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Dear Mr. Blickman,
	This is in response to Mr. Robert Ferrand's request that members of the 
equestrian community express their opinions to you about the lack of 
size standards in the saddle making industry.
	I have owned and ridden horses for well more than 50 years.  I don't 
disagree with Mr. Ferrand that it can be very difficult to identify a 
saddle that will fit a particular horse.  But I strenuously disagree 
with him that this problem will be solved by the implementation of a set 
of standardized measurements.
	Horses and their owners share at least one characteristic: we come in 
different shapes and sizes.  People wear clothes while horses clothes 
are in the shape of saddles.  I'd be the first to admit that I complain 
about how many pairs of jeans I have to try on before I find one that 
fits the way I like but I feel no need for standardization of sizing. 
My best friend and I both wear the same size jeans, but those made by 
one well known manufacturer fit her perfectly and dont fit me at all, 
and vice versa.  Our shapes are very different.  So, if all size 10 
jeans fit the same either she or I, or probably both of us, would be 
wearing very uncomfortable jeans!
	If Mr. Ferrand wants to impose standardization on sizing, he should 
focus on the root of the problem: horses come in different shapes and 
sizes just like people do.
	I don't know how many responses to Mr. Ferrand's request for input you 
will actually receive, but if you have any doubts about what one group 
of horse rider's thinks about Mr. Ferrand's idea, log on to
http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/archives/
and search the 11/6/05 and 11/7/05 entries.  Endurance is a long 
distance horseback riding sport.  The rides are 25, 50 or 100 miles long 
and are completed in 24 hours or less.  Endurance riders spend far more 
hours in their saddles than any other groups of horse riders.  We ask a 
lot of ourselves, our horses and our equipment.  If I do say so myself, 
we tend to be among the most informed and knowledgeable horse owners 
because we are committed to maintaining the health and welfare of our 
horses as we ride them.  It is true that it is frequently necessary to 
purchase more than one saddle before finding one that fits correctly, 
but our rights as purchasers are already well protected.  Nothing Mr. 
Ferrand is suggesting would further increase that protection.
	I hope you will recognize that Mr. Ferrand's request is more likely 
prompted by his wish to promote his own saddle fitting tools than out of 
a real concern for consumer protection and deny his request for 
government action.
Sincerely,
Laney Humphrey
AERC member # 12921

U.S. EQUESTRIANS REQUESTED TO CALL THE U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

Woodside, CA, October 5, 2005: The United States Federal Trade Commission
has
been made aware of Deceptive Trade Practices in the Saddle Industry, which
is
referenced in the attached letter from the Consumer Protection Division.
However, now the Federal Trade Commission needs to hear from you, the
equestrians of the United States, so that the FTC can determine the scope of
the saddle fitting problem and determine the appropriate action.

Over the past two hundred years, the U.S. Saddle Industry has failed to
establish any saddle standards, so there is no quality control on the shape
of
saddle trees, or accurate method to relate the shape of the saddle to the
shape
of the horse, which is why equestrians cannot find saddles that FIT. This is
despite the fact that a draft United States Saddle Standard was written in
1999
for the U.S. Dept of Commerce, National Institutes of Standards and
Technology,
however, the U.S. Saddle Industry has failed to do anything to implement
such a
VOLUNTARY PRODUCT STANDARD for saddles.

As an equestrian, if you want to find a solution to the saddle fitting
problem
and establish a common VOLUNTARY PRODUCT STANDARD for saddles that can be
understood by all equestrians, saddle tree makers, saddlemakers, saddle
retailers, and saddle fitters, it will require Governmental Agencies to
enforce
existing Consumer Protection Law, requiring the saddle industry to comply
with
that Law. This initiative will require that the U.S. Equestrians take
personal
responsibility to permit the appropriate Governmental agencies to be able
understand the scope of the saddle fitting problem so that Agency can
determine
the appropriate course of action.

