Solution Saddles - your experiences?

ShadowFlame

ShadowFlame

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Good, bad, ugly?

I had a rep out last night and tried riding in the Smart Native GP and the Freestyle Dressage - very impressed with both the saddles and the service. I have a very round cob who is slightly downhill, and saddle stability has always been an issue - with both treed and a HM Fhoenix. Solution : walk, trot, canter, bucks and scary shadows on a loose girth (I could fit my fist between him and the girth) - didn't move an inch. Fab!

My question is that he did throw in a fair few bucks which is unlike him when ridden (though he is a fan of broncing round the field in his spare time) - we've had issues fitting treed saddles and his back reflects that ( :( ). I'm unsure if he has an issue with the saddle or if he's just reacting to his back feeling less restricted? I've taken the Smart on trial to test for a couple of weeks, but I'm interested to hear other experiences? :)
 
I have the Freestyle dressage and I love it and so do both of my horses. They are both warmbloods with big shoulders and movement. The interesting thing with both of them is that they put the saddle back behind their shoulders no matter how far forward you put it but once it is back there it doesn't move. The bigger mare who has quite a prominant wither didn't like the Smart which has a more fixed pommel than the freestyle but loves the freestyle and moves really well in it. It really suits me as well as I find that my bad back is so much better riding in it and if it is really stiff a good hack will really loosen it up and the other thing I have found is that I get much better feedback as to what the horse is doing.

The other good thing about the solution is as you have found is that you can have it on trial for a couple of week to see if it really suits you and your horse and of course that once you have bought it you shouldn't ever need another saddle!
 
You lucky thing! Currently saving like mad for one and haven't even decided which one I want yet. When they come out did they bring loads of different models/ shapes?
 
Pascal96 - did you notice much of a difference in your horses when swapping over to one? My boy was bucking in both the Smart and the Freestyle, but it was more a "woohoo" kind of buck when going into canter, I think? There was no "get it off me" about it, but it is out of character for him.

Kokpelli - The rep asked a load of questions before she came out, then she brought the saddles she thought may be suitable. As it was cold and dark, I only really played with two of them, but it was the two she thought most suited to me, my boy and what we wanted to use it for. Best thing to do is keep an open mind until you ride on one... I was leaning more towards the Freestyle, but ended up trialling the Smart. All personal choice :)
 
I ride in a Smart. I love it, like Pascal, for my own back and the increased feel between horse and rider.
I ride a warmblood and a round little cob in it - both are happy too.
 
I've got the old style gulleted GP Solution saddle. I did a lot of research and asked endless questions via email and telephone to the Solution web site, they were incredibly helpful.
I then bit the bullet and bought a second hand Solution saddle from a Solution rep via ebay.
The horse I had at the time was a VERY round cob with no withers, this saddle suited her very well and I found/find it very comfortable.
We did enurance, dressage, hacking and trec in it.
She was sadly PTS and my new horse is probably medium width with withers, the same saddle fits him equally well.
We are planning on doing the same as my previous horse and maybe a bit of eventing with it.
The saddle has never moved with either horse, but after using a Heather Moffett SBS saddle that moved so much I got sea sick in it :rolleyes: I started using a Flexi Girth and have continued to use it with my Solution saddle.
If anyone lives near me (North Cumbria) I'm happy to let people try my saddle out :)
 
Bucking in a new saddle is usually at least an amber flag to me when I'm out fitting. Proceed with caution! The only time I've ignored bucking is when the rider categorically says that it is a buck for fun type of buck and the horse does it often when feeling good.
 
Sbloom - what kind of saddles do you fit, out of interest? The rep didn't seem worried about it and they weren't nasty bucks, but I'm going to try him again tonight and see what he reckons!
 
Hi, I had a Solution Energist saddle which was v comfortable and which I liked v much. It was very light compared to many other treeless saddles. However, I was forever changing shims and was unsure that my horse felt completely comfortable, therefore I sold it recently. My new saddle was fitted by the Native Pony & Cob Saddle Company, and I think I have done the right thing by my horse, as well as being comfortable myself. I find the whole saddle fitting thing a nightmare. As owners, we are putting our faith and our horses in the hands of saddlers/fitters and spending loads of money. Check that there will be an after sales service, and that they will actually physically come out and see your horse if there is a problem. The try before you buy is good, but ride as much as you can in the Solution before making up your mind.
 
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I have three now. Two Solution GPs so mum and I can hack out together and a new Smart Close contact Dressage Saddle with the Suprabloc system. I'm ver happy with all of them.

I was a huge cynic with treeless saddles, but after trying many treed saddle that all "fitted" and my horse objecting to them all and then breathing a sigh of relief when I rode bareback I decided it was worth a try. Pony was hesitant at first, moved off slowly one step at a time and then noticably relaxed when it didn't bite. My other horse, a four year old, knows no different but is working happilly in it.

They may not suit all horses, but stick with the trial and see how it goes.
 
Thanks for the replies, guys.

Question: If hoss didn't agree with a solution saddle, and after 20mins of riding you swapped back to your old saddle, would you expect the tantrum / behaviour to stop?

