New HiWither Freeform Treeless Dressage

S

SassieSoz

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Hi everyone,

Firstly, a quick thanks to those who replied to my one and only previous post (instructors in the the Bedford area) - time just ran away with me! My hubby thinks that every time I disappear up the yard for hours at a time :-)

Anyway, been looking at acquiring a more traditional looking treeless dressage for my 17.2 hiwithered IDx. Currently have a normal Barefoot for hacking around in which we're both happy with. Have previously tried both the HM SBS and HM Phoenix and we just didn't get on with either of them, so...

Have discovered that Freeform are now making a new dressage saddle with a cut-back head, for boys like mine (these are the ones made in Italy and not the other ones that do appear on e**y and are made in India).

Has anyone tried/seen one of these yet? Know that they can be trialled through GoldFinch Equestrian - but just wanted some other opinions.

Many thanks,
S
 
I'm not much help with the Freeform saddle but have you had a look at Solution/Ansur saddles? I have just got a jumping one and its great, the dressage ones are lovely as well and the look much more like normal saddles than most other treeless. They are slightly more expensive but you can pick up a second-hand one for the same price as a new Freeform.
 
Hi Aniseed,

Thanks for that - had looked at them and thought they could be the perfect solution (no pun intended!) - just gulped a bit at the price of them. Am keeping an eye out though.
 
I have a Freeform and have been using it for three years.

Pros: Comfy, well made, trusted brand, changeable seats.

Cons: can be long in the back, a little behind the times stylishly, mine has a ridiculous stirrup leather buckle system that broke within 9 months (although I think they've replaced it now).

It would be worth trialling one to see if you like it.

Freeform was originally the Fitform and it was the first treeless sold within the UK. When treeless was in it's infancy and they were all the odd looking style (Torsion etc), a couple of years later the Freeform was launched and it was the first of the newer style so it was very popular (there was the Ansur but that was beyond our peasant budgets) as it looked so normal. Things have moved on alot since then and there are many more taditional looking ones on the market.

Traditional style treeless there is also Trekker's new range and Startrekk's new range as well as the classic Solution (although I find them ugly) - but the Freeform is the cheapest of the more traditional styles. There are others too but I cannot recommend them.
 
OP there is a group on Facebook which is quite good for finding second hand Solutions. I found mine by spending ages trawling the internet. It cost me £750 so they are out there for a reasonable-ish price if you keep looking.

I guess the best thing you could do is book test rides/trials with the different makes you like the look of and see which feels the nicest.
 
Aniseed said:
OP there is a group on Facebook which is quite good for finding second hand Solutions. I found mine by spending ages trawling the internet. It cost me £750 so they are out there for a reasonable-ish price if you keep looking.

I guess the best thing you could do is book test rides/trials with the different makes you like the look of and see which feels the nicest.
Click to expand...

OOOh - cool. I didn't know about that. Can I have a link? (sorry to hijack the thread)
 
I have the Trekker Endurance/Dressage treeless and love it, quite traditional looking, gulleted, infinitally adjustable, suitable for high withered "slim" horses as well as the flat backed wide types.

However (about 10 years ago) I tried to trial and eventually buy without trialling a fitform from Goldfinch and they were a bl**dy nightmare to deal with - hopefully they have got more professional since.

I have borrowed a Freeform now and again and (IME) they tended to rub at the cantle. Not a problem I've ever had with my original trekker (bought from Horse and Harmony after spending nearly a year trying to give Goldfinch my money!!!) barefoots or torsions.
 
Can't recommend Goldfinch Freeform saddles highly enough. There should be some wither clearance to avoid rubbing at the cantle, and I think this new high wither shape will be the answer for many horses. The advantage of the Freeform (and Solutions/Ansurs) is that the pommel and cantle aren't solid. I really like the Heather Moffet Fhoenix Vogue as well, they do appear on EBay from time to time...
 
I have a solutions for a high withered horse and it works very well. You can lease them by the week to try them out before spending too much money on one and they do pop up on ebay second hand.
 
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