Treed or treeless (for young horse)?

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sian_x101

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I'm a bit confused about what to buy my boy for his first saddle
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I think a treeless saddle would be better as he's constantly changing shape. But i have only rode in a treed saddle so i have no idea what it feels like riding in a treeless saddle.

I want to eventually buy him a nice treed saddle once he has stopped changing shape so was wanting a (cheaper) saddle not a £1000 one at the minute!

Also he's a shortbacked but wide pony and many of the saddle that i have looked at look like they would be too big for his back
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Could shed a bit of light on the diffence, what i should/ shouldn't look for?
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Thanks in advance
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Treeless saddles give quite a different feeling to the rider so make sure you try before you buy just to make sure you like it.

Buying a cheap treeless may be a false economy and you may cause your horse's back problems.

If you want a treeless go for a good quality treeless properly fitted by treeless saddle fitter (treeless saddles will also need refitting).

If you want a treed saddle there are many makes that offer more adjustable options, e.g. Saddle Co saddles can be widened/made narrower, WOW saddles offer many flexible combinations, etc. Alternatively buy a second hand treed saddle that fits the horse now and re consider in 6 to 12 months time when you may need a new one.

Unfortunately there is no cheap way around fitting a saddle to a horse that is changing shape.
 
I think treeless saddles are like riding on old sofa cushions! Also there is nothing to take the weight off his spine, if he has no muscle there that could hurt.
Its worth getting a saddle properly fitted and just accepting it will need replacing, second hand synthetics are pretty cheap.
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I back and ride all mine in Solution treeless saddles, which aren't cheap but it does mean I am not constantly having to change saddles or having saddle fitting problems with any of my horses. I also find that horses backed in treeless are way easier to do than all the ones I've done over the years in treed saddles.

There is a lot of cobblers talked on here about treeless. All I can say is that whatever you decide, the most important thing is that any saddle you put on your horse fits him properly. The amount of times you see threads on here where people say "any old saddle will do for backing" makes my blood run cold
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If you want specific advice on treeless saddles, feel free to pm me (no hard sell I promise, just factual advice on something I know about
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I bought a barefoot london for my young traditional cob at 3 and rode him in this for 18 months as I knew he was going to change shape every few months (which he did). I then at 4 1/2 bought him a WH saddle for showing and competing (which a year later still fits as I bought one slightly wide and used a good pad). I still use both as the treeless is great for hacking (supreme in comfort stakes) and general schooling, but I prefer the WH for jumping anything more than 1'6.

He happily goes from one to the other. Ditto our old clydesdale and our current one, my treeless fits them all very well and they happily go in both types.

I have backs regularly checked and bought the correct pad for the saddle and pommel for the type of horses I have.

Some people do not like to ride in the treeless. I have one friend who hates it, two people who said they preferred the treed saddle and the rest get on fine with it, especially for hacking out.

Don't for for the very cheap ones, do make sure it fits and it is essential that you get the right pad for the saddle. Finally, make sure you are happy riding in it - you need a good balanced seat as they do show up any flaws - it is a little like riding bareback in feel.
 
A few years ago I was advised by my then saddle fitter never to put a treeless saddle on my 4 yr old - she said there's too much pressure on stirrup bars (I assume area underneath this on horse!).
 
I used a good treeless (treefree Dartmoor) for backing, which does have a spine gullet and does not have bridging the spine single stirrup leather like some of the cheapies.

It worked really well for me. I bought it second hand and then sold it recently (I had transitioned to treed after a few months so she would be used to both - just a Thorowgood cob but she loves that so we stuck with it).

I would respect saddle fitter advice although there is an intrinsic vested interest (like not that many farriers will say barefoot is best!). I think you have to be as careful with treeless as with treed and you should be prepared to pay as much as for a good treed saddle. The advantage is that a good treeless is very easy to sell afterwards.
 
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The amount of times you see threads on here where people say "any old saddle will do for backing" makes my blood run cold
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Me too.

Treed or treeless really is your choice, in the long run, there will not be a lot in cost, as a good treeless is essential, The most important thing though is the comfort of your horse, and yourself, so it really is essential to get advice from a GOOD saddle fitter (not all qualified are good though)
 
Me three. Agree with everything else donklet says too.
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Cheap treeless arent worth it because they dont spread the weight sufficiently and you get pressure points under the stirrup bars too. Some are also an acquired taste to ride in!
 
You get what you pay for!
Better to buy a good make second hand- than a cheap new saddle-treed or treeless-but personally I would opt for a tree! I backed my youngster (short, wide back, no wither) in a second hand Falcon jeffries WH saddle (£200- and checked fit with saddle fitter), she has since changed shape and saddle about 4/5 times and is now 6yo and the same Falcon saddle will fit her if necessary but I have now bought a newer and nicer Barnsby saddle- each saddle change has been with the saddle fitter- I would never buy off e-bay unseen and would be reluctant to try and guess fit!
 
I would go treed for a youngster - best of all, a flexible tree. Treeless saddles are fabulous for some things but they do put more pressure on parts of the back and that's not ideal for a changing youngster. They still need to be properly fitted (even more so even) and will still need to be changed as the horse develops. Treed saddle needs to be properly fitted too of course!
 
I have a flexi-tree starter saddle by Sarah Dent (of the Saddle Company) which I love! However, I recently went to a saddle fitting clinic with Norman Hyett and I am now dubious about my saddle! He was saying that a lot of the treeless saddles have a block in them to give them shape over the withers, and this block is by no means symmetrical. He showed us one from a barefoot saddle (I think) and it was not only a different shape each side, but twisted too. He also said that these blocks can break just like an ordinary tree can.

His other concern about treeless saddles is the pressure point possibly created during rising trot/jumping when standing in the stirrups, as some of them have the stirrups sort of draped across the saddle, rather than having the weight distributed evenly if you see what I mean.

Regarding flexi-trees, he was concerned that the fingers could still pinch, either when over extended or when too narrow.

His recommendation was a saddle with an injection moulded tree that was absolutely symmetrical (the saddle company make them and sell them to other companies), a prolite muli-riser pad, lots of work to build up your horses' muscles and getting your saddle checked twice a year - and reflocked every 2 years.
 
A good treeless using the approved pads will not have the issues mentioned above, i have two of the top brands, not cheap but in the two years since I've converted my mares back has never shown any issues when having her check ups. She is shape shifter and the adjustable treed I had before pinched and blocked her shoulder, she's not one to put up with any of that so let's you know!
 
Sarah1 said:
A few years ago I was advised by my then saddle fitter never to put a treeless saddle on my 4 yr old - she said there's too much pressure on stirrup bars (I assume area underneath this on horse!).
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This is true of the cheap and nasty unbranded treeless but not so the more respected brands. Solution, Enlightened Equitation, Barefoot and Dartmoor Tree free for example, are all well designed to spread the riders weight across the saddle. The stirrup bars and girths are attached at multiple points across the saddles to achieve this.
If fitted correctly ( treeless saddles must be fitted same as a treed saddle) many horses go well in them and they can certainly be a good starting point for youngsters.
 
What about torsions? I have a 3y.o cob that I'll be backing next year and she changes shape from one week to the next! I was always led to believe that with decent padding, the stirrup bars do not cause a problem - is this not true?
 
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