barefoot london dressage saddles

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sodapop

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Hi
I am considering getting a treeless saddle and wondered if anyone had experience of the barefoot london saddles? My poor mare is uncomfortable in my present dressage saddle but I am having trouble sorting it out and am heading in the treeless direction. I doubt I will ever get to this point but just incase would I be allowed to use it in walk trot dressage classes?
Does anyone have a size 2 for sale??
Thanks
 
I am getting a headache trying to work out what to do for the best with my mare and my saddle fitter has been of no use. I am sure my poor horse is being hurt by her saddle. It all seemed to start when she was shod for the first time due to problems with her back foot. She has lost topline and the saddle now has loads of lateral movement. Her stride is shortening, her head is coming up and she is getting more and more reluctant to go forward. The saddle fitter put a medium gullet in my isabell werth dressage saddle and I got catapulted into space by a very unhappy horse! I was given the option of ride with a riser and limpet pad or try a GP saddle; now I really dont understand how a more forward cut saddle will help by mare with her big shoulders and my knees are already screaming in pain at the thought of having to shorten my stirrups. There are so many arguments for and against treeless saddles plus I dont want to get caught in the trap of keeping paying out more and more money to a saddler for treed saddles that I am almost paralysed with ifs and buts! I need some help or perspective!! Please ? Anyone??
 
Sounds like you could do with a second opinion on Saddles. I had a HM Fhoenix dressage soft tree for 3 years and it fitted my young RID mare for most of that time. Only prob was when she had growth spurts and went croup high the saddle would move forwards.
My new mare has atrophy behind her withers. Poor soul was in a riding school/college and shared her tack with another horse! This time I've gone for a treed saddle and her atrophy is getting better in the 2 months since I bought her. Perhaps you could arrange to trial a treeless before buying. That way you'd know if it suited both you and your horse. As long as you buy a Barefoot London with VPS at a good price you'll get your money back if you find it's not what you want. Good luck in your search and good for you listening to your horse, if only they could talk life would be so much easier.
 
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I've recently got a barefoot london, (typically a couple appeared on ebay straight after, afer me looking for ages!).

I got mine direct from the german barefoot site (they're the manufactures), they also have a sale section of saddles that have been returned, so I got a brand new one, for £450!

I do like the saddle, but it is very different from a treed dressage saddle.
 
Treeless saddles tend to have a wider twist and their stirrup bars tend to be set back further than on treed saddles which can cause some riders to feel unbalanced, tipped forwards or to suffer from sore hips while they adjust to the new position. The best thing to do is to try one, let it sit you the way it wants (don't fight it!) and see how you and the horse feel :)
 
Thanks KC, my horse is an XXW tree, and because the twist is wide on a treeless, he feels very wide! But I've soon got used to it.
 
sodapop said:
The saddle fitter put a medium gullet in my isabell werth dressage saddle and I got catapulted into space by a very unhappy horse! I was given the option of ride with a riser and limpet pad or try a GP saddle; now I really dont understand how a more forward cut saddle will help by mare with her big shoulders and my knees are already screaming in pain at the thought of having to shorten my stirrups. There are so many arguments for and against treeless saddles plus I dont want to get caught in the trap of keeping paying out more and more money to a saddler for treed saddles that I am almost paralysed with ifs and buts! I need some help or perspective!! Please ? Anyone??
Click to expand...

The tree of the Isabell is probably just wrong for your horse - I personally don't like the kink in the headplate for any horse, but some seem happy in them - http://saddlefitter.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/changeable-gullets-details.html.

Treeless can work for some people, I'm not a great fan of the principle of them, but know some horses and riders love them. I think on moderately wide horses and with lightish balanced riders they can be an option, but I am not very knowledgeable on them as I only fit treed saddles!

There are so many types of treed saddles, so many shapes of trees, I have yet to meet a horse who can't go in one, but you do need to hunt out brands that are likely to fit your horse, and who have fitters with good reputations in your area. Worth perhaps asking for another fitter recommendation on here.
 
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