My Freeform Treeless Trial ...

Kenzo

Kenzo

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...has been put in and hopefully should have the saddle by the weekend for a four day trial...yay! :)

There sending me a Freeform Classic, 9cm cut back head, 18'' extra short base (those of you who are familiar with freeforms will not doubt understand that...I kinda of do and don't but I've never seen on in real life) along with a Haff pad (said which one but can't remember) with 2 dressage girths (waive ones?) one one will be a 30'' dressage and another size, think she said 34'' as I said his normal girth size is a 54''.

I'm just hoping these high winds die down, not great weather for trailing a saddle when you only have an outdoor school, perhaps I should order some rhythm beads to help keep the calm ;)
 
I'm a little bit excited but nervous at the same time.

Last time I bought a treeless saddle (a different make and many years, it was after trying the torsion) I stupidly got sucked in and bought a cheaper version off ebay without doing my research even though it wasn't one of those cheapy ones made in India, can't remember which make it was but it was a UK one, god it was awful! :eek:

Well it didn't even make it out of my front door let alone down to the yard to try it on my horse, I got it straight of the box and put it straight back in again! non horsy OH was in stitches saying WTF is that! well I knew straight way it wasn't going to fit, but it was also horrible looking thing, thankfully I got my money back.
 
MrsMozart said:
Enjoy!

We will require a full report with pictures and video (especially if the winds don't drop :D).
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Full report indeed.

I may struggle with a video if nobody is about but I'll do my best, suppose I can rest it somewhere, you may see my flying past and a few screams before you hear a loud thump! :D
 
Kenzo said:
Well it didn't even make it out of my front door let alone down to the yard to try it on my horse, I got it straight of the box and put it straight back in again! non horsy OH was in stitches saying WTF is that! well I knew straight way it wasn't going to fit, but it was also horrible looking thing, thankfully I got my money back.
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Don't you let anybody tell you you're vain :p:o:D:D.

I know where you are coming from, some of the treeless are just so damned ugly, I wouldn't be seen in public in one :o.
 
The one thing that concerns me is being able to tighten the girth up while I'm on, with it being a dressage girth once I'm on board I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it, may have to get off to sort it and use the MB to get back on again, could be a lot of getting on off's going on...not sure if I could be doing with that but hey ho, we'll see.
 
quirky said:
Don't you let anybody tell you you're vain :p:o:D:D.

I know where you are coming from, some of the treeless are just so damned ugly, I wouldn't be seen in public in one :o.
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:D

To be fair though, I take the mick (even out of myself) but I'm not vain enough to dismiss a good treeless saddle if the benfits out weight the looks, even if it was very ugly, although I think the rest of the folk on the yard may think I've lost the plot, I may have do a pink panther and sneak it down when nobody is about :D
 
I've always struggled to do the girth up on treeless! The design of that make might be easier though than the Torsion/Barefoot type though.

I'll be extreamly interested in your opinions, cos I'm still very tempted by these but so nervous now after all the trouble I've had.
 
I think if I do like the saddle providing fit it correctly which could take a few goes, as I may need to send of for a different pad etc but if provided with all the right gear and we get on with it then I think it's a way forward, at least we can try.

However, I also think it's vital that I have my back lady (sorry I call her that, I'm sure she won't be offended), to keep a close eye on things say every 4 months so we can see if the treeless route (or this particular saddle) is working in his favour or not.

I had him looked at last week and he has some work done and we've got some exercises to do to help his back end and release tenstion in his shoulders/neck also.

I'm hoping that once we put all that into action, as well as him having a comfortable saddle and him being able to move freely through his back, hopefully we will see an improvement or some change at least, time will tell I guess.
 
I will be very interested in seeing how you get on with the treeless as i am looking into going down the treeless route too.
So please do keep us posted
Kate x
 
good luck with your trial, ive just bought a freeform classic they are lovely!

it will take a few trys re: shimming of the HAF pad to get the right fit but once you've worked it out its perfect, also feels very stable so you dont have to have the girth on reaalllly tight so if you do it from the ground then get on it is usually enough
 
caroline23 said:
good luck with your trial, ive just bought a freeform classic they are lovely!

it will take a few trys re: shimming of the HAF pad to get the right fit but once you've worked it out its perfect, also feels very stable so you dont have to have the girth on reaalllly tight so if you do it from the ground then get on it is usually enough
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Thanks Caroline.

