bitless or treeless

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Daphnelia

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Just interested in your stories if your horses are ridden bitless and/or treeless. Why did you decide to take this route? How have you found it? Have you been bitless/treeless and decided to go back to using bits and treed saddles? Also do you compete and if so to what level? Just curious really
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Meeeeeeeee. I tried bitless, didn't work for mine, but I like it in theory. I'm treeless too, it works well for me. If I competed, or actually rode properly I'm not sure I would stay treeless though.
 
cool thanks for the reply. Why didnt bitless work for you - and why do you think you would use a treed saddle to compete instead of treeless? Im a nosy bu**er
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Daisy is currently both which makes me sound a real tree hugger but I'm honestly not. She has a good quality, GP style treeless saddle which you couldn't tell apart from a normal saddle until you sit on it. It was recommended by my saddler because she has a very flat back, no withers and has huge fluctuation in weight depending on the time of year despite my best efforts. I did alot of research but ultimately decided that I trusted my saddler who is very well known and respected in the local community. So far it seems to work really well. It's harder to sit to her canter but I think that may have alot to do with the fact that she feels freer and so there is alot more motion. The only thing I will say is that in the 18 months I've had her I never once fell off in the treed saddle and have now fallen off twice in two weeks treeless. Both times was when she swerved and i went straight over the shoulder, probably just me being a numpty though and nothing to do with the saddle.

I bought her a bitless bridle when we first started hacking on our own because she found it very exciting and was trotting like a steam train with her head on the air. I now use my bitless as my main hacking bridle because there is no way she can evade it if she gets excited and if she's trying to run off on the road and I take a hold it isn't going to ruin her lovely soft mouth. I don't find it gives me the fine control that I like for schooling so she's stil bitted for that but I like to have both in my tackroom

Neither of them were because of some moral belief about bits or trees, merely a case of listening ot others and finding a solution that worked for me and my horse.

*wanders off to find a bunny to hug*
 
We have two treeless saddles - one is specifically designed for jumping and specifically fiited for me (6ft 3) - the other is my girlfriends and is a gp fiitted to her. Each of our saddles fits our three horses.(from 16'1 to 17'2) i love my saddle - it provides me with knee room and I find it more comfortable than any of the treed saddles I have tried. I jump and have cross county schooled in mine and intend to hunt. However my girlfriend is not so keen on hers. She says it suits the horses and all 3 have benefitted in terms of musculature and freedom of movement but she is not so sure it provides security for jumping. She would have her albion back were it not for the obvious benefits treeless saddles have had on our horses. Ours were not cheap but have the appearance of 'normal' saddles which we both like.
 
i have been treeless for over a year & half and love it, i recently had the physio check seren to see if she was ok with it and physio was very happy indeed
When i have more money i will be upgrading mine and i will buying a heather moffett treeless
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i have got a bitless bridle but have still not got it adjusted (awkward mare did not fit either cob size nor full size, she is inbetween) so have not tried it as yet, i bought it months ago!! i must adjust it and see how she goes, if its no good for her i will sell it
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We were considering Bitless for bobbie, just for schooling obviously. He was very reluctant to have any pressure in his mouth, and he was know to previously have dental problems, but since his back was done he has been great as it is so no need to change.

I used to show all our shetties in a felt pad, does that count LOL. It was because I was too big to fit a saddle that fitted a shetty, and we had a large number of ponies so didn't need to get them a saddle each. I competed at HOYS with one.
 
see thats why I decided on treeless, and later bitless. The saddle was an experiment to see if it would help with my anglo's sensitive back, and it has. I ride him in a hackamore and the welshie in a scawbrig, but its cause the former frets with any bit in his mouth and goes behind it, and the latter is not long broken and I dont have a school to practice steering with! Was interested if anyone had gone down this route for reasons other than 'tree-hugging' I guess! You put it perfectly
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cool thanks for the reply. Why didnt bitless work for you - and why do you think you would use a treed saddle to compete instead of treeless? Im a nosy bu**er
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Bitless didn't work because I had no brakes at all
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. I can't stop with a bit either, but had hoped the bitless might be better. If I was to compete treeless I'd want one of the proper treeless, but I'm too tight to pay over £1000 for a saddle!
 
We have one ridden treeless, because he was like a table, it is so comfy we wouldn't change back to a treed. We have another bitless because before we got her she had the corner of her mouth ripped open and not treated, and it soon became apparent she didn't like a bit. She goes perfectly bitless, stops and turns no problem.
 
I ride Marnie in a Barefoot Cherokee - pic below.
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I mainly hack and do pleasure rides and this saddle suits both of us down to the ground. I had no end of trouble getting a 'traditional' saddle to fit her - I had 4 in total, each of which ended up making her back sore. With the treeless she strides out much better and her back has no sore spots - checked by a sports massager. I've popped over little cross country fences in it on pleasure rides but not sure that I would fancy doing too mcuh more!
 
Thats the saddle I have
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Found jumping in it fine but not as comfortable as the cheyenne which is a shame. Seat has a tendency to bunch up! Love the knee rolls though
 
I have a treeless saddle (Heather Moffet, enlightened equitation) which looks like a 'normal' saddle. It is the GP version and I have competed upto Novice BE in it. It is sooo comfortable to ride in but it is fairly straight cut so I will still be dressaging in it next season but have just bought a wintec close contact jumping saddle for sj and xc as I dont feel that I can get my legs forward enough and in the best position when jumping. She is regularly treated by a Bowen therapist who says her back s better than it has ever been and she is going better han she ever has ( she's 16 now). Highly recommened!!
 
This post is very interesting to me.
I have a flat backed and no withers horse too, I have dreadful trouble with my wintec slipping even though it is checked regularly.
I wonder if a treeless would suit my girl?
Out of interest how much are they?
(Runs away and hides)...
Kate x
 
Hey no need to hide, your looking at about £300 for the cheapest Barefoot, imo its not a good idea at all to get a cheaper one off ebay, you've no idea of the quality, if they've been tested for pressure points etc. However sometimes they do have some second hand branded models on ebay which can be a really good buy. I use my cherokee on my welshie who is xxw in treed saddles. Fits her perfect and so far no slipping.
Heres some links for you:
Barefoot saddles:
http://www.horseandharmony.co.uk/shop/in...3e7a19f5a11fd29
Treefree saddles:
http://www.treefree-saddles.co.uk/index.php?page=Saddles
Equine Whispers:
http://www.equinewhispers.co.uk/
 
Bitless but not treeless. Bitless because my horse is happy in a bosal and anyway, I don't have to warm a bosal up before using it. Not treeless because the saddle I have now is just fine for what we do.

Question? Do treeless saddles HAVE to use a specific saddlepad? I was looking into them and it really annoyed me to be given a quote for a saddle and then be told "Oh, and it's another 80 for the pad" Why not sell them together in the first place if they have to be used?
 
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