We understand that in some countries, it is still unusual for a saddle fitter to charge a horse owner money for coming out with a selection of saddles for them to try.
This is because most horse owners still only have access to conventional saddle sellers, who need to sell saddles to make a living.  This puts a lot of pressure on them to make a sale, even if the saddles they have are not suitable for the horse and/or rider!
It is very different when you ask a BALANCE registered Saddle Consultant (BrSC) or a BALANCE registered Test Ride Facilitator (BrTRF) to come to see you, because they have a different role and a different focus.
These people all started as BALANCE customers.  They have owned and used BALANCE saddles for a long time and can share their experiences with you.  They are enthusiastic about the benefits of the BALANCE Saddling System because they have experienced them.  They have gone through training with The BALANCE Organisation to be able to do this work.
They are now willing to share their time and their experience with other horse owners and make it possible for them to try the BALANCE approach to saddling.  They are not sales people.  They will never put any pressure on someone to buy a saddle and this means that they can focus on helping the horse owner/rider to discover what really works for their horse.  At the end of a Consultation or Test Ride, many horse owners are so happy with the way their horse feels that they decide to invest in a suitable BALANCE saddle.  However, other horse owners need more time to think about what they want to do, and some decide that they want to continue with the saddle they already own.   All of these decisions are OK.
However, the BALANCE registered Saddle Consultants and Test Ride Facilitators have bills to pay, just like everyone else!  They have to be willing to get in their car, drive somewhere, spend several hours of their time helping someone to understand the BALANCE methods and try some BALANCE saddles, without putting any pressure on that person to buy a saddle.  In order to offer the service, they also need to spend time regularly cleaning and conditioning all of their Demo saddles and washing Wool Pads and Girths sleeves and so on. For them to do all of this, they have to charge for their time.
When BALANCE started in 1993, the idea came as shock to horse owners in the UK because they were used to saddle sellers/fitters making no charge, but it is now very normal and more horse owners are beginning to recognise that if they want an honest relationship with their saddle fitter, it is essential that the saddle fitter does not have to rely on making sales for their income.