DJ
Well-Known Member
Hello all 
Do close contact saddles give you a real "feel" for the horse under you ?
The reason i ask is we have been treeless for 3 years, since starting him (he`s 6 now), and all has been well. Regular physio checks etc all fine .... but just recently due to him maturing i`m just not happy with how the treeless is sitting, and the last couple of times he`s been checked there has been a sore spot towards the back of his loin area. He has a very forward girth groove, and now he`s matured it seems as though the saddle is being pulled forwards over his shoulder, making it a bit un level sloping down (high at the wither/low to the back). In turn it feels like i`m leaning ever so slightly further back when in the saddle (if i`m making sense) and having to lean forward a touch to keep my balance which in turn is giving me back ache (and so the cycle goes on) ... shimming to the back makes the saddle unstable, and curved girths haven`t made any difference either. I have tried a couple of different types of treeless on the last few months and he was seriously unhappy in them
(he tells me in no uncertain terms when he`s not happy)
So i am debating getting a treed saddle but don`t want to loose the closeness i currently have with the treeless (Freeform) ... I have a saddle fitter coming out in July, to give me some input, but i`m thinking a close contact GP would give me a good compromise ?
Ideas and experiences welcome ... Ta
Do close contact saddles give you a real "feel" for the horse under you ?
The reason i ask is we have been treeless for 3 years, since starting him (he`s 6 now), and all has been well. Regular physio checks etc all fine .... but just recently due to him maturing i`m just not happy with how the treeless is sitting, and the last couple of times he`s been checked there has been a sore spot towards the back of his loin area. He has a very forward girth groove, and now he`s matured it seems as though the saddle is being pulled forwards over his shoulder, making it a bit un level sloping down (high at the wither/low to the back). In turn it feels like i`m leaning ever so slightly further back when in the saddle (if i`m making sense) and having to lean forward a touch to keep my balance which in turn is giving me back ache (and so the cycle goes on) ... shimming to the back makes the saddle unstable, and curved girths haven`t made any difference either. I have tried a couple of different types of treeless on the last few months and he was seriously unhappy in them
(he tells me in no uncertain terms when he`s not happy)So i am debating getting a treed saddle but don`t want to loose the closeness i currently have with the treeless (Freeform) ... I have a saddle fitter coming out in July, to give me some input, but i`m thinking a close contact GP would give me a good compromise ?
Ideas and experiences welcome ... Ta
