Saddles *grumble* treeless, reactor panel, and free 'n' easy, oh my!

Caol Ila

Caol Ila

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It's looking less and less likely that someone in this country can repair my poor old Orthoflex, unless my husband can manage a DIY job of some sort. I'm not very happy about this, but I am casting my gaze around the net to see what's available. And what I can afford, which unfortunately is far less than I paid for the Orthoflex.

The two paneled saddles available here appear to be Free'n'easy and Reactor Panel. Does anyone know anything about them, use them, etc.? This is in one sense a "safe" option since I know saddles with a panel system work for my horse. However, there do not appear to be that many second hand ones for sale and new ones are totally out of my budget.

The other option are these treeless things. They look like a good idea on paper (or screen, rather) and they seem to be easy to find, used or new, and they're not as stupidly expensive as the paneled saddles. There seem to be a lot of different types and brands. Some are even going on ebay for like £50, but I don't think I'd trust a £50 saddle! They are kind of an unknown quantity. I've never seen one, don't know how they work, and don't know how my horse would like one. I don't suppose there is anyone around South Lanarkshire who has one to try or look at, so if I do this, I'm not going into it blind.
 
My friend (the one with the nice coloured cob) has a barefoot treeless and is always telling me to pop it on Deano and have a shot. I could ask her to bring it up and you can try it with Deans if you fancy?
 
From personal experience I'd stay very well clear of free n easy. Lady I crewed for got one (professionally fitted) & had no end of problems. She started falling off reguarly (saddle didn't fit her), & all year her (previously very consistant & regular ER) horse had serious back issues which she couldn't get to bottom of. Changed to a dressage saddle & they soon disappeared. She had thought her horse had major problems & virtually retired him with the fne, now in the dressage he's done the 40/40 successfully at GHS & is doing ER's again. To memory since going to the new saddle she's passed every ride.

If you look fne reguarly come up for sale & are difficult to shift (friend sold hers back to 'saddler' at huge loss). Some horses will suit them (always something that suits a type of saddle), but I wouldn't touch one with a barge pole as I've seen the damage a badly fitted one (by the professional fne saddler) can do.

Lots of alternatives on market, podium (treeless), australian stock saddles, arabian saddle company, pathfinder (absolutely wonderful saddle to sit on), native pony saddle company, saintwestwell saddlery do saddles are few examples. If you are anywhere near Exmoor there is usually a couple of saddle stalls in the main tent at Goldenhorseshoe (google it to find the ride website for location/dates).
 
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There are sometimes quite a few second hand free n easys on the EGB classified page. Very few Reactor Panels though.

I bought a Reactor Panel last year. I love riding on it and my horse goes very freely in it. The only downsides I've found so far are the price (more for the accessories than the actual saddle, which justifies an expensive price tag IYSWIM) and loin rubs, which I'm hoping adjustment will improve.
 
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There are sometimes quite a few second hand free n easys on the EGB classified page. Very few Reactor Panels though.

Says it all! Few Podiums come up either.
 
A friend had a F n E and I couldn't even lift the damned thing. God knows how much it weighed, but I'd never put that on a horse's back :eek:

I ride in a Barefoot and absolutely adore it.
 
@Shysmum, you should try lifting my Orthoflex. Weighs as much as an Western saddle I think. I saw in some earlier thread you recommended the Barefoot. I looked at their website and their dressage saddles look pretty neat.

@Emilieu, yeah, looking at it on Deano would be better than nothing. Would love to be able to try one on Gypsum, though, just to see how she is in it. Her back is quite a different shape.

@pip6, Aughhhh!!! Too many choices!

@s4sugar, I emailed them and haven't yet heard back.

@Flame, those Reactor Panel saddles do look nice and shiny but so expensive. There are a couple on Preloved at the moment for like £8-900, but still, kind of a scary investment if I haven't been able to try it on.
 
F&E didn't suit our horse either (the only saddle he's ever violently turned his nose at up at as he's normally quite easy to fit) but luckily we found someone to sell it to whose horse it does suit and she loves it. Horses for courses and all that.

Treeless can be excellent or terrible and generally you get what you pay for (pip's comment about how often things come up for resale is a good guide...). We got a dartmoor treefree as a 'second saddle' for those times when the horse is too fat, and ended up loving it and now have another and they're our main saddle. They do have a gullet though, and they also have some clever rigging so the stirrups aren't hung off a single strip.

