Oh, look, a treeless saddle thread

[sbloom]

They work for some, occasionally I have to refer people I can't help, but always recommend they seek further help. Solutions work well for some, I do worry about the narrow channel and hard panels, and they're a lot of money for the quality.

 

[Caol Ila]

Here’s an unflattering side on shot .

 

[sbloom]

Definitely putting you into a chair seat, there are many possible reasons for this depending on the saddle, your pelvic and hip shape and the shape of the horse's ribcage.

 

[Caol Ila]

Yeah, I felt like I couldn’t get into the right position and stay there.

 

[Zuzan]

This chair position is an interesting one.. I have a more conventional GP which did this .. until I did some work on my thigh muscles to lengthen them (they had become very contracted and tight and still are too contracted for my own liking .. a work in progress) .. I now can sit in a much more balanced way all because I am better at finding a neutral pelvis and have longer thigh muscles allowing my knee to drop and therefore my heels come under my hips and I am better balanced.. the GP was built with stirrup bars a bit further forward for jumping .. it's almost as forward cut as a jump saddle in this respect.

 

[Caol Ila]

Yeah, the chair position has been an ongoing problem with me since....who knows. I'm really tight through my hip flexors. With the Ghost saddle, I have to fight my own body to get my leg in the correct postion, which creates tension, and I can feel that in the horse. Had the same problem in the Sorenta, to be fair, but Gypsum was happy with the fit, and it was free so I just lived with it.

When I was riding in the TreeFree, I said to my friend, a very fine dressage rider with a great eye (and a BHSAI), "This feels a bit weird."

She said, "That's the best I've ever seen your leg look."

The horse did feel straighter and looser through his back -- I don't know if that's down to the saddle itself or it putting me into a better position that allowed him to move more freely and evenly.

 

[sbloom]

The horse did feel straighter and looser through his back -- I don't know if that's down to the saddle itself or it putting me into a better position that allowed him to move more freely and evenly.

It can be one and the same, or both.

 

[Caol Ila]

My friend snapped a picture of us with the Treefree Exmoor today. The one I’m getting is the Tor, which is a bit more dressagey. She will also make it a bit shorter. This one is our interim saddle.

 

[Caol Ila]

Just to update this thread in case anyone stumbles across it and wants information:

The pony got his Treefree Tor about two weeks ago. So far so good. I wasn't switched on enough to realise that they do not automatically come with front D rings (you can request them; I didn't), but the company sent me some velcro ones, and I also bought ones that hook onto the stirrup bars. Problem solved.

I have not tried every treed and treeless saddle in the world on him, but I like this one better than the other ones I did try. Fran, at Riding in Balance, thought her leather tree ones would have the same problem as Gypsum's saddle. This feels very close contact. Unlike the Barefoot and Edix saddles I've tested, I don't feel like there's a ton of material between myself and the horse.

If anyone is wondering, I didn't go down the traditional treed route because I have had such miserable experiences making them work consistently for Gypsum and Angie. With both those horses, I had far better luck, in the long run, with alternative systems. Fingers crossed this one continues to work for Foinavon!

Kind of a front on view. Not the best, but I haven't got anyone to take a better picture yet.