Treeless saddle for a TB?

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Baked Bean

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I've got a TB ex-racer mare who is probably the most sensitive horse I have ever sat on! I want to buy a saddle for her and I'm considering trying a treeless saddle. If anyone has any stories or advice or information to pass on I'd be grateful!

Thanks in anticipation :-)

BB
 
Imo you would find it hard to find a treeless saddle that will fit. They dont have enough support to clear the spine and finding one with an appropriately shaped front arch will be tough. There is also nothing to spread the pressure from the stirrup bars, not ideal on a sensitive horse.

TBs arent always narrow and they need a deep panel all the way along to lift the saddle clear of the spine. Have a look at Thorowgood high wither saddles (they do leather ones too), theyare very well designed for TBs.
 
Well, be very very careful, and my advice would be don't. Treeless saddles seem to work OK on some more rounded horses, but only if the rider is competent and engages their hips whilst riding at all times. Sluggish riders can end up causing their horses back problems in treeless saddles and there is increasing evidence to suggest this (according to my back man). On a high withered TB with a sensitive back, and a pronounced spine: No, I wouldn’t go there. No qualified master saddler or back person would recommend it, and most will have a treeless horror story to tell you.

Have a look at the T4 high wither range from Thorowgood. The ones with the interchangeable gullet and the 3D fish system are IMHO the best low budget option for a high withered TB type with poor muscling.

In an ideal world you'd probably have to get a made to measure, which is what I have done for my ex racehorse, after being told by numerous saddlers that it is the only way I'll get a correctly fitted saddle for him.

good luck!
 
I saw this post as a guest and had to join just for this thread!

I have a high withered ex-pointer TB, who 2 years ago had a very bad injury to his back (which involved 23 staples - owch!) After this he was obviously very sensitive even just to brush his back, let alone to put a saddle on him.

He now has a treeless saddle, and loves it! I have had a vet check his back to make sure its not doing any unseen damage and have had no problems at all - we even do endurance in it without the slightest discomfit (believe me, if he was even slightly unhappy I would be on the floor).

He moves so much more freely, and is so much happier with his treeless saddle, that I doubt I will ever get a tree-ed one again.

Although it does take a lot of research, trying different types, and the right pad underneath, but I love mine, and so does my boy.
 
Solution saddles as used by the Thoroughbred Rehabilitation Centre.

Heather Moffet saddles.

New style Startrekk.

New style Trekker.

It is a case of finding which she gets on with. On the cheaper end a Torsion or Barefoot or Freeform may be suitable with the correct shimming underneath.

On a treed line - I would look for serge lined panels for a sensitive.

My preferences are for Saddle Company saddles (adjustable by a trained fitter), Frank Baine's, Balance saddles (fitted properly) or Reactor Panel Saddles.

I have found Suber pads and Thinline pads useful for underneath either treed or treeless saddles.
 
Brilliant responses - My budget is low at this stage, I don't know the mare will stand up to the work I want to do, so I dont' want to invest too much money yet. I think up to £500 is reasonable.
 
I have found that the Albion saddles with the TB panels fit my TB even better than the thorowgood hi wither. You can pick some up quite cheaply on ebay, too.
 
Helloo, i have a tb mare who has had lots of back issues, i had the thorowgood t6 high wither for her properly fitted by ms but she still wasn't happy i now have the dream team Treeless with the high wither pad and she loves it hasn't reared since i got it, it doesnt slip or move and she is so much more free in it! Good luck finding something oh and i think the dream team are on offer at 400 at the mo! :D
 
Ally_F said:
I saw this post as a guest and had to join just for this thread!

I have a high withered ex-pointer TB, who 2 years ago had a very bad injury to his back (which involved 23 staples - owch!) After this he was obviously very sensitive even just to brush his back, let alone to put a saddle on him.

He now has a treeless saddle, and loves it! I have had a vet check his back to make sure its not doing any unseen damage and have had no problems at all - we even do endurance in it without the slightest discomfit (believe me, if he was even slightly unhappy I would be on the floor).

He moves so much more freely, and is so much happier with his treeless saddle, that I doubt I will ever get a tree-ed one again.

Although it does take a lot of research, trying different types, and the right pad underneath, but I love mine, and so does my boy.
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I totally agreee I have an arab with a very high wither and a prounced spine, we went to hell and back trying to get him comfortable in a saddle that didn't restrict his movement.

When fitting a treeless saddle to a horse with hight withers you have to have one that has moveable panels underneath so that you can alter them to fit your horses contors.

I use a Libra treeless saddle http://www.libraequestrian.co.uk/hackabout.html Which if you take a look at the pictures you can see how much spine clearence they have (my horse gets sweatty under his saddle but is always dry along the spine.

I use it with a LeMeux Pro-Sorb Numnah http://www.horsehealth.co.uk/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=100_103

As soon as I first ride in it my horse had a longer stride which my vet whom vets for EGB has confirmed that this is not unusual for horses that go from Tree'd to Treeless as it spreads the pressure of the saddle out more evenly and no longer restricts his movement.

I have also noticed that I feel a lot closer to my horse, he is more responsive, and I have never had wrong lead canter in this saddle a problem which I was plagued with before.

Lots of treless saddles were designed for the 'table' backed horse but the ones with removable pads are not.

I suggest you have alook at a few Endurance suppliers for some Ideas and I would never go back to a tree'd saddle. Libra all the way!!
 
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