Barefoot Saddles

AlDestoor

AlDestoor

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Has anybody got one of these?

I'm thinking of buying one of the endurance ones as I plan on doing some longer pleasure/ endurance rides eventually?

I've heard they aren't like normal treeless as they distribute the weight similar to that of a tree'd saddle.

I want to make sure I'm not doing any damage to her but I also want a comfortable ride (I ride for hours) and also, can you attach saddle bags to them? Are there any pressure points on the horses back etc?
 
Contact Better saddles you can trial one for a week to see if you get on with it. They don't suit everyone it is worth investing in a trial.
 
I used to use a barefoot saddle when I started endurance, they are ok if you want to do the shorter distances but anything over 80km I found too much pressure from where the stirrups are attached.
 
I would agree with Steerpike on this and i ride in a Barefoot and really like it , as does my horse. I trail ride in the Cherokee up to 40k but i'm not convinced that there would not be pressure if i rode harder over 50k. Heavier shims in the pad could help but i'd be looking at the Trekker if you want a treeless in a similar price range( bit more) they are a completely different saddle altogether and much better suited for longer rides as the pressure distribution is different, they are also more adaptable for the horse AND the rider. I had one before my OH's horrible horse got his teeth into it and i'm going to try and get another when money allows for it
 
I'm not a "Barefoot expert" per se, but I have tried a few of the saddles in their range, namely Cheyenne, London, Lexington, and Cherokee, both size 1 and size 2.

Firstly you need to determine YOUR size, as with treeless saddles (unlike Treed) this determines what size saddle you'll need. With the Barefoot, believe me, their size 2 is HUGE, I'm a size 10 and it was way too big for me! Also, my cob is a chunky 15hh, but short-backed with it, and this came up way too big on him! So I'd be inclined to try the size 1 to start with and see how that suits you.

Re. the Cheyenne, this is the saddle WITHOUT knee rolls (a must-have for wussy riders like me!) - I tried it in the larger size 2 and it was frankly bleddi awful. In trot I slopped around like a ferret in a sack, and just didn't feel secure enough to canter in it. The Barefoot London was a nice little saddle, tried it on Cobby and it fitted us both well, but I really needed the saddle flap to have a little more in front of the knee TBH, and I found that with the size 1 my pelvic bone was hitting the front gullet when I did rising trot! A pity coz it was a nice little saddle.

Tried the Lexington: this is a saddle which has a VERY high cantle - I'm talking about a cantle which is six inches high!! Seriously. It would suit a WB/TB big dressagey sort of horse, but not a cob basically. It didn't fit him, it came down far too much on the withers, and that stoopid high cantle meant that when I dismounted I was unable to get my (aged) knee over it and ended up getting stuck up there, basically. Hugely funny for my friend watching on the ground, but immensely embarrassing! This saddle isn't suitable for a cob, pony, or the vast majority of "hacking" horses IMO. Wrong shape.

The Cherokee is in my opinion the nicest of their range. I've got one in size 1, it has been on an Exmoor pony 12.2hh, my Welsh D mare 14.3 (now retired), and my youngster (with the wide gullet in, she's OK with that). The only one it didn't really fit is my extra-wide trad cob, it just doesn't feel right when I've ridden him in it, and the fact that he's so wide doesn't help either, it really isn't a comfy ride and I therefore don't use it on him!

The thing to check out if you're thinking of a Barefoot is the gullet size. That is vitally important, and if you get it wrong you'll find the saddle slipping around all over the place, or if its too narrow for the horse, you can end up causing a pressure problem where the end of the gullet sits on the shoulder.

Also, with treeless generally, consider the place where the stirrup bars sit on the horse's back, because that is where the problem may be. Obviously, on a treed saddle, you'd have the entire tree to support the rider's weight through the stirrup bars, whereas on a treeless this is so often where problems occur. Best thing is to get a Port Williams impression pad (perhaps at your yard you could save up and hire one for everyone to use, think you can hire them from somewhere, sorry can't remember where, think it may've been the Better Saddles website???), and then you'd have an idea what's happening on the horse's back.

Girthing is also important: some horses may need a girth which allows for a more forward girth groove position - again important to check out.

Personally, if you can, I would get someone who's used to treeless saddles and/or a qualified saddle fitter to have a check, if you decide to go the treeless route as it is vitally important that your horse's back is protected.

As well as the Barefoot, I have a TreeFree "Tor" saddle. Simply the loveliest saddle I've ever had! Google "TreeFree saddles" and/or "Viking Saddlery" if interested. They do a very nice "Exmoor" saddle, the Tor is their new GP style saddle. They do offer a trial service, about fifty quid for a week if I remember rightly.

It is vital to try before you buy with treeless, you need to experiment with various saddles and styles. I used E-bay to try the Barefoot ones and sold them on again if they didn't suit! They do seem to fetch a good price, if you can be arsed to do all the packing-up and sending off (Parcelforce best, don't use Hermes!).

Hope this helps.
 
I am another who didnt trust the Cheyenne on a very wide pony and actually, having tried various treeless with that kind of pommel, I am unconvinced that they ever fit a very wide horse without causing pressure points-they are simply the wrong shape for anything XXW unless you end up using so many pads you are 6 inches off the horse's back. You can use a soft pommel but I tried this and it felt awful and no better than a bareback pad-actually alot less stable than my Best Friend bareback pad. I think extreme body shapes in horses are as hard to fit well using treeless as they are treed tbh. It was the same with a Torsion.
I like the treefrees and Ghosts-you can trial either.
 
I tried a Cheyenne on my horse several times and really didn't enjoy it. It was the right size for me and the horse (1), but, when posting, the pommel kept hitting me and the saddle was too eager to roll and slip from side to side. No wonder at all that it irritated my horse to no end. I also remember that the seat had literally no twist so I felt like sitting on a barrel that's even wider than my horse himself - my poor hips! And, in our case, just like MotherOfChickens says - it was exactly the same with a Torsion.

I now have a Ghost and love how it fits my horse and myself, we've never been happier with a saddle.
 
I use a strada now and have ridden 160km in a day in it but have also in the past used a podium saddle.
 
I struggled with shimming the numnah for my podium, I like the idea apart from the closed stirrup bar, mine us gathering dust in my tack room as I'm loathed to sell it!
 
Steerpike said:
I struggled with shimming the numnah for my podium, I like the idea apart from the closed stirrup bar, mine us gathering dust in my tack room as I'm loathed to sell it!
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I've not seen one in RL, I have a thing about endurance saddles though (I dont do endurance but do like long hacks). sorry op for the derailment!
 
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