I found something worse to ride in than my saddle!

[poiuytrewq]

Someone very kindly leant me a treeless saddle to enable me to keep my horse going til I can afford a new saddle…
I feel truly lucky to be back home alive ?
The saddle owner loves it and feels really secure and comfortable but I felt terrible, all my weight felt like it was on the front of my thighs. My feet wanted to be in totally the wrong place, there were no knee rolls.
Anyone ride in one? How on earth?!
I’m very grateful for the loan and the fact I was able to get him out today but it’s certainly not for me!

 

[fidleyspromise]

I had a jumping lesson on a horse in one years ago and i had no issues with it and felt quite happy. Swapped horses and the person after me was a much better rider and she hated it and felt insecure in it.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I had a jumping lesson on a horse in one years ago and i had no issues with it and felt quite happy. Swapped horses and the person after me was a much better rider and she hated it and felt insecure in it.

I think In theory they look like they should be really comfortable.

 

[sbloom]

With the work I'm doing looking at pelvic shape etc it's no surprise that some people will hate any particular saddle, and some will love it. Front of thighs sounds like the seat may be too wide, or there's too much padding under the rear of the leg, and a lack of support under the pubic arch and/or the front of the thigh. Don't suppose you have photos?!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I have never ridden in a treeless saddle but I have ridden in many different pony pads, saddles, show saddles, exercise saddles etc and I hate ones with knee and thigh rolls and ones with deep seats or high cantles. Basically I don't like feeling held in position and prefer there to be not very much under me!

 

[poiuytrewq]

With the work I'm doing looking at pelvic shape etc it's no surprise that some people will hate any particular saddle, and some will love it. Front of thighs sounds like the seat may be too wide, or there's too much padding under the rear of the leg, and a lack of support under the pubic arch and/or the front of the thigh. Don't suppose you have photos?!

Photos of the saddle or me on it?

 

[poiuytrewq]

I have never ridden in a treeless saddle but I have ridden in many different pony pads, saddles, show saddles, exercise saddles etc and I hate ones with knee and thigh rolls and ones with deep seats or high cantles. Basically I don't like feeling held in position and prefer there to be not very much under me!

This almost felt like a lot under me though! It’s quite bulky feeling but shapeless. I prefer an exercise saddle, and I’m not overly keen on them unless cantering, didn’t used to like hacking in them!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

This almost felt like a lot under me though! It’s quite bulky feeling but shapeless. I prefer an exercise saddle, and I’m not overly keen on them unless cantering, didn’t used to like hacking in them!

Yeah they always look quite thick and bulky. Not sure how much feeling you would have through one!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Yeah they always look quite thick and bulky. Not sure how much feeling you would have through one!

None! Also made my boots squeak like crazy, v annoying!

 

[Rowreach]

There’s treeless and treeless. Iirc the one you’ve borrowed is, um, not a high spec ?

 

[poiuytrewq]

There’s treeless and treeless. Iirc the one you’ve borrowed is, um, not a high spec ?

That I have no idea. It’s a Torsion which is a make, maybe the only make I’ve heard of before.

 

[poiuytrewq]

On the plus side I have a saddler booked to come at the end of next week and have so far sold a grazing muzzle to fund my new one, so that’s going well ??‍

 

[Cortez]

I have hated and despised every treeless saddle I’ve ever ridden in. They have variously: felt hugely amorphous, rolled, given no feel of the horse at all, felt “dead”, made the horse sore (something I pointed out to the owner, who hadn’t noticed). I could go on, suffice to say not a fan.

 

[Caol Ila]

I've had varying experiences with treeless.

Bought a Barefoot London off eBay for Gypsum, and after about five minutes, we agreed it was the worst thing, ever.

When I first rode Foinavon at his ex-owner's place, she had him in a Barefoot Cheyenne. He felt fine in it, but it put me in a terrible chair seat. But it wasn't as uncomfortable as the London + Gypsum. After I bought him, I borrowed a friend's Edix Western saddle for about five minutes and felt like I was sitting miles above my horse. I wasn't sure that my leg was touching him. I tried him in a Ghost saddle and felt weirdly perched above the horse and I had to work hard to not be in a chair seat. I tried him in a TreeFree saddle, and I felt like I was sitting on the horse with a really close contact. And he went well in it. When he doesn't like a piece of tack, you know about it. So I bought one. Happy so far! It has a nice high pommel and cantle as well, which has probably saved me from hitting the deck when he does fast wild pony spooks.

 

[chaps89]

Maybe not just limited to treeless saddles - I tried a dressage saddle on earlier and did one lap of the school before I asked if I could get off. I’m used to the horse and I’m used to riding in dressage saddles but that particular saddle did not feel good!
So I share your pain OP

 

[Boulty]

I've ridden in / borrowed a few different treeless saddles & hated the majority of them apart from a barefoot Cheyenne which seemed a bit more supportive. I had a few different models of Flexee on the orange one & got on quite well with them (the suede topped one certainly kept me on board a few times!). I've also sat in a few treed saddles that were painful to ride in as the seat & leg position were all wrong. Current saddle is a stuben trek that my saddler egged me on to try ( wouldn't have necessarily picked it out myself although it does suite what I eventually want to do with the horse well) & after 10 minutes in it I announced I didn't want to try any other saddles & was buying that one.

