domane
Well-Known Member
If a rigid saddle tree distributes rider weight evenly, how can a saddle with a flexible tree be any good? Can someone explain the advantages of a flexible tree please?
Saddle trees?
- Thread starter domane
- Start date
Kallibear
Well-Known Member
Depends how 'flexible' it is! Some flexible trees can be bend right in half with no effort because they're made of cheap flimsy materials. Others are made of more expensive, stiffer materials that are much more supportive.
No ridged tree is going to suit the horses back perfectly at all times: their shape changes dramatically even when they just put their head down. Flocking helps even that out but but it's really the 'best we can do' most of the time. The pressure is (hopefully!) spread over a wide enough area for most of time as not to cause pressure points. Any breif change in shape ( e.g putting head down to graze) is transient enough not to cause pain.
A flexible tree will not distribute weight as evenly front to back as a ridged tree but it should be 'enough'. There will always be more pressure under the middle where the weight is concentrated but a good saddle made from decent 'stiff-enough' materials with dissapate that pressure enough so it doesn't cause painful patches. That's why good design (for stirrup bars and girths) and materials is so essential.
The advantages of a flexiable tree: it allows the back to change shape and shift under it unlike a ridged tree'd saddle, without digging in anywhere. It will never be as good at distirubting weight as a perfectly fitted tree'd saddle but eveyone knows how bloody hard it can be to get a tree'd saddle to fit perfectly!!!
No ridged tree is going to suit the horses back perfectly at all times: their shape changes dramatically even when they just put their head down. Flocking helps even that out but but it's really the 'best we can do' most of the time. The pressure is (hopefully!) spread over a wide enough area for most of time as not to cause pressure points. Any breif change in shape ( e.g putting head down to graze) is transient enough not to cause pain.
A flexible tree will not distribute weight as evenly front to back as a ridged tree but it should be 'enough'. There will always be more pressure under the middle where the weight is concentrated but a good saddle made from decent 'stiff-enough' materials with dissapate that pressure enough so it doesn't cause painful patches. That's why good design (for stirrup bars and girths) and materials is so essential.
The advantages of a flexiable tree: it allows the back to change shape and shift under it unlike a ridged tree'd saddle, without digging in anywhere. It will never be as good at distirubting weight as a perfectly fitted tree'd saddle but eveyone knows how bloody hard it can be to get a tree'd saddle to fit perfectly!!!
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sbloom
Well-Known Member
I'm with you OP - I like flexible panel saddles but as a fitter I prefer a traditional spring tree, especially for the wider flatter horses that I specialise in where you need as much stability as possible. I do see certain "flex" saddles that people have bought thinking they're kinder that do not fit at all, so like everything, that flex, even if it IS a good thing for the horse, does not make a given saddle more likely to fit.