I rode coblet again in the Smart today. He was okay, until we hit trot. Head between his knees, bucking, charging, tanking round, throwing his weight all over the place. Calmed him down a bit, but every time we tried trot or canter we had the same result. I assumed he was objecting to the saddle, so I swapped him back to his old saddle and carried on. Same behaviour. Now, if it's the Smart that's the issue, shouldn't he have calmed back down when changed to the saddle he's used to? I'm debating now whether the behaviour is linked to the saddle, or whether that's purely coincidence - he's been stabled at night for the first time this week, so may well be an accumulation of energy? He's used to living out...
 
Well in that case, I'd try riding in the treed saddle first tomorrow and then swap to the Soution and see if you notice a difference in beaviour :)

Is it malicious "naughtiness" or is it high spirits - can you tell? I remember trying a treed saddle with my boy when I first got him, head between knees and he bronced for a full 20m circle - the poor boy has never bucked like that, either before or since. The saddle fitter had the audicity to tell me it fitted and a little flocking would sort it out right out - my trust in saddle fitters started wavering right about then - silly madam. Sometimes he'll have a litle jovial head waggle, but it's normally when he's jumped a big fence well and I reckon it's his equivalent of pumping the air with his fist and congratulating himself. It's done with a spring in his step and is not pain related at all.

My youngster on the other hand, who is not in pain and never has been will sometimes buck if he's told off for ignoring me, or if he's feeling well will have a mess around in the first canter transition. He's not in pain though and they're not malicious. I know I can normaly tell the difference - but I suppose they're all different aren't they.
 
I'm thinking it's high spirits - he's fine in walk, but we seem to skipping out trot and going straight to a rather uncontrolled canter - along with a few boings. Having ridden him in it again this morning (and asking someone to record us, to give me a better idea of what he's doing) it looks like excitement more than anything else, and he was much better today. In fact, as he calms down he looks to be walking really nicely... he's starting to round up a little and bring his head down - which is unheard of for my giraffe-cob!
 
I fell in love with solution saddles about six years ago. The local fitter took one to our yard and fitted the same saddle onto four different horses. First was a 13.2 welshy pony, very wide with no wither and short back, second was a Highland who we could not get a tree'd saddle to sit well on at all as they all slipped, third was a 28 yo ISH who thought he was four but had some muscle wastage and last was my own TB who had a very sensitive back and the biggest wither I have ever seen.
Every single one of them went well in it, I rode the highland all the time for her owner and her saddle constantly slipped to the side, but the solutions didn't. As for my own horse, he had a very flashy natural extension as it was, but with the solutions he just felt WOW! he loved it and powered round the school.
But at the time I didn't have the spare cash for one and as his own tree'd saddle was a very good fit I couldn't justify the cost.
Forward five years I had lost my boy and was having real problems getting a saddle to fit my girl. A client sent her horse to us for a few months on schooling livery when she was out of action, she uses a solutions energist on her. I took on this mare as one of mine as I really like her. Any way it was then I decided to try the solutions on my own girl...it was a revelation..she loved it.So I bought one and have had it almost a year now.
She had always been nippy when tacking up, ears flat back, and she had a wicked buck and was prone to head tossing after 20mins or so. All that has now stopped.
However not all horses, or riders, like them, I would worry about the bucking and as someone else said ride in your Tree'd first tomorrow and see how he is before using the treeless. And go on your gut instinct...you know him best x
 
One of the issues I have with the SMART is that it's trying to be too much like a traditional saddle, and imo it has lost many of the benefits that the original Solution saddles had. I'd be interested to know if you experienced the same behaviour from your horse if you tried an original (Energist/Freestyle/GP or Jumper) as opposed to the SMART. I have never had a horse react like that in treeless.

I've been using Solution saddles on ALL my horses and the schoolers and backers that come through the yard, for the past 7 years. I wouldn't change any of my saddles for a SMART personally.
 
Thats interesting you should say that Rowreach. I tried the energist on my horse first as that was the one we had at the yard. Then when the fitter came up I tried the smart, my girl went much better in the smart. But my friends horse turned himself inside out in the smart, but loves the energist. So you might have a point and the OP's horse just might not like the smart.
 
Sorry didn't get back to see your question re change of behaviour with change of saddle. I got the saddle for my bigger warmblood mare who was saying very plainly that she didn't like her treed saddle. She was refusing to go forward and threatening to rear if I pushed her too hard. With the freestyle this behaviour disappeared completely and she immediately started to go freely forwards. I was interested to note that someone else doesn't like the Smart as this didn't suit my mare at all and she reverted to her old ways of refusing to go forward and threatening to rear. We put it down to the fact that the smart's pommel is much more solid and fixed than the freestyle and she has quite a prominant wither. Once back in a freestyle she was fine and I then tried it on my other mare who goes equally well in it.
 
Have ridden in the jump/ gp and hated it! was on a tb and felt miles off his back as he had to have a fair bit of padding. Also gave me a really bad back when just on a 20min hack! now idea why....
 
