Oh, look, a treeless saddle thread

[Caol Ila]

Kind of thinking of going treeless with Foinavon. Years ago, I tried a Barefoot London on Gypsum and it was the most unpleasant thing I have ever ridden in. The other week, a friend at the yard who rides in an Edix treeless saddle let me have a go in it, and it was the second most unpleasant thing I have ever ridden in. Both of those have no twist, and I think that's what I hated about them.

Are there any treeless ones that have a twist and feel more like a normal saddle? Freeform? Heather Moffat?

 

[Hallo2012]

which edix? the one i trialled was lovely,secure and not wide even on a flat native.

 

[Rowreach]

Solution would be your best bet if you want a twist and a more traditional look. But tbh you need to be at least a little bit open to the whole concept of treeless because they will all feel different to what you're used to at first.

 

[Caol Ila]

I'm not really sure which one she has. Looking at the website, maybe Tiamo or Tequiro? It's a Western saddle looking thing.

 

[mariew]

I rode in a heather moffat one a long time ago, and felt like I was far removed from the horses back. A bit like being perched on top of a hill with the horse far below me. This was probably 15 years ago so would have been an old version. My main concern with treeless ones is how they would deal with the pressure from the stirrups?

 

[Caol Ila]

Yes, I've read that there can be pressure from the stirrups. It's actually not easy to get a clear picture from the internet because everyone writing articles seems to have an agenda one way or another. Either, "Yay, treeless is the best thing ever for horses" or "No, they're really bad for horses!" Is there anything objective out there?

 

[Sleipnir]

I'm riding in a Ghost saddle and, after trying several other brands (Barefoot, Trekker, Torsion) it's by far the best - I feel very close contact to my horse, I love how adjustable it is and provides good spinal clearance without needing layers upon layers of bulky pads, it has a very narrow twist (which helps my injured hips) and my gelding clearly enjoys it, as, since using it, he no longer gets a sore back after longer rides and his huge shoulders can move freely.

 

[paddy555]

I rode in a heather moffat one a long time ago, and felt like I was far removed from the horses back. A bit like being perched on top of a hill with the horse far below me. This was probably 15 years ago so would have been an old version. My main concern with treeless ones is how they would deal with the pressure from the stirrups?

ditto. Totally perched and I felt very insecure. Plus it gave the horse a sore back in just one ride, first time I have damaged a horse's back ever. Nice quality saddle though.

I've got endurance sportsaddles which are treeless with skito pads. Have had them for over 20 years and wouldn't like to ride in anything else and the horses go well.
I have tried them on other people's horses who had problems and the difference was considerable.

half the world likes treeless and half hate them. I just worked on what the horses went the happiest in.
There are treeless groups on FB. Lots of pics of various types, you might get some ideas.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Yes, I've read that there can be pressure from the stirrups. It's actually not easy to get a clear picture from the internet because everyone writing articles seems to have an agenda one way or another. Either, "Yay, treeless is the best thing ever for horses" or "No, they're really bad for horses!" Is there anything objective out there?

According to my back specialist vet who treated the ID who, so far as I know had only ever been ridden in a treed saddle, vets see just about the same proprtion of treed and treeless saddles causing problems. I do now have a Solution (different horse) and have found it very comfortable for both me and the horse.

 

[GinaGeo]

I use a mix of Solution Saddles and Treed saddles. The Solutions when they are padded properly don't cause issues and are very adjustable - the horses go very well in them. I use the Original Solutions - find the new designs a bit too bulky and would find most of the other treeless brands too bulky too I suspect.

If they don't fit / aren't fitted well they are as bad as a poorly fitted treed saddle.

As a rider I like a lovely close contact French jumping saddle. They don't work for all my horses, and I find the Solutions an incredibly useful tool - especially when you've got one whose weight fluctuates; My connemara fits beatifully in my lovely old Butet when he's properly hunting fit but I do all of his summer and fittening work in one of the Solutions as his back shape changes hugely.

 

[Zuzan]

Might be worth having a word with Franziska at Riding In Balance .. she does quite a few different makes / models including leather tree'd .. She fitted my Hidalgo Venice leather tree especially as you want a twist..

