"I was so pleased that after your thorough evaluation you concluded that my saddles could be refitted rather than suggesting that I needed to purchase a new one."

- L.W.

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Hi Paula,

Just wanted to say your saddle adjustment is rocking my socks off. There is a huge difference in Remi's shoulders, she has the freedom to really reach. All her lateral and shoulder/haunch work today was effortless and no crankiness from her ever. I also had a much easier time sitting the trot and feeling like I was able to support myself and feel strong and useful through my core in the saddle. Our communication felt super dialed in, I barely used anything but my breath.

D.E.J.

Hi Paula,

I LOVE my saddle so much!!! Seriously I am so happy with it (so is Bruce). One of the best perks is that ever since I sat in my saddle, I have been pain free in my back and hip! For the past year and a half I have been rendered crippled at night. I hadn't had a full nights sleep in days-I would wake up through out the night in horrible pain. Many chiropractor, acupuncture, and deep tissue massage helped, but having a saddle that fits me is the one thing that made an instant impact. Thank you for giving my life back!

B.J.

Hi Paula,

I just wanted to update you after my first week with my new saddle. I absolutely love it. The change in my position and the fit for my horse has made a huge difference in my riding. Thanks so much. I never thought anyone could fix my saddle fit issues. You are the best!

B.P.

Paula,

I just wanted to thank you again for helping me get my horse comfortable at the show. I realize it is your business and passion to solve saddle problems and get horses and riders happy, but it is certainly above and beyond to drop what you are doing to help out like that. I am very appreciative. If you have ever read the book on customer service called "Raving Fans," you will understand why I will be telling others about your generosity!

Thanks again, K.T.

Paula,

just wanted to drop you a line and let you know again, (for the record), how much I appreciate having you available to help me and my horse be as comfortable as we can so we can do our best as athletes without impediment. And while you do that, being such a warm and caring person at the same time. You provide a valuable service to our equine community and we appreciate you and are so lucky to have you. THANK YOU from Ben and I.

J.A.D.M, D.V.M.

Paula, I cannot begin to thank you for all you have done for me and my horses. You made Odin a new horse and enabled me to ride him to the upper levels with a happy attitude and now Matti. You have take a 20 year old Passier and changed my horse! You could have sold me another saddle but were honest about the fit of mine and what you thought you could do for it to make it work. Wow, I feel blessed to have you in my life. Not to mention what you have done for Arabella and Danielle. :) I am excited to have Marcia and Sasha get their new saddle and help them down that road to a better ride. Your the best!!!! Hugs

B.D.

Paula was recommended to me by one of our working students, and I was interested in meeting her mostly because she is local to the Northwest. Nearly all of us at our barn have had very poor follow-up and service from saddle-makers, especially after delivery of the product. Therefore, I had a healthy dose of skepticism, but when you need a new saddle, what are you going to do?

Paula came to our barn with a truckload of beautiful Albion saddles, of many different designs. We had planned on about 1 1/2 hours together that day. My horse is 5 and rather large at 18 hands, and turned out to be a challenging horse to fit. As this was going to be my saddle for his "grown-up years" I really wanted the saddle to fit me as well, so that we could both be comfortable together. Paula spent over 4 hours with us! We tried about 4 different saddles, and she video taped me and the horse in each one of them. All the while, Paula didn't pressure me towards one saddle or the other, but instead asked me questions about how they felt, and also described the characteristics of each saddle, so that I was receiving an education along the way. I also appreciated that Paula didn't try to sell me the most expensive model (of course, I picked it out all on my own!). She refused to tell me the prices of the saddles as I was trying each, so that I wouldn't have any preconceived notion of them; instead I would be driven to the saddle that worked best.

I bought the Albion Platinum. My horse had been off for about 5 weeks after the fitting and had lost a bit of muscle by the time the saddle arrived. So, I used shims while he went back to work for a few weeks to see if he would grow back into the original fitting. Upon delivery, Paula scheduled us for a "tune-up" and made some flocking adjustments on site at my barn about 5 weeks later. She watched me ride him before and after the fitting, and we were both satisfied when she left. Okay, I was impressed...she set the app't with me and followed up twice before the date to see how we were doing and to confirm! Paula came out about 2 weeks after that fitting, and worked with me for another 1/2 hour to make sure that all was well.

It has now been a couple more months and my horse has been working on collection, and has changed again already. Surprise! There was Paula again to check on him and make some additional adjustments to the saddle. Her professional customer service, beautiful product, and winning attitude make it a pleasure for me to highly recommend Paula to anyone who needs a new saddle, or needs an evaluation or adjustment on their existing saddle. The best part is that Paula is a very accomplished rider herself. She brings a critical eye to her work in fitting the saddle to the rider to ensure that it fits well with your seat and places your leg properly. I am very happy with my saddle, and more than happy with the help that Paula provided with fitting a horse that was somewhat difficult to fit, and under trying circumstances (a lapse) in his training. She handled it beautifully.