Goldenstar said:
Could you lunge him first to morrow to get rid of excess energy then try again treed first then treeless perhaps.
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Rather than lunging, I rode him this morning in the Smart, turned him out for 9hrs, then brought him in and rode again. Both times ridden he was better than yesterday, no bucking but still a few boings - the problem seems to be him rushing off instead? He's fine in walk, stretches down really well and is really relaxed, however when we start trot he'll be fine for a moment, then start charging round and trying to break into canter. Once he's in canter, he's hard to pull up. He's fairly strong anyway, but it's not like him to charge off like that - but as I said, I'm still unsure whether it's due to the saddle or field / stable / etc factors (a few other people on the yard have commented that their horses have turned loopy this week...). I'll try the treed first tomorrow.

Rowreach said:
I'd be interested to know if you experienced the same behaviour from your horse if you tried an original (Energist/Freestyle/GP or Jumper) as opposed to the SMART. I have never had a horse react like that in treeless.
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While the rep was there, we rode in both the Smart and a Freestyle Dressage. The behaviour was the same with both - bucking at trot and canter as well as charging off. I'm a little confused as to what to do now - when he goes well in the Smart, he goes really well. However I'm not convinced about this behaviour change?
 
Pascal96 said:
Sorry didn't get back to see your question re change of behaviour with change of saddle. I got the saddle for my bigger warmblood mare who was saying very plainly that she didn't like her treed saddle. She was refusing to go forward and threatening to rear if I pushed her too hard. With the freestyle this behaviour disappeared completely and she immediately started to go freely forwards. I was interested to note that someone else doesn't like the Smart as this didn't suit my mare at all and she reverted to her old ways of refusing to go forward and threatening to rear. We put it down to the fact that the smart's pommel is much more solid and fixed than the freestyle and she has quite a prominant wither. Once back in a freestyle she was fine and I then tried it on my other mare who goes equally well in it.
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This is the problem, the original models are totally flexible and move with the horse. The SMART has to be more rigid in its form and is imo less comfortable for the rider and so probably less comfortable for the horse! Since riding in the original saddles I've had next to no lower back problems myself - ten minutes riding in a SMART and I have to get off :( so they must feel different for the horses as well.
 
ShadowFlame said:
While the rep was there, we rode in both the Smart and a Freestyle Dressage. The behaviour was the same with both - bucking at trot and canter as well as charging off. I'm a little confused as to what to do now - when he goes well in the Smart, he goes really well. However I'm not convinced about this behaviour change?
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In that case I'd do what you are planning and ride in the usual treed saddle tomorrow and see if he is just feeling generally well before trying the treeless! It may be that the colder weather is just making him a bit livelier, plus the feeling of freedom through his shoulder and back :)
 
Rowreach said:
This is the problem, the original models are totally flexible and move with the horse. The SMART has to be more rigid in its form and is imo less comfortable for the rider and so probably less comfortable for the horse! Since riding in the original saddles I've had next to no lower back problems myself - ten minutes riding in a SMART and I have to get off :( so they must feel different for the horses as well.
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Fair enough, I understand that the two models are different, but his behaviour was the same in both?
 
Sorry I posted that before I saw your earlier reply. If he reacts that way in both the Freestyle and the SMART then I would say it is very unlikely that the behaviour is due to the saddles. I've never had one react badly to the original saddles (quite the opposite in fact) so I'd say it's much more likely to be other factors (change in temperature, being stabled more etc), and it'll be interesting to see if he does it today in his treed saddle.

If it was a physical thing then I would have expected him to have been doing it before you tried treeless :)
 
Thanks Rowreach, that's put my mind at rest a little. I just don't want to shell out so much money when I'm not entirely sure he's happy with the saddle?

I've just put some pics up on another thread of the difference in going between the two saddles - he does look a lot better in the Solution, and he hacked out in it perfectly today (just at walk).
 
I've looked at your pics and have to say he looks a whole load happier in the treeless. I should have clarified the above to say that I've never had an adverse reaction from a horse to treeless, but I have definitely had horses that revel in the new found freedom of their shoulders :) Personally I would just continue with the trial for a few weeks before committing to buy - it's a big expenditure to get wrong and worth the trial fee to make sure you're getting it right :D
 
Fab, thanks Rowreach :) In fairness I hacked him today and he was more than willing to take the lead the entire way round... again, unusual for him! We'll see how the trial goes, and make a decision then - in terms of revelling in shoulder freedom, did you get a similar kind of reaction?
 
ShadowFlame said:
Fab, thanks Rowreach :) In fairness I hacked him today and he was more than willing to take the lead the entire way round... again, unusual for him! We'll see how the trial goes, and make a decision then - in terms of revelling in shoulder freedom, did you get a similar kind of reaction?
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I've had everything from horses giving a HUGE sigh when they first move forward in treeless, to horses being exceptionally jolly when they find they can swing the shoulder and move their backs freely :) You quite often get the lowered head and "bounces" rather than bucks, and a definite whey hey moment on landing after a fence when you first jump them, because they are not being restricted in the jump or smacked behind the shoulders with the tree points/weight of the rider on landing.

Perhaps you should try a jump next? ;):D:p
 
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