FREEDOM OF MOTION

From shears to saddles, Eileen Fuller finds her perfect fit—cutting through the obstacles between horse and rider.

Back in 2015, at a hair salon in Naperville, no one could have ever guessed that the woman holding the shears would one day shape the way horses move across arenas and fields. But for Eileen Fuller, the shift from hairstylist to saddle, bit, and bridle fitter felt as natural as finding her stride.

Chomping at the bit with a passion for horses, Fuller was ready to try something new—something that would let her indulge her horse hobby, or, as she jokingly calls it, addiction.

“My saddle fitting career all started at Barrington Saddlery,” she recalls, when longtime friend and master saddler Kate Ballard suggested she try working in the shop. “It just took off from there.”

By 2017, Fuller had crossed the pond to the U.K. to earn her Society of Master Saddlers qualification in saddle fitting. She returned to the U.S. armed with hands-on experience and expertise in working with horses and riders, only fueling her passion further, and launched Freedom of Motion—a name that doubles as both a mission and a metaphor.

With Freedom of Motion, Fuller sets out to ensure every horse and rider finds their perfect fit—a philosophy familiar to many of her Barrington clients. The community’s active equestrian community played a key role in her journey, providing both her start and some of her first loyal clients.

“One of my favorite success stories was a big Friesian who just couldn’t move correctly under saddle,” she recalls. “We fitted him with a bespoke Adam Ellis saddle, and suddenly horse and rider were in harmony. Even our client was impressed with how good he felt.”

These partnerships with high-end makers like Adam Ellis have elevated her work further.

“Adam is always open to adjustments. Though as he puts it, ‘Here she goes, doing my head in again,’” she says, teasing but grateful. For Fuller, those details are never negotiable—every stitch is part of a story between horse and rider.

Her work is both an art and an anatomy lesson. She points out that proper fit isn’t about a single measurement but an orchestra of angles.

“It’s the width of the gullet, the angle of the rails, the channel, the panels—it all has to come together for the horse,” she says. “Then we work on what’s best for the rider.”

But Fuller doesn’t stop there. She’s also certified in equine nutrition and massage, and she’s even rolled up her sleeves for full-horse dissections.

“Once you see a horse from the inside out, it completely changes how you fit them on the outside,” she says.

As for the future? Fuller envisions a shift toward teaching. “In five years, I’d like to be in a more educational role, maybe splitting time between the U.S. and Europe.” Wherever she goes, her philosophy remains clear: Riders must never feel pressured by trends or tack reps. “Let your horse tell you,” she advises. “They’ll show you how they’re using their body under saddle.”

Freedom of Motion is located in Richmond, by appointment only, 630-945-8524, freedomofmotion.net.