Proud owner of a solution saddle! And WOW what a difference!!!

Kokopelli

Kokopelli

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I have been saving and scrimping for so long and finally had enough money to start looking for a second hand one and after about a week of searching one came up in the exact size, colour and model I wanted (seems too good to be true.)

I rode both Andy and Louie in it and the difference in them both was huge! Louie stood like a rock for me to tack up and once I was on didn't do any silly bucks going into canter and had a lot more confidence to use his shoulders. I've also been having a bit of a speed issue with him, I'm constantly asking to slow down but in the new saddle he was going at a good speed which meant I could concentrate on other things.

The most amazing thing was the difference in Andy. For those who don't know I've had Andy 2 years as an ex pony racer so his way of going has been super fast with his ears shoved up your nose. I was determined to get him going nicely without using and gadgets and slowly we've been getting there but I've been having major issues with fitting a saddle to him because he's got awful muscle atrophy and a slight sway back and he's constantly changing shape so a saddle might fit then 2 weeks later it doesn't.

He was then put on loan where he was starved :( so about 2 months ago I got him back put some weight back on him and have been hacking ever since so these are from his first time schooling for about 6 months.

This is why the solution is so perfect for him and I really am chuffed to pieces with it, here's some pictures:

A photo to show how awful his back is
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And he started off trying to tuck his head between his legs (suppose it's better then him head butting my face)
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Then he got better:
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Ooh, he looks fab! I'm interested in this as I've had a barefoot saddle for three years and being a bit cheap (but not that cheap!) it's started to show its age a bit. I was considering getting an Albion dressage to replace it (as I love my Albion sj saddle) and hadn't though about getting a more traditional looking treeless.

How does the sizing work with solutions, and if you don't mind me asking,how much did you pay, as I know they're pricey brand new :)
 
Thank you both and thanks for all the advice rowreach, yoga pads work brilliantly :) I'm so mega chuffed with it, when you hear everyone say how different their horse is etc etc you just think yeah yeah everyone says that but both my boys loved it and just little things made me realise how comfortable they both are now. Might start saving for a jump saddle :D

You basically get the size to fit you rather than your horse, I personally love small saddles and being 5ft I feel like I'm swimming in anything 17" and above. Size 3 is the smallest and the website says its a equivalent to traditional 17" but I would say mine is more of a 16".

I got a freestyle relatively new in brilliant condition which is £1750 new for £850 which I think is a bargain but if you keep half an eye on ebay lots come up on there for a reasonable price. It's worth getting an advisor out or speaking to one before purchasing (Rowreach has been brilliant for advice) as not all the models will suit every horse.

I would definitely look into it though I'm so chuffed with it, best money I have spent since buying Andy :D
 
Beans2000 said:
Do they leave enough wither clearance?
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The original models (not the Energist) like the Freestyle are gulleted for stability, but there is no wither clearance. The newer SMART models are more traditional looking and don't need so many balance pads, but they do not clear the withers in the way that a treed saddle does.

Re the sizing, a 3 equates to a 16.5", a 4 to a 17", a 5 to a 17.5" etc etc. A 5'5" - 7" average sized person normally feels happy in a 4, but a lot depends on the length of your thigh (and the size of your bottom :o) There are different sizes and styles of knee block too, so you can alter the feel and snugness of the saddles to suit.

There's lots of info on the website under the Why go Treeless section www.solution-saddles.co.uk
 
Very pleased to read this as have just today booked in a fitting for my girl who's about to come back into work after a long break having a load of back / muscle problems sorted. Excited!
 
Thanks Flame its taken a long time to get to this stage but is well worth it now :)
As rowreach says you don't need it like you do with a normal treed saddle, Andy is fine in it and he has huge withers.

Good luck philamena, let us know how you get on, hope you're as pleased as I am. :D
 
Glad it's been such a success for you! I don't know anything about treeless saddles and it might just be the photos but I was curious because to me it looks like your weight is very far back and over a weaker part of his back rather than the strongest part... Is this just the photos, am I just going nuts (!) or is it something to do with the saddle being treeless??
 
I finally have a fitter coming out this Sunday - last cancelled cos of weather! I haven't been riding Sky at all due to lack of saddle, and it is too wet to lunge, so hope she behaves! Interesting to see you like it so much.

Squeak is right, you do seem a long way back, but I don't think to do with your riding, more likely where Andy's back is putting the saddle? Rowreach, any thoughts? There has been an interesting article published recently on pressure point in tree less in comparison to treed, so an interesting point.
 
