Treeless saddle

[cattyniccy]

Hi everyone. I have just a saddle fitter out for advice on a new horse I have. She is a 13.2hh 12 year old cob and a blue cross rescue, she is being backed lightly by me for me to ride and my 5 year old son. I got a saddle fitter as I didn't want to take risks on a ill fitting saddle as she will be for children to be lead on and hopefully ridden on in the future. She will be back dby me this spring/summer once or twice a week and going forwards probably only ridden that often too in a grass arena on my land and on hacks. So basically very very light work and just for a plod around on. The fitter agreed that for such light low level of work getting a saddle with a tree would be a lot of call outs and adjustments and that a treeless saddle would be a better, easier, cheaper option for us which I totally agree with.
She suggested coming onto a forum and picking peoples brains on which type of saddle is worth looking at and what kind of padding. It needs to be 16.5" - 17" and I don't mine what style, look or anything really, as long as it fits and is easy! Looking forward to peoples advice. I may go second hand if people think that's a good idea.
thanks

 

[Abbeygale]

I have been riding treeless for a lot of years now, and the main thing I have learned is that treeless can be just as much of a minefield as treed saddles.

I have used Barefoot, Torsion, Freemax plus some others in the mix too, and have finally settled with the Heather Moffat saddles. I ride one of mine in a Vogue and the other in a Flexee.

Not every type of treeless saddle will suit every horse - and then on top of that, not every person will find every treeless saddle comfy. The HM saddles have done my very difficult to fit sway backed horse really well. After recently riding in a barefoot saddle again, I definitely wouldn't want to go back to one of those again. But this is just my personal preference.

There is info on the HM Saddles here:
https://www.facebook.com/HMSaddles/

and Second hand ones advertised here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HMSaddles/


It is definitely getting some different ones on trial to see how they feel before you bite the bullet and buy.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I have been riding treeless for a lot of years now, and the main thing I have learned is that treeless can be just as much of a minefield as treed saddles.

Ditto this ^^^ plus comment below

It is definitely getting some different ones on trial to see how they feel before you bite the bullet and buy.

As much care needs to be taken re. the fitting and comfort of a treeless saddle, as a treed, nay more so, because in a treed saddle the pressure from the stirrup bars is taken throughout the tree, but with a treeless, if you're not careful you can easily get undue pressure where the stirrup bars sit.

Also, you need to bear in mind the gullet size you will need as this will change the whole way a saddle sit. Saddles like Torsion, Barefoot, and many of the others, have interchangeable gullets; you may also have to use shimming to get a good fit. But you will DEFFO need the requisite pad which goes underneath as this is vital in protecting the horse's back from the saddle and you must always have one that is designed for that particular saddle. Often the pads are nearly as expensive as the saddle's themselves! But they are essential.

I would advise you to go for a well-known make - and whatever you do, do NOT go onto e-bay and buy the cheapest you can find! As a lot of them are made in India and are not just cheap but nasty with it.

Bear in mind that some treeless saddles may fit certain horse & rider combinations, whereas others just won't. For wider horses like cobs, you may find that the Barefoot range puts you far too wide; whereas something else with a more of a "twist", may feel totally different.

For what its worth, I ride in a TreeFree Tor saddle, the company is based in Moretonhampstead in Devon and I've had superb fitting and after-sales advice from them, can highly recommend. You can trial their saddles for about fifty quid, for a week, before you decide. Well worth doing with ANY treeless saddle before you buy.