As is explained in the attached FTC letter: SUBMISSIONS FROM THE PUBLIC
PROVIDE
VALUABLE INFORMATION THAT IS FREQUENTLY USED TO DEVELOP OR SUPPORT
COMMISSION
ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVES.  Please read the attached letter from Mr. Neil
Blickman, an attorney in the Enforcement Division of the Consumer Protection
Division of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C.. Then call Mr.
Blickman, personally, at 202-326-3038 and let him know your experience
fitting
a saddle to your horse. Leave him a message explaining the following so that
the FTC can tabulate this information to determine an appropriate course of
action,
1.      How long have you been riding horses?
2.      How many horses have you owned or ridden?
3.      How many saddles have you purchased?
4.      How many of those saddles actually fit the horse?
5.      How did you determine if the saddle did or did not fit?
6.      Did the saddle maker or saddle retailer refund your money for the
saddle that did not FIT?
7.      How many pads have you purchased to correct for saddle poor fit?
8.      Tell him anything else that you think is important!
(i.e. who sold you the saddles? What did they say to sell the saddle?)
9.      Then REQUEST THAT THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION TO PUBLISHED A
POSITION
PAPER to define how existing Consumer Protection Law relates to the purchase
of
saddles and saddle pads.

This FTC SADDLE AND SADDLE PAD SALES POSITION PAPER will permit you, the
U.S.
Equestrian, to know what your LEGAL RIGHTS actually are and more importantly
it
will permit the saddle industry to know exactly their LEGAL
RESPONSIBILITIES.
This Position Paper will permit you, the equestrian that actually has to pay
for the saddle or saddle pad, to make saddle makers, saddle retailers,
saddle
fitters and saddle pad manufacturers accountable not to sell you, defective
products or to misrepresent the qualities of their saddles or saddle pads.
This
will permit you to find a SADDLE THAT FITS YOUR HORSE, without having to
spend
a fortune on saddles and saddle pads.

This phone call to the Federal Trade Commission is in the best interest of
your
horse as well as yourself and the 9,000,000 horses in the United States and
will force the saddle industry to provide better quality saddles that
actually
FIT the animals properly. Please forward this e-mail to fellow concerned
equestrians so that they can make their voices heard in Washington, D.C. and
throughout the Saddle Industry.

Robert Ferrand
Inventor CEO
Saddletech.com
inventor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
650-631-8400





UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC

Bureau of Consumer Protection

June 7, 2005

Mr. Robert Ferrand
Saddletech
Chief Executive Officer
2995 Woodside Rd., Suite 400
Woodside, CA 94062

Dear Mr. Ferrand

This acknowledges receipt of your recent communication, and accompanying
materials, relating to your concern that current methods of labeling saddle
sizes, and claims of saddle fit by industry members are unfair and
misleading.
You attribute these practices to the absence of standards in the saddle
industry for accurately measuring and defining saddle fit. You assert that
due
to the lack of a uniform standard of saddle measurement, consumers are
unable
to accurately determine saddle fit prior to purchase or make value
comparisons
among saddles, which likely results in consumer injury. The communications
that
the Commission staff has received already are more than ample to allow us to
evaluate the substance of your complaint.

As you know, the Commission has been directed by Congress to act in the
interest of all consumers to prevent deceptive or unfair acts or practices,
pursuant to the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U,S.C. §§ 41-58. In
determining whether to take enforcement or other action in any particular
situation, the Commission may consider a number of factors, including the
type
of violation alleged; the nature and amount of consumer injury at issue and
the
number of consumers affected; and the likelihood of preventing future
unlawful
conduct and securing redress or other relief. Submissions from the public
provide valuable information that is frequently used to develop or support
Commission enforcement initiatives.

I can assure you that the information you have provided will be carefully
considered, and that the Commission staff will take such further action as
is
warranted by the circumstances. If you have any additional questions, or
would
like to provide any additional information, please contact me at (202)
326-3038.

Sincerely,

Neil Blickman Attorney
Division of Enforcement


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