Anyone ride in a Ghost saddle?

Great thank you.

Firstly have either of you ridden in other treeless brands, and if so how did they compare? I have a HM Vogue and while I find it very comfortable and get on well with the position it puts me in, it slips a lot.

With the Quevis, do you need a much longer girth as the flaps are so short? I assume you need a dressage girth?

Do you feel the stirrup leathers? I used to have a Barefoot Cheyenne and always had to ride in long boots or the leathers rubbed my calves.

Do you have thigh blocks on yours, and do you feel them in trot?

TIA
 
I have tried Barefoot, Ghost, Dartmoor Treefree and I still have a Libra Hackabout-back in the day I've also ridden in a solution (over a decade ago though) and a Vogue. Out of all of the them I rated the Ghost and the Treefree best of all. The Ghost was pretty stable-way more stable than the Barefoot. The pony really hated the Ghost pad though so I used a polypad riser pod with it and a normal saddle cloth (he's very wide!) and an anotomical girth. Despite him taking a 17 inch treed with room to spare, the Ghost looked too big on him and a bit daft and yes, I found the thigh blocks annoying in trot so I sold it and found a treed for him. It was a nice saddle. If I were to go seriously treeless I would go for the Treefree Tor.
 
Hmm food for thought.
Can you remember how you felt position wise comparing the Vogue and Ghost? I have back problems which are exacerbated by most saddles except the Vogue.
 
I liked the Vogue but it wasnt the same pony and it was a fair while ago. The Ghost felt quite good-narrower twist than many treeless. you can trial them I think? I bought one secondhand-didnt lose any money on it.
 
Try and find a freedom holistic saddle, they are out there. Look just like a treed saddle, have detachable knee blocks and a narrow twist, which is much more back friendly than the barefoot. I am delighted with mine. Buffalo leather and very hard wearing. I have done everything in it including eventing.
 
I had a Vogue when I had my tank of a maxi cob. He loved it but because he was so wide it was a bit of a stretch for me. It also slipped a lot which was really annoying but this lad had no wither whatsoever. I felt really secure in it though. He was prone to a bit of a buck when he got excited and it was the only saddle he had that enabled me not care about that. I only sold it because it drowned my next horse - it was way too long for her. If they made a smaller size I would have seriously considered another one.

I also had a Torsion close contact and hated it (again because he was so flat and wide) but the horse loved it. It also slipped.

I rode my friends horse in a Sensation but the stirrup bars were so far back it crippled me and I couldn't get off.

I also had a HM Flexee which was a complete nightmare and slipped more than any other saddle I have had. It was also shimmed so much by the fitter I felt mile off the horse. I hated it.

Vogue and Ghost far more comfy than any of these.

The Quevis is a funny little thing but is very secure and comfortable. I tried it as it was recommended to me by a reputable chiropractor when my mare got too wide for her treed saddle. For the money it is a fabulous little saddle - very secure (my mare can be sharp for a cob) and comfortable. It has two positions for the leathers so you can sit correctly almost as you do in a vogue but I would prefer it if I could position them very slightly further back. Having said that I put in a pommel bolster and it is just about perfect now.

I use a professionals choice dressage girth with it and it is more stable that the Vogue but not as stable as a treed saddle on this cob. On her I have to make sure it is properly straight before I girth up. The girth is the same length I would use on any saddle with long girth straps but I could fit a longer one with no problem (maybe 28 rather than 26) but you don't want buckles under your legs. The thing I love is that you feel really close to the horse and I never got that with the Vogue. I also love that is so adjustable.

I haven't noticed the stirrup leathers rubbing so they are not a problem for me but the closed stirrup bars are a pain as I can't use my webbers.

The thigh blocks don't get in my way in rising trot but I don't rise high, if you do I think they will hit your thighs.

Position wise I think I would have preferred the Ghost on my big cob as it is a bit easier on the hips - it has more of a twist than the Vogue. Because my current horse is a bit narrower I prefer the Vogue but the problem with its size and it slipping all the time makes the ghost a better option for us. The vogue would slip on a spook but the Ghost doesn't if I have positioned it straight in the first place and I don't have to overtighten the girth.

The thing with the ghost saddles is that you can try them out for a small fee. I trialled it first but felt under no pressure to buy. Louise from Equine Whispers was very helpful with the fitting to the horse and adjustment for me. I made sure I did everything in it that I wanted to do and Equine Whispers gave me a bit more time as the weather was so awful.
 
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