Kokopelli said:
Probably just my rubbish riding squeak :p if you look on the solution website you'll see photos of really decent horses and riders :)
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Really sorry didn't mean for it to sound like a criticism of your riding! It was more as Pootleperkin said about where the saddle is put by Andy's back :)
 
It's okay I tend to sit too far back and have an arm chair position so really hope this saddle helps stop that. I may have placed it too far back so will double check next time I ride
 
I'd say with Andy's conformation it would be difficult at the moment for the saddle to go anywhere else, but I always use a breastplate with mine, and especially if I'm fitting a horse with extreme lordosis. It might be necessary for you to use a bit more padding for the first few weeks with him to lift the saddle up a bit more and keep it forward - the problem with this is that it can affect stability but it's only a temporary measure until he starts to develop muscle and topline. If you fit too many front and rear shims you end up with bridging, so you are best to use a "through shim" (one the same size and shape as the long bit in the DS pad) plus extra rear shims to give you bum support. Adding more behind won't tip you forward, it'll help you sit up more and get your lower leg under you :)
 
I spent about 2 hours last night looking at their website after reading your post and the more I think about it the more I am sure my saddle is causing schooling problems with my pony. So I rode him bareback tonight and what a difference! He was swinging so much through his back and really stretching down. He is a welsh d and difficult to fit a saddle to, he is short backed too so I have to ride in a 15 1/2 as its the only thing thats fits him and it just about contains my backside although I really do need a 16" +!. His is schooling is SO inconsistent, he finds it pretty much impossible to do long and low and will rush on his forehand with his head in the air. There are moments of brilliant schooling with him but I honestly think now that it requires so much effort and he is restricted because of the saddle that he can only give me a few moments before he goes back to being hollow - I cannot wait to book an appointment now and I really hope this will help us :)
 
Good luck, he sounds very similar to.Andy we used to get occasional good moments but the majority was rubbish the saddle has really changed him. Nt sharer also agreed when riding him today.
 
Glad you're sorted. I'm a Solution Saddle user too- my horse was another who simply would not go in a treed saddle, any treed saddle regardless of who fitted it or how well it fitted. Bareback he was a different pony.

My collection has since been increasing - I've now got three and wouldn't be without them!
 
This is an interesting article looking at some work done by Hilary Clayton on treed versus treeless called 'the kinder, gentler saddle, asking if treeless were better for backs - the article was pointed out to me by my saddler (who is not against treeless, just has some reservations on their use in the long term, due mostly to the findings in this work).

I had a copy of the article printed in the US dressage connection magazine, but this link covers it : http://barnmice.com/profiles/blogs/saddle-fit-and-treeless-vs-conventional-saddles-back-pressure

I'm still keen to try them, particularly as the study looks at the saddles without padding, which doesn't seem to happen in practice and also, as they said, it would be interesting to compare treeless to badly fitted treed saddles or for those horses where treed seems impossible. I'll keep in mind what it says about pressure distribution though, certainly for the longer term which is when it is more likely to have an effect. Also, it makes me wonder how suitable they would be for my heavier husband to ride in?
 
Pootleperkin - your comments about long term use of treeless is what I had worried about too. Before I got my RP saddle, I was seriously considering going treeless and was all geared up to try Solutions - I still think they look like a fab idea. However, after asking lots of questions, doing some research, speaking to my physio, and what not - I decided in the end to not go down that route because there was too much anectdotal evidence to suggest that they were very good for short term but long term there *might* crop up new issues. It is not to suggest that is ALL users of treeless saddles have problems start -- but at the price they are new, and that they don't seem to hold much resaleable value should it need to be sold -- I tried the RP which is another alternative saddling method.

I spent a small fortune on a new RP - however I was given a RP to trial for months (I paid for the first month, but had it for more like 3 before I had to make a decision), and then was offered a second hand one for significantly less but chose to get exactly what I wanted in the RP and ordered a new one.

I think when you have a horse that has a strange shaped back, or is too short for the size saddle which you require, it makes sense to try something alternative. I cannot believe the difference it's made to my boy.
 
Well if it helps I have ridden in nothing but Solution saddles for the past 7 years. Several of my horses have never been ridden in treed saddles. The ones who were ridden in treed before I changed have all benefitted from the change, have improved musculature and a far better way of going both on the flat and over fences. I have far fewer back issues than I did before, and most of my physio visits are routine (because the horses are having to carry a human) or due to trauma (fall or whatever) or long term damage by ill fitting treed saddles (eg an elderly jumping pony).

One thing I've definitely noticed is that people learn to sit and ride better in treeless, partly I think because the feel of the horse is vastly improved, and partly because you can tweak the saddle padding to get the perfect fit for the rider, so the saddle helps rather than hinders the rider's position.