I'm picking up a DreamTeam saddle and a Freemax Endurance GP to try this evening (someone is very kindly letting me try them along with the pads/girths etc)

It will be nice to find out what they are all like, compare the differences and hopefully see which (if any) fit, be interesting as well to see how the Freemax compares to the Freeform but it will take a few days for the Freeform to arrive, should have it by the weekend I think, but it will be nice to have a chat with the lady and get some fitting advice of her too.
 
I'm not sure about all these pads and other stuff, when I buy a saddle I want it to fit, not have to make extreme adjustments, I think this is my main objection to treeless, I am not 100% sure I could fit correctly.
I did advise one owner with a short backed high withered cob from a dealer (presumably not broken to ride for that reason), that the three saddles she had tried would not fit her horse, that included a treeless which was bearing down on withers.
I offered to let her try my 17 and a half inch Wintec, but she declined, even though I suggested she could buy one second hand for £200 approx, looking at her horse and her sample saddles, she was pushed to spend £200 on the tack in total!
 
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caroline23 said:
good luck with your trial, ive just bought a freeform classic they are lovely!

it will take a few trys re: shimming of the HAF pad to get the right fit but once you've worked it out its perfect, also feels very stable so you dont have to have the girth on reaalllly tight so if you do it from the ground then get on it is usually enough
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Could you go in to more detail on treeless saddles, I like to ride bareback, as I get to feel the warmth and the movement of the horse, which is lost when you add an inch of stiff leather or plastic between you and the horse.
 
MrsD123 said:
I'm not sure about all these pads and other stuff, when I buy a saddle I want it to fit, not have to make extreme adjustments, I think this is my main objection to treeless, I am not 100% sure I could fit correctly.
I did advise one owner with a short backed high withered cob from a dealer (presumably not broken to ride for that reason), that the three saddles she had tried would not fit her horse, that included a treeless which was bearing down on withers.
I offered to let her try my 17 and a half inch Wintec, but she declined, even though I suggested she could buy one second hand for £200 approx, looking at her horse and her sample saddles, she was pushed to spend £200 on the tack in total!
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I agree treeless saddles may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I won’t rule out something until I have a better understanding of it, I think we all know any saddle both traditional or treeless if not fitted or used correctly will cause problems.

I think it’s important to do as much research as you can (which is what I’m trying to do) and you can’t always base an over all view on this by someone else's bad or good experience for that matter, it's an individual thing, just like a horses back.

As for padding/shimming etc, what difference is that to flocking in a treed saddle?, they work differently and for different reasons I know but the one thing they have in common is to protect the horses back and make a comfortable divide between horse and rider.
 
I have a treeless dressage saddle (Barefoot) and a treed jumping saddle. I can do the girth up whilst on board on the treeless (although only while stationary :eek: ) and I really like it. I use it mainly for hacking, I don't have a school so I school on hacks and it is so comfortable. My horses back has now also muscled out more than it was before. His jumping saddle does fit, but maybe not as well as his treeless, but I just can't afford a brand spanking jumping saddle too :o (plus its an albion and I just lvoe it :o )

My chiro recommended my treeless saddle, and treating him since my horse had not had any problems with his back, and is less tense etc than before :)
 
That's really great to hear Stencilface, like you say, I think it's important to work closely with your chiro/phyiso/back person so they can keep a close eye on things, plus you know yourself if your horse is going better.
 
