canada, and for all purposes will be governed exclusively by and construed and enforced in accordance with the domestic laws prevailing in Ontario, excluding the provisions of the International Sale of Goods Act (by which this Agreement will not be governed, construed or enforced), and the rights and remedies of the parties will be determined in accordance with those domestic laws. The parties hereby agree that they shall adhere to the jurisdiction of a court of competent jurisdiction in the Province of Ontario, Canada with respect to the enforcement of or any dispute related to the terms of the Agreement.
- “Goods” refers to any Saddles, Girths, Stirrup Leathers and equine accessories purchased from SCHLEESE. Services include Evaluations, adjustments and repairs.
- “Our” refers to SCHLEESE SADDLERY SERVICES LTD. or SCHLEESE SADDLERY SERVICES INC.
- “Off-site” refers to any location away from the physical premises of SCHLEESE at 34 Centennial Ave. In Holland Landing, Ontario Canada L9N 1H2.
- Any provision of this Agreement that conflicts with any law of any jurisdiction or is deemed to be unenforceable shall be severed from this Agreement without rendering the remainder of this Agreement invalid.
- This Agreement shall endure the benefit of and be binding upon the respective heirs, administrators, executors and successors of the parties hereto.
SCHLEESE will be pleased to accept saddles at our discretion on a trade-in basis towards a new saddle purchase only as stipulated below.
Trade-in saddles accepted only under the following stipulations and at our complete discretion:
- Saddle must be a SCHLEESE 10 years or newer and must be deemed saleable. * (*SCHELEESE technology and materials have changed over the years and in keeping with our philosophy to offer the latest in innovative saddle fit solutions to our customers, our older models may not always provide an optimum opportunity for fit);
- Trade-in value to be assessed on FMV (Fair market value) as determined by an authorized SCHLEESE Certified Saddle Fit Technician;
- Saddles traded in within 1 year of initial purchase (new saddles only) trade-in value at 70% of FMV.
- Saddles traded in within 2 years of initial purchase (new saddles only) trade-in value at 65% of FMV.
- Saddles traded in within 3 years of initial purchase (new saddles only) trade-in value at 60% of FMV at the discretion of the SCHLEESE Certified Saddle Fit Technician.
- Used saddles purchased from SCHLEESE may be returned for a $500.00 restocking fee if notified within 10 days of the invoiced receipt. After 10 days of the receipt of saddle, the sale is deemed final. The customer pays the shipping cost for returns. The refund does not include a refund for shipping paid in the original purchase. Saddles (and all other items) must be returned using an authorized SCHLEESE RMA form (Return Merchandise Authorization form) as assigned and received from SCHLEESE Head Office.
- Used Saddles fit from SCHLEESE directly, fit from current horse measurements (measurements acquired within the previous 4 weeks) and provided by an authorized SCHLEESE representative will be under warranty for fit by SCHLEESE for 30 Days. If the warranty adjustment is preformed on-site, the Evaluation fee applies but the adjustment will be ‘free’ to the customer (includes re-flocking and/or tree adjustments only). If the saddle is required to return to SCHLEESE Head Office for a warranty adjustment, the customer is responsible for the shipping cost to SCHLEESE and SCHLEESE will cover the ‘ground’ return shipping cost to the customer. Used saddles not purchased from SCHLEESE, and shipped to HEAD OFFICE for fitting adjustments, will not have a fit warranty. If a fit issue occurs, the customer may return the saddle for further adjustments at their expense.
I undertake to hold and save harmless and agree to indemnify SCHLEESE SADDLERY SERVICE LTD. or INC. from and against any and all liability incurred by the undersigned arising as a result of or in any way connected to the provision of products and services, including without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any testing or evaluation of saddles or other equipment by SCHLEESE whether I and/or the horse I am riding is injured in any way.
Will require customer to sign waiver before proceeding with static and dynamic fit evaluation.