After so many years...we finally have an amazing saddle fitter here in the Northwest who also happens to sell a wonderful saddle! Kudos, Paula!

Thank you so much for your dedication!

Kind regards,

K.S-L.

Paula,

Wanted to let you know how pleased I am with the work you did on my saddles. I was expecting that when you came out I would hear that I needed to get a new saddle to fit my horses as seems to often be the case with saddle fitter/dealers. I was so pleased that after your thorough evaluation you reached the conclusion that my saddles could be refitted rather then suggesting that I needed to purchase a new one.

After riding in my refitted saddle, I don't feel that I am compromising at all on the fit or comfort for me or my horses. The saddle stays in place and is much more balanced so I don't struggle to maintain a good position and feel very secure as I am working with my young and sometimes unpredictable horses. It was such an education watching and learning while you evaluated my saddles and their fit. I was very pleased that we had come up with not only the most economical plan but also the best plan to keep my horses comfortable in their saddles.

Thanks again. My horses and I are so happy to have found you.

Sincerely,

L.W.

Paula,

I recently purchased a new dressage prospect, and was again in need of a saddle to fit him. The thought of a saddle search was more daunting than the search for my horse, with hauling or shipping saddles back and forth from tack shops, leaving deposits, getting several disparate opinions about fit, etc. It's a part of owning a new horse that is generally very time consuming and very expensive!

I've owned many high end saddles, and my Albion SLK Ultima was one of my favorites. So, when I began the search, Albion was a brand that I was interested in pursuing. After conducting an exhaustive search for new and used saddles, I contacted Paula Helm of Helm Saddles to help me make the best choice for me and my horse. From the very first email to the final saddle fitting, Paula's responsiveness, professionalism, expertise, passion for excellence was beyond compare. During our saddle fitting process, she really listened to me and my horse and provided valuable insight into what we both needed for optimal comfort and performance. In the end, I decided to purchase the Albion Platinum Ultima which, because of its malleable design, will be with Henry and me through the many changes he will experience as we move up the levels. Once the saddle arrived - in RECORD time - Paula notified me and, the next day, took meticulous care to fit it exactly to me and my horse. I am thrilled!

Needless to say, because of Paula's outstanding communication and customer service skills, combined with the innovative Albion Platinum design and high quality, Albion has earned a loyal customer! Thank you, Paula, for making this process less painful with such a fabulous outcome!

Warm Regards,

K.P.

We all know that saddle fitting horses is difficult to perfect. But try saddle fitting 18 horses to only 24 saddles! That's the task that Paula Helm took on with Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center this past winter. She volunteered her time and her expertise to find that one perfect match for each of our horses using our limited supplies and still allowing every horse to have their own saddle. Every Sunday afternoon she'd come by for a few hours and we'd tackle three different horses. Some fits took no time at all, while others seemed to take all the time we had allotted. Either way she was professional, optimistic, and patient. She took everything into account and wasn't satisfied until the horse let us know we had finally got it right. Paula is a true horse woman and a great saddle fitter. She helped us learn the science of saddle fitting and changed our system to include using Mattes Pads for all our horses for extra cushion as well as using extra shims in the pads to help balance the saddle when needed. Saddle fit is extremely important for every horse as it directly correlates to their happiness and well being. Here where our horses have three classes a day, six days a week, it is not acceptable for them to have a poor fitting saddle. Thanks to Paula Helm our horses have professionally fit saddles and are therefore happier doing their jobs here at Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center.

K.P.
Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center Advanced Instructor

OMG!!!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!!!!
I think that about says it all Paula! What an AMAZING difference! That was the best money I have ever spent!!! My lesson today on Howdy was phenomenal! He was a totally different horse. He was so free in his shoulders and his back felt like it was up between my ears! and his shoulder in was no struggle at all along with his diagonal work. I thought his walk was pretty good before, but NOT! Kati sat there with her mouth open. And me! I did not budge an inch from the middle of the saddle. I was so secure in my seat. Kati was laughing about it. She has constantly been telling me to sit more to the left, not to dip my shoulders, etc. NOT FRICKIN' ONCE today did she criticize my position. Didn't have to. I had to try some trot work and the suspension I got from Howdy was incredible and posting was this heavenly little push out of the saddle with a pause, if that makes sense. So! have I gushed and slobbered enough for you? I could go on a little more, if you like. HAHA!

Thank you sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much! Hopefully, I can ride him when you are back to the barn, so you can see. I'm still trying to get over it. Nah! I don't want to!

S.M.