My 'main' saddle when we were doing long distances was an arabian saddle co Solstice fitted with Flair - it's a lovely saddle and the Flair really worked for H.

Good luck!

ps I think the older Reactorpanels are meant to be the better ones but they really are like hens' teeth
 
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Caol Ila said:
It's looking less and less likely that someone in this country can repair my poor old Orthoflex, unless my husband can manage a DIY job of some sort. I'm not very happy about this, but I am casting my gaze around the net to see what's available. And what I can afford, which unfortunately is far less than I paid for the Orthoflex.

The two paneled saddles available here appear to be Free'n'easy and Reactor Panel. Does anyone know anything about them, use them, etc.? This is in one sense a "safe" option since I know saddles with a panel system work for my horse. However, there do not appear to be that many second hand ones for sale and new ones are totally out of my budget.

The other option are these treeless things. They look like a good idea on paper (or screen, rather) and they seem to be easy to find, used or new, and they're not as stupidly expensive as the paneled saddles. There seem to be a lot of different types and brands. Some are even going on ebay for like £50, but I don't think I'd trust a £50 saddle! They are kind of an unknown quantity. I've never seen one, don't know how they work, and don't know how my horse would like one. I don't suppose there is anyone around South Lanarkshire who has one to try or look at, so if I do this, I'm not going into it blind.
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What is wrong with your saddle, have you had any local Saddlers look at it?
Shame you are so far away or I'd have a look at it for you, Oz
 
cremedemonthe said:
What is wrong with your saddle, have you had any local Saddlers look at it?
Shame you are so far away or I'd have a look at it for you, Oz
Click to expand...

I've phoned a couple saddlers and gotten the "Oh, I don't know anything about those" answer.

The panels you can see in the picture below are attached to the saddle via ball joints (I think there are four attachments) and from what I can tell, the mechanism has simply worn out, as the saddle is quite old, and there is too much movement in the panels. They obviously have to move a bit -- that's how the saddle works -- but they are definitely jiggling about far more than they should.

Saddle:
IMAG0125.jpg
 
Caol Ila said:
I've phoned a couple saddlers and gotten the "Oh, I don't know anything about those" answer.

The panels are attached to the saddle via ball joints (I think there are four attachments) and from what I can tell, the mechanism has simply worn out, as the saddle is quite old, and there is too much movement in the panels. They obviously have to move a bit -- that's how the saddle works -- but they are definitely jiggling about far more than they should.
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I see, the main problem then will be getting replacement ball joints, ortho-flex may be able to supply these for saddlers over here to fit, tell your local saddlers stripping down saddles we haven't worked on before is the best way to learn!
I see numerous new saddlery that is a million miles away from the traditional laminated beechwood treed saddles with hand made threads etc that I was trained to make many years ago but I still work on new saddlery, being a saddler is a lifetime learning curve.
Try taking the saddle in to a saddlery shop, once they can see it there right infront of them they may find it's not as hard as they first thought.
Oz
 
Have you tried posting on an endurance website for saddlers close to you (hopefully) with experience in your saddler?

I'd be cautious about letting someone inexperienced look at it. Often these different makes of saddle (as is the case with mine) work differently to standard saddles. You may find it is altered incorrectly. You really need a person who understands how it's meant to work. It would be hard to correct it if you'd never seen one working correctly, only one that was moving incorrectly.
 
What's a good endurance website? That's not an equestrian sport (or community) I know anything about, so wouldn't even know where to start!
 
EstherYoung said:
ps I think the older Reactorpanels are meant to be the better ones but they really are like hens' teeth
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As a former fitter of RP saddles I'd disagree, the newer ones (9-10 years old) have much better trees which fit more horses. The old trees just don't work as well.

Perhaps the change is less to do with the product....anyone looking for info on RP feel free to pm me :)

I think that these http://www.american-saddles.de/englischeversion/americanflex_index_englisch.html have the same mechnism as Orthoflex? Might be worth contacting?

Edited to add - they have a section on that page, lower left hand side, on repairing Orthoflex saddles!
 
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I just have to comment in defense of Free & Easy saddles. As had been said, not every saddle suits every horse, but FnE do suit lots of horses - many top endurance riders use them and their horses are out for hours at speed and have their backs checked rigorously by vets.