PS re the Solution .. I did try a series of these and wasn't happy with the workmanship or the fact that all the ones I have tried the seat was not aligned over the panels correctly.. In theory they are great sadly their workmanship and customer service is anything but .. oh and their leather quality isn't great either considering the price..

 

[SEL]

I'm currently trialling a solutions saddle and I find it as comfy as any tree'd saddle - just fiddly trying to work out shims etc. The pony is difficult to fit (forward girth groove, no shoulders, wide and has had 2 foals with a belly that looks like its carrying #3) and has hated every tree'd saddle we've tried and they've all ended up causing sore patches. I started riding her in a bareback pad and she was a lot better, but I wasn't very stable because everything rolled. The Solutions doesn't roll, feels stable, she moves well but I just need to work on getting it correctly positioned.

 

[ElleSkywalkingintheair]

I have all 3 in various different solutions saddles now, one in a new eventer saddle, one in a 2014 dressage and one in an ansur. All 3 go very well in them and unless they get problems I can't see me going back to tree'd saddles anytime soon. They look and feel very traditional and have a sort of leather tree so I guess that's why they don't get stirrup pressure points

 

[PapaverFollis]

I have Heather Moffet Vogues, have used them on several horses for a long time, have never felt perched away from the horse's back (the memory foam can feel odd until it warms up and the stirrup bar position does feel weird at first) and have never had a horse with a sore back. We have had physios out regularly and they have never find soreness in the saddle area.

For some reason I can't fathom I can't get it sitting right on MrT though so my faith is a little shaken at present.

If I was shopping now I would try Solutions and would try Heather Moffet Flexee. I think HM saddles and Solution saddles have been found to have managed to prevent the stirrup bar pressure issue?? I haven't got a link and may have imagined it but I'm sure someone did some pressure pad testing?

If you find a saddle the horse likes but you feel you need more of a twist than it has one option is to use a HM "hip saver".

 

[Tarragon]

I have a foot in both camps.
I have a lovely worn-in Barefoot Cherokee saddle that I have had from new and it is always my go-to saddle when I am first introducing a horse to a saddle or need a temporary saddle as other saddle is not available. A very useful bit of kit to have.
BUT
I have seen the issue regarding pressure points first hand. I once rode my pony in that saddle on a fast hunt ride the day after he was fully clipped and white pressure marks appeared on his sides in line with the stirrup leathers almost overnight. I was horrified! They disappeared with the next change of coat. However, I think it was because I spent nearly all the 4 hours in trot and he was freshly clipped. I had done the whole of the Mary Towneley Loop on the same saddle and same pony and had no problems.
So, use with caution I think.

Edited to add that I was using Grandeur pads specifically designed for treeless saddles as you need that spine clearance

What do people mean by "twist"?

 

[saddlesore]

I have a solutions saddle and it feels normal to ride in ?

 

[MuddyMonster]

I love my ghost saddle, it certainly has a narrow twist and feels very much like a regular saddle in that respect.

 

[cauda equina]

I have a solutions saddle and it feels normal to ride in ?

Me too

 

[PapaverFollis]

The twist is the width of the saddle you get between your upper thighs basically. In treeless saddles it can be a bit wide and flat due to their soft nature, they don't offer as much support in the twist.

 

[TheHairyOne]

Ive ridden in a newer model HM dressage saddle and hated it. Felt about 8 foot above the horse and impossible to sit comfortably on it. My sister got rid of that after it also made the horse sore and now has a strada which is lovely for all concerned.

Would like to try a solutions smart myself but the price makea me wince!

 

[planete]

I did like my Barefoot saddle years ago before the introduction of the VIP system. The saddle moulded to the horse and to the rider and never caused us any problems. I briefly had a new model a few months ago and it sat high on top of the pony and felt like a plank. I bought a HM Flexee VSD next as being the only treeless available in a short enough version for the pony's back. It was checked by two HM saddle fitters but the pony really hated it and I gave up trying to ride in it as I felt both perched and tipped forward. Woody is a typical wide and short-backed small cob and it really did not work for us. We are now using a Total Contact saddle as a temporary solution while waiting for a new treed saddle to be made. I am very aware of the possible problems with this set-up but so far the pony's back is muscling up and he is happy to be saddled, girthed up and ridden and I am comfortable.