I am wary of the trials comparing treed to treeless, not least because they usually don't involve anyone from the treeless companies to actually fit and advise on the saddles - hence they don't really know what they are doing (like using the saddles without balance pads).
 
Rowreach said:
Well if it helps I have ridden in nothing but Solution saddles for the past 7 years. Several of my horses have never been ridden in treed saddles.
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That is good to know. I still think the theory behind them is good. I think for me if it weren 't for the fact that several of the people I queried had been using treeless for a while and then about a year down the road found they had new issues, I might have been the happy owner of a SS dressage saddle.
 
Rowreach said:
I am wary of the trials comparing treed to treeless, not least because they usually don't involve anyone from the treeless companies to actually fit and advise on the saddles - hence they don't really know what they are doing (like using the saddles without balance pads).
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Re: the above Rowreach, I would agree with your comment above in general - getting an unpartisan piece of research done can be difficult. However in Hilary Clayton's case, she has quite a lot to do with the Saddle Research Trust, who I believe set up Solutions and she came and lectured at their Trust day this year. In fact, I think the Solutions fitter I am about to use said they commissioned the study. I think in the first instance, they didn't use a pad as they just wanted to do a baseline study on like for like, both treed and untreed withour padding. They say this will be their next, logical step. I wish they would get on with it - compared with my research, it's not a difficult study to do!!

It is really interesting to know you have gone for 7 years in them happily though. All sounds good. Are any of yours like my mare - a big, wide warmblood? I can't remember if you have said before... :)
 
Pucci - what is the score with the Reactor Panel saddles? I don't know much about them, just they are treed, but have a more 'elastic' way of the panels fitting to the tree? I'm guessing they are good for young horses as they should be able to change shape?

I feel a bit overwhelmed about what to do - if I like a solution at the weekend, I'm going to rent it for a bit, but obviously it isn't the best time of year to be trying it, what with just having a very muddy field to school in (i.e. won't be schooling). Old saddler has said she can get her hands on a WOW and maybe some wider Black Country trees, but I'm just wondering if I should be going down the route of getting specific company reps to come out. All costs so much dosh though....but I know, far less than getting the wrong saddle, again!
 
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Squeak said:
Glad it's been such a success for you! I don't know anything about treeless saddles and it might just be the photos but I was curious because to me it looks like your weight is very far back and over a weaker part of his back rather than the strongest part... Is this just the photos, am I just going nuts (!) or is it something to do with the saddle being treeless??
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I was just thinking how nice it is to see a saddle back behind a horses shoulder and not round it's neck like a scarf!
Glad it's working, it's amazing the difference the right saddle can make.
 
I also think it looks far back because Andy has a massive dip in front of his wither which makes his neck look a lot shorter than it is... Not for long though if he keeps working like that ;), I love the first pciture his head is rather low but he is really stretching those back muscles and rounding, what a relief for him!
 
pootleperkin said:
what is the score with the Reactor Panel saddles?
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This is the UK information about them.

http://www.reactorpanelsaddles.com/#

I wouldn't go so far as to recommend one yet because I've only had it a few days, but my horse goes very happily in it, its lovely to ride on and the quality is very good. They are an option everyone should be aware of, along with other flexible panel saddles.
 
pootleperkin said:
Re: the above Rowreach, I would agree with your comment above in general - getting an unpartisan piece of research done can be difficult. However in Hilary Clayton's case, she has quite a lot to do with the Saddle Research Trust, who I believe set up Solutions and she came and lectured at their Trust day this year. In fact, I think the Solutions fitter I am about to use said they commissioned the study. I think in the first instance, they didn't use a pad as they just wanted to do a baseline study on like for like, both treed and untreed withour padding. They say this will be their next, logical step. I wish they would get on with it - compared with my research, it's not a difficult study to do!!

It is really interesting to know you have gone for 7 years in them happily though. All sounds good. Are any of yours like my mare - a big, wide warmblood? I can't remember if you have said before... :)
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Yes sorry I was in rather a rush when I posted this morning :o - I was really referring to the SMS "study" which rather unsurprisingly decided that treeless saddles were the work of the devil ;). You are right, the SRT was set up by the MD of Solution saddles and afaik their research kinda goes hand in hand with their R&D and production.

I don't have big wide warmbloods no, but currently have everything from a skinny 14.2 through a TB type sporthorse through a couple of average drafts to a maxi cob, all in treeless. In the past we've had the range of ponies from 11.2 upwards in treeless as well. My kids have lovely seats :D
 
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