FnE was the only thing that worked for my girl when we upped the distance. Everything else - flock, flair, balance, reactor panel etc caused pressure bumps at distances over 60k. With the FnE we successfully completed at 160k. A lot of big distance endurance riders swear by their FnE.

Obviously no saddle is right for every horse and every saddle will have someone who has had a nightmare experience with it.
 
I've used Barefoot for a long time, and all my horses go well in it, but I had to find a saddle to go eventing in.I found a secondhand RP on Ebay with spare numnahs and a very good girth and bought it for £650. The leather quality is excellent, and its very comfortable to ride in, but it is very heavy. I'm lucky to have a retired RP fitter locally who still has all the shims. He was the one that mentioned how much freer horses went in RPs while he was fitting a standard saddle to one of mine. I'm certainly happy with my RP, I'm not sure how much difference its made to my mare's movement. However, she was getting muscle wastage behind her left shoulder blade with a properly fitted treed saddle, and that has now gone.
 
I didn't get on with my freemax jump at all which at 600 quid was a total waste of money. I have a cheapy one off ebay but mine came from equine wholesaler. He's lovely to deal with and the saddle has impressed my saddler and my physio. He does one called a jumping saddle which is more on the gp side of things than endurance. I can't recommend him highly enough if you're on a budget.
 
I love love love my free n easy. I went through endless saddles trying to fit my short, flat backed Arab and had perpetual back problems. Free n easy solved them completely, and we rode up to 100k in ours. It was stolen last year and I luckily found a second hand replacement, which we love as much as the original. I disagree with other posters, they do not frequently come up second hand in my experience, the only place I ever see them is on egb, very rarely. Amongst the endurance community i would say they are the most frequently used non traditional saddle. Les sparks is the guy that has designed the saddle and runs tbe business - if you are keen kn a panel saddle, drop him a note or give him a ring to see how they compare to reactor panel.

If going treeless you will need to spend c£500 to get something well made and stable, but a lot depends on conformation of your horse and the work you do as to whether treeless will suit. We have tried a number over the years, but never found one that worked for us.
 
I was looking at my horse today and wondering if that Orthoflex has been causing muscle wastage behind her should blades. The big shoulder muscles just below the withers are quite prominent. Hard to know when you see the horse every day and have done for years, but I always assumed that was just her. Maybe not. The saddle has been slipping back so the panel ends up behind the shoulder blade, a thing that's been getting worse recently. The horse isn't sore or grumpy in any way.

Argh.
 
I bought a new RP saddle last year and they are so comfy for both me and horse (judging by how he no longer bucks and moves better in it). The only downside I feel is that they weigh a ton. They sort of remind me of a western saddle!

Finding a second hand one might prove to be very difficult but sometimes one of their saddlers will have one kicking about or might know of a customer looking ot upgrade? If you PM me I could put you in touch. Also I doubt very much that any old saddler will be able to fit/service them properly so you will need a RP fitter.

I was "warned off" RPs but I went with my instinct having spoken to the saddlers and have been rewarded with fantastic service from the saddler, the saddle is absolutely beautiful and the horse's back and demeanor have changed since using his. My equine physio is much happier with his back (he had some areas of atrophy which have since gone away). It was worth spending the money on it.
 
I have an early model RP saddle which I've had for about 15 years now. I love it and it has been great for my pony's back although I do wish it had better knee rolls.
 
I have a Freemax Classic for sale, great for Cobs etc, black leather, only used a few times as now driving! Really light and well made.

I went looking at all the treeless & FnE & RP but some are so heavy!
 
Just noticed there is a reactor panel saddle for sale on the british dressage Facebook page ....
Nothing to do with me just noticed and thought of u - a lady called Leanne Pittam has posted it on there
 
My experience: many happy years with the ortho flex (an old one) and loved it. When it broke I went onto RP. Have had two (again older ones, roe Richardson) and both have been ok, but I find them a bit of a faff to fit and although nicer to look at and lighter never liked as much as the old ortho flex. Was a bit suspicious of fne but bought a new one but second hand cheap on Ebay about two years app and thoroughly impressed. Don't think I would even go back to the ortho flex tbh. takes a bit if getting used to the fitting but I find it easier than the rp, and have been competing in it for two years now, up to 80k with no problems so I can highly recommend it to replace an ortho flex. If you're desperate for an ortho flex though my old one is currently undergoing repair and might be for sale soon. pm me.
 
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