Kenzo said:
As for padding/shimming etc, what difference is that to flocking in a treed saddle?, they work differently and for different reasons I know but the one thing they have in common is to protect the horses back and make a comfortable divide between horse and rider.
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I had one handmade saddle for 40 years before I binned it due to a nail coming through underneath, it was re-flocked once or twice and had new flaps, and I rode on over a hundred horses on it, it was often borrowed by others in the [racing] yard for horses with sore backs, as it seemed to fit almost any fit TB except the real big broad type. I used it with a variety of numnahs and pads, and horses never had a day off with bad backs. I do not advocate this extreme use/abuse btw.
My new saddle has CAIR and gets very little use, it already has a "puncture wound" and a "cut" maybe someone borrowed it and dropped it, I don't know, but is is not going to last ten years at this rate, even with CAIR renewed.
 
I think if you compare modern saddles these days to the older saddles (and I'm talking older saddles here) you could in some circumstances be able to multi use the old style with the right pads etc but saddles have moved on since then (thankfully) and are as we know now designed to fit more individually to a horse depending on the breed, shapes etc with the added benefit of different girths and because of this, this also in some ways makes it more difficult to use the same saddle on a different horse or horses now (even if they are very similar in shape) with the use of various pads that are on the market, I agree the saddle should fit without having to use them in a perfect world, but at the same time many horses change shape, be it age, through the seasons due to weight change or muscle development etc which is why in some cases a treeless saddle can help.
 
Shy and I are absolutely LOVING treeless - he is strutting his stuff, feels lke a totally different horse tbh. I too will be having back checks done, as this is all new to me too.

I have invested in a Flexi - Girth, and am finding it brilliant. You don't have to tighten it as much as you would a normal girth, as it really does stay in place and not move (nor does the saddle), which I like, as I hate tight girths. Also, I have sussed the holes I need to use, and can get the girth at the right tightness before I get on now, and if I need to, I can mount from the ground in a desperate situation :) http://www.flexiworksequine.co.uk/

I gave up on Barefoot btw, due to the shipping issue, and bought a good english make virtually new and unused from Ebay. I'm not going to name it tho, as everyone has different opinions, but it is the most comfy saddle I have ever sat on, like sitting in an armchair, and very secure too.
 
That link is handy to know about, thanks, plus they also do the dressage girths too which a lot treeless saddles require, good to hear feed back.

They even do hiv viz colours! :eek:
 
MrsD123 said:
Could you go in to more detail on treeless saddles, I like to ride bareback, as I get to feel the warmth and the movement of the horse, which is lost when you add an inch of stiff leather or plastic between you and the horse.
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basically they are saddles without the wooden tree, the wither clearance etc are provided using pads and shims(foam inserts into the pads) instead of wood, meaning it moulds to the shape of the horse giving a closer feeling to the horse.

there are several types and makers of them, if you like bareback riding i know libra do a bareback version which has no kneerolls and a single flap so it gives the impression of bareback riding but with a bit more stability in the seat, there are also ones that look for more "traditional" and can be used for jumping as well

Kenzo, i have heard very good reports about the dreamteam saddles, also the barefoot, there is mixed feelings about freemax as they are a copy of freeform but so long as the padding is right and there is enough wither clearance and weight distribution i see nothing wrong with them
 
Yeah the lady said she really loves her DreamTeam saddle, I think if I can remember rightly she may of said that is the one she prefers to use on her TB, but I could be wrong, it was a brief confo on the phone last night and I had Pugzie yapping in one ear and the washing mashine going in the other :rolleyes: so I'll get more feed back this evening when I go to collect them.

I hope her girths will fit, as I don't have any dressage girths, so if it can't get it round properly or tight enough I won't be able to try them until tomorrow,t that's if I can get hold of a dressage girth to fit him.

He takes a 54'' girth, or a 52'' if the saddle has longer straps, does a 30'' dressage girth sound about right? that's one of the sizes DreamTeam team are sending. I spoke to them this afternoon and the Freeform will be delivered on Friday so I'll have all weekend to play with it and hopefully get some advise both from DreamTeam and people on here to ensure I'm fitting it to the best I can, if not I may need them to send some other stuff out.

Exciting stuff :D
 
yeah thats about right, normally knock about 20" off the GP girth size so fingers crossed should fit!

let me know how you get on :)
 
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