Can you do dressage without a saddle

Yes, BD require a saddle although a treeless is OK if that's any help. There are some unaffiliated series that might allow you to ride without a saddle, there was a thread on this a short while ago.
 
because the horse goes far better without one ;) I know mine does, can school her medium level happily without saddle. The reasons isn't that the saddle doesn't fit but the lack of it makes me sit 100 times better ;)

and no unfortunately you can't if under BD rules as an English style saddle is compulsory.
 
I certainly wouldnt have wanted to do DR test on henry without a saddle - he would have loved that as an excuse to dump me!
 
I would love to compete without a saddle, i just ride so much better and mare moves better aswell.

wouldnt put a treeless monstrosity on her though, so thats out of the question.
 
if you are happy to explore inter-net dressage - then i know of at least 2 friends who regulalry compete bareback @ novice level
ive competed treeless but havnt dare go for no saddle at all:)
 
There are all styles of treeless, some you can't tell apart from a normal treed saddle. You must be thinking of the Torsion or Barefoot style saddles (both good makes). I have done dressage in a Barefoot saddle and it was only if someone was standing right next to my horse and looking at the saddle that they noticed it was a bit different.
 
Sorry to butt in on OPs post but that is such a judgemental reply xloopylozzax! My treeless is indistinguishable from a dressage saddle unless you notice that it sits a bit low at the withers (as it should) and the article you quote is a story of someone who had been riding in a treeless for 3 years when she swapped it for another one which had not been professionally fitted. The moral of this story is that you should have your saddle professionally fitted. Either way you can't condemn or endorse one type of saddle from one story, otherwise what about the millions of people who have had problems with treed saddles?

Apologies OP, will stop now!
 
I am not sure from that story whether it was the old treeless saddle that did the damage or the new treed one. Have to say that I once had a Balance saddle and had to sell it as it was so unstable, despite having the fitter out to it several times.

But I agree about the bareback - in fact it is quite distressing to find just how nicely the horse goes if you are riding it bareback! Why doesn't it go like this in the saddle?
 
Thankyou for all the replies! My mare just goes nicer without one, as she takes her time abit more and i think they feel your weight shift better, so we have more of a connection :) might try inter dressage though! sounds good!
 
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