Problems caused by treeless saddles

J

Jinny

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I am thinking about purchasing a solution saddle and I have had some negative comments about the close fit of the saddle from my riding instructor whose opinion I value. I am told by the company, my saddle fitter and through the reading I have done that they are supposed to fit much closer. I have had the saddle professionally fitted, it does not slip or move forwards or backwards and I find it comfortable. My horse (low withered short flat backed cob) seems OK with it but I am not sure he would let me know anyway, not until possibly too late.
Has anyone experience of a treeless saddle and in particular a solution saddle causing problems down the track particularly as a result of the close fit or any other issues. Thank you
 
Close fit is not a problem as long as it continues to fit. There are a lot of brains that can't cope with the idea of not having the requisite 3 fingers room. I know several people that use Solution saddles and have done on their horses for years, no issues. BUT they are like any other saddle in that they have to fit.
 
As above. I ride in a Thorn Pad and have done so for about two years with no problems. Never heard a bad report about Solution saddles.
 
I have some friends using Solution Saddles (or their predecessors, Ansur saddles) on their Icelandics, and liking them a lot. I haven't heard anything about problems with fit long-term, other than that you have to be a pretty balanced rider as they can rotate around if you stand heavy into one stirrup (especially on the low-withered, round types). But I'd say that's the case for all types of treeless to some degree. It would also be fair to say that these horses are not typically ridden with lots of weight in the stirrups (as in, prolonged two-point seat or jumping), so maybe the (potential) issue of the weight through the stirrups not being distributed well across the back would not be quite as relevant as for people with different riding styles.

I used to ride in other treeless models myself for a few years, and did have a negative experience with one type that was looking very much like a traditional saddle (had panels and channel over spine). The problem with that model was that it had a solid gullet piece (similar in looks to the exchangeable gullet pieces you can find in Wintecs or Thorowgoods) to keep the front of the saddle arched and off the withers. But because that piece wasn't supported by a tree, the ends of the gullet piece dug in behind the shoulder blade, despite/through a lot of padding. I would now not consider any model with a rigid pommel without proper support underneath it, but as far as I know, Solution saddles don't have that feature.
 
I have used a solution for years now for all riding including hunting and have had no problems. One instructor commented on it, was slightly concerned by how low it was sitting but then realised it was treeless and was not worried. Other instructors have never mentioned it and one also does my horse's back (which is generally fine in the saddle area).
 
I did use a treeless saddle for a while on my low withered , flat backed pony and it was a devil for slipping unless you rode with perfect balance. The last straw with mine was when I leaned down to open a gate and it spun round and I went head first in the mud :D
 
I've used nothing but Solution saddles on a lot of different horses for the past 12 years. I've never had a problem with any of them. However I would say that you need to get a good grasp on how to fit them yourself, because you do need to be able to tweak them as your horse changes shape. It's not rocket science but some people find it difficult to get their heads around it.
 
Rowreach said:
I've used nothing but Solution saddles on a lot of different horses for the past 12 years. I've never had a problem with any of them. However I would say that you need to get a good grasp on how to fit them yourself, because you do need to be able to tweak them as your horse changes shape. It's not rocket science but some people find it difficult to get their heads around it.
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I find that the biggest problem is making sure if you use multiple shims, that they don't slip out of place before you've got the girth done up properly.
 
How well do they clear the spine and the ligaments that run either side of it (I don't know Solution saddles but the treeless ones I saw needed a pad with a gullet to clear the spine area - is that what they were referring to?) What does your back person say?
 
I have a friend with a solution ansur and she loves it. Ive had HM Vogues on mine for 8 years and never had a back problem *touches wood*
 
I had a solution saddle (professionally fitted) and after a month of lite use my horse needed 6 weeks off to recover!

Sold it....

I'd previously used a barefoot saddle without any issues, and have been using a flexee for a few years (which I love).
 
I have an old Ansur (bought just as Solution bought the right to market them) and it has worked well with a few horses. It is a bit of a faff to get all the shims and pads straight. It had a wide gullet.

I also had a dressage one with no gullet, and it was inclined to slip but was no issue.

I bought a newer model with the narrower gullet and it pinched my horse's wither, leaving a lump, first time he wore it. The other horse took an instant dislike so only had it on for 5 minutes. I took it back!
 
I have ridden a variety of horses in them over at least 10 years and have had no issues. The only one that slipped was due to hind limb lameness on a round cob. My current horse has improved immensely in his and his back is "great" according to his physio.
 
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