 

[Labaire]

Have had a Ghost for 12 months, love it. Before then various Barefoots which were not as nice.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I've tried most of the Barefoot range including the Lexington which had a ridiculously high cantle, i.e. 6" of the dang thing! Obviously better suited to a WB type. Have ridden in Barefoots on a Welsh D mare but not good for my chunky cob (profile pic).

Currently riding in a Torsion and liking it. Didn't think I would, but I am. It's on loan from a friend and I'm looking at E-bay to see if one similar comes up. Have done some fair distances in it too and at all paces.

Previously have ridden in the TreeFree range (look on Better Saddles website where you can trial them). Had their Exmoor saddle - nice little saddle! Wish I'd never sold it. Currently have one of their newer Tor Ryder saddles; the most comfy saddle I've ever sat on but a little too large for my current mount unfortunately.

Heather Moffett?? My first-ever treeless ride was on the Vogue and the Phoenix. Hated both! Couldn't walk for days afterwards and only did a 10 min rid. JEEE-zusss! Never again. Also tried the EE saddle; even after a professional fitting couldn't ever say I liked the fit of it; tried it on the two horses I had then and you'd leave the yard with one fit, go 10 mins up the road, and end up with a different-fitting saddle entirely! Hated it with a vengeance.

Have a Total Contact Saddle which I bought as a stop-gap. Tried it, and it irritated my "lady bits". Still in the tack room, might try it with the Christ Lamfelle pad which I've got which I've see people using it with on various sites, and see how that goes.

 

[alibali]

I've avoided treeless for years due to concerns over stirrup pressure points but after a series of loan horses arrived fat with fitted tree saddles then lost weight and changed shape I decided I needed something a bit more flexible than changeable gullet saddles so bought a Ghost treeless.

I've managed to fit it to 3 different horses so far from a 14.3 cob to a 16.2 warmblood. Everything has gone well in it and so far no sign of pressure points though I'll continue to check obsessively!

It took a little while to get used to the position it put me in and the reduced support and increased feeling it gives but it has a narrow twist and is comfortable. Now I'm used to it I feel perfectly secure in it though I use a breast plate for the warmblood as she is very athletic and feeling very well in herself and while I felt secure in the saddle when she got a bit jolly I was concerned the saddle was going to slip a bit. The breastplate solved that though.

 

[Nudibranch]

Over the years I've had a couple of Torsions, a couple of Libras and have settled on the HM Flexee. It has a leather tree rather than treeless and the newer models have changeable gullet plates but I've mostly used them without, as per the old style.
Horses seem to go well in them, I find them really, really comfortable. They do "bed in" during a ride and you need to keep an eye on the girth tightness as a result but still my saddle of choice. Feel very like treed but more comfortable to me.

 

[Hallo2012]

I'm not really sure which one she has. Looking at the website, maybe Tiamo or Tequiro? It's a Western saddle looking thing.

ok so mine was the Tudor which has a flexible leather tree and it was lovely really secure and comfy and i am very slim and cant sit in wide saddles.

solutions are also nice.

 

[Melandmary]

I am also a fan of the old style pregulleted flexee. I think the newer style vogues and foenix do looked too cushioned and I have never fancied trying one. My mare has never suffered back problems and I find it very comfy. They do stretch over time and I am about ready for another. I have considered solutions saddles but the prices are eye-watering when I can get the flexee for 300 quid

 

[maya2008]

Free form (proper ones not copies) have a twist. Really really good on a flat backed native and fine with withers. So good that mine is sitting unused in my living room with the vain hope that when downhill pony stops growing it will fit again. Should sell it but haven’t managed to persuade myself to even take pics for eBay!!

 

[GoldenWillow]

I think like everything to do with horses some types work brilliantly for some horses and not for others. I've tried quite a lot over the years on three different horses as I like the concept very much but have never found one that works especially long term.

The stand out one for me is Heather Moffatt vogue for rider comfort if you can allow warm up time in the winter, seconded by some Solution models and I do think these are two of the best for the horses but they will not work for every horse.

 

[Kat]

I have solution saddles and really love them. They are so much more comfortable than many treed saddles. They look normal too.

They are easy to balance once you have been shown how and they have fitters who can help you get them right.

I have done everything in mine, hunting, jumping, pleasure rides, dressage, showing the works.