 

[Lois Lame]

Anyone ride in one? How on earth?!
I’m very grateful for the loan and the fact I was able to get him out today but it’s certainly not for me!

I've ridden in one for about 15 minutes. It was 14.5 minutes too long.
I felt like I was perched on a cushion. Nothing like I had expected. I was also grateful to have been able to try one, to satisfy my curiousity, but, no... not my cup of tea at all. Ever since that experience I have had zilch interest in treeless saddles.

 

[Lois Lame]

Yeah they always look quite thick and bulky. Not sure how much feeling you would have through one!

The same amount as you would if you grabbed a cushion off the couch and used that.

 

[sbloom]

Photos of the saddle or me on it?

You in the saddle, for academic reasons, but was really a rhetorical question as even if you have a photo there's only so much I/we can tell, I'm just finding it fascinating learning about the pelvis and saddle interface

 

[poiuytrewq]

You in the saddle, for academic reasons, but was really a rhetorical question as even if you have a photo there's only so much I/we can tell, I'm just finding it fascinating learning about the pelvis and saddle interface

I still have it. I’ll take some this evening. Is just on a stand ok?
Can gladly take on him but not til tomorrow.

Edited to say, was walking the dog when reading and replied this morning, evidently didn’t read it properly. I can try and get someone to take a few. I’m mostly by myself here so photos on horses are hard!

 

[Marigold4]

That I have no idea. It’s a Torsion which is a make, maybe the only make I’ve heard of before.

A Torsion is the only saddle my young horse is happy in - he has a back conformation that is very difficult to fit and have spent ££££ trying tree-ed. I have had to learn to be a much more balanced rider to make a success of the Torsion. There's very little support for the rider in terms of rolls and seat. It's a work in progress but I've been forced to up my game as a result of this saddle and so I love my Torsion. I now have the close contact version so even better.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Sounds like I’m not the only one then!
Marigold, I can understand that, I imagine just the saddle would be bearable but the squeaking and the stirrup placement for me is just something I couldn’t cope with.
Glad it’s worked for you!

 

[maya2008]

I have Torsion saddles. I wouldn’t use one on a very wide horse as there is no ‘twist’ so you would feel split in two at the hips. They also don’t sit in quite the same place as a treed saddle, with the pommel being further forwards than you would expect so the seat is where it should be. They have set-back stirrup bars like a dressage saddle, so if you are used to a jump/GP saddle with knee rolls and having your feet in front of you, it would feel really weird and unbalanced. I can swap back and forth to a normal GP for jumping, but I am used to it I guess. I have to say all my ponies love them, and they fit no matter the change of shape from summer to winter. Definitely an acquired taste from the rider POV though.

 

[sbloom]

I still have it. I’ll take some this evening. Is just on a stand ok?
Can gladly take on him but not til tomorrow.

Edited to say, was walking the dog when reading and replied this morning, evidently didn’t read it properly. I can try and get someone to take a few. I’m mostly by myself here so photos on horses are hard!

Honestly don't worry , I may not be able to tell anything anyway, especially without knowing the shape of the seat and placement of the bars etc.

 

[J&S]

I have ridden in a Heather moffat Pheonix and a Vogue. the Vogue was dreadful, mostly because the "fitter" set it up incorrectly with both panels and a pad underneath, I had never been so unhappy riding my little horse! however, a correctly set up Pheonix was very comfy for hacking and jumping 2ft 3" or less. I kept it for several years and did a fair few miles but discarded it in the end in favour of a treed saddle for the sake of the horse.

 

[Marnie]

It's interesting how experiences differ, I have a Barefoot Cheyenne and have had for years. Both my cobs went really well in it and I felt really connected to them when I was riding, I rode miles at a time. I was only hacking so it may be different if trying to school or jump. It did take a while to get used to - I bought one, rode in it a few times and didn't like it and then tried again in 6 months time and found it a really different experience.

 

[sbloom]

It's interesting how experiences differ, I have a Barefoot Cheyenne and have had for years. Both my cobs went really well in it and I felt really connected to them when I was riding, I rode miles at a time. I was only hacking so it may be different if trying to school or jump. It did take a while to get used to - I bought one, rode in it a few times and didn't like it and then tried again in 6 months time and found it a really different experience.

Honestly once you start analysing pelvis and hip conformation, and realise how different saddles are, it won't surprise you. Yes we can adapt to an extent, but much better to have something that suits our actual skeleton, and on that particular horse, as ribcages are all different shapes.

 

[Caol Ila]

This is us in the TreeFree.

It has a twist so doesn’t feel like it’s stretching your hips apart or that there’s tons of material between you and the horse. I really rate it.

 

[tristar]

looks like it puts you in a decent position C I

 

[Pascal96]

I have the Solution Freestyle and both myself and my 2 horses think they are great. I found they were really comfortable, helped my back and I never got stiff even if I hadn't ridden for a while. The other thing that I noticed was that they really moved in time with the horse so that you got a really good feel of what was happening. I first tried one as I was finding really difficult to get the right fit for one of my horses and she wasn't going forward properly, but she loved the freestyle and I realised the problem was caused by her really big shoulder movement and she found that treed saddles restricted her movement but because the treeless saddles flex she is quite happy to stride out in it.