 

[cattyniccy]

Thank you both so much for your replies. So if I wanted to buy a secondhand eBay one say, what would be good makes to have a look at? Also what is the pad you were talking about? The saddle fitter led me to believe that you buy the saddle and then you just replace the padding that comes with the saddle when the padding gets low? So I was hoping to buy a eBay saddle and a new replacement bit of padding?
Also, I am so not fussy about the comfort of the ride for myself, as she is not going to be ridden enough for me to go into huge detail and analysis on it. However I am very wary about anything that may be uncomfortable for the horse, as my son will be riding her and I do not want any risks taken there.
Bearing all this in mind, can you give me the top brands you would recommend, as I literally haven’t got a clue about any and don’t want anything like you say badly made and uncomfortable for the horse ! Basically I want ease, rather than the complicated sounding normal tree saddles, but also horse comfort as my main priories

 

[Leo Walker]

Id be looking for a Ghost. They dont come up second hand very often though, for a reason! What weight are the riders that are going to be riding her? For the sort of work you are talking about I'd get a Christ Lamfelle bareback pad. Its comfy to use and will always fit

 

[cattyniccy]

Oh poo, any others that come up second hand more often?!
Weight of riders are around 9 stone and 3.5 stone 😬

 

[cattyniccy]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/173865671857
What’s this one like?!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I like Solution saddles for big cobs

 

[Leo Walker]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/173865671857
What’s this one like?!

I had one very similar looking and it slid and rolled about. I absolutely hated it!

 

[cattyniccy]

I had one very similar looking and it slid and rolled about. I absolutely hated it!

Thank you.

 

[cattyniccy]

I have been riding treeless for a lot of years now, and the main thing I have learned is that treeless can be just as much of a minefield as treed saddles.

I have used Barefoot, Torsion, Freemax plus some others in the mix too, and have finally settled with the Heather Moffat saddles. I ride one of mine in a Vogue and the other in a Flexee.

Not every type of treeless saddle will suit every horse - and then on top of that, not every person will find every treeless saddle comfy. The HM saddles have done my very difficult to fit sway backed horse really well. After recently riding in a barefoot saddle again, I definitely wouldn't want to go back to one of those again. But this is just my personal preference.

There is info on the HM Saddles here:
https://www.facebook.com/HMSaddles/

and Second hand ones advertised here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/HMSaddles/


It is definitely getting some different ones on trial to see how they feel before you bite the bullet and buy.

I have just contacted these and she said ‘There are treeless saddles that have no panels so require a pad, Mine are very different to most. Have the benefits of a treed saddle but without a wooden or plastic tree’
Sound brill! So basically just like a normal saddle so no pads and you just put a normal numnah under and don’t have to replace anything?!

 

[cattyniccy]

I like Solution saddles for big cobs

Look lovely but £!

 

[sbloom]

Also what is the pad you were talking about? The saddle fitter led me to believe that you buy the saddle and then you just replace the padding that comes with the saddle when the padding gets low? So I was hoping to buy a eBay saddle and a new replacement bit of padding?

This isn't how padding a treeless works, you need the right pad to match the given treeless to that individual horse, to balance it and make sure there are no pressure points. The foam in treeless saddles will retain its shape and performance for many years, then will decline, as all foams do eventually, where you should not use it, but it can't be topped up as such, or padded to compensate, you need a new saddle or at least the panel replaced on the saddle.

If you don't know what you're doing with padding/shimming a treeless then you really do need the help of someone like Better Saddles (though there is another company that specialises in fitting treeless brands, perhaps someone will know their name. For many you have their dedicated fitters so as you're doing you'll want to know if the design is likely to spread your weight well, be stable on your shape of horse etc before plumping for one. They can slip.

I would also be wary of some of the top recommended models, one has a very narrow channel with quite unyielding panels, it WILL sit on the spinal processes.

 

[BlackRider]

I've got a barefoot london for sale (size 1) with pad - pm me if interested

 

[webble]

I had a solution and hated it. Flexee was ok, love my vogue.

As above dont buy cheap rubbish off ebay.

 

[tuppy]

Hi everyone. I have just a saddle fitter out for advice on a new horse I have. She is a 13.2hh 12 year old cob and a blue cross rescue, she is being backed lightly by me for me to ride and my 5 year old son. I got a saddle fitter as I didn't want to take risks on a ill fitting saddle as she will be for children to be lead on and hopefully ridden on in the future. She will be back dby me this spring/summer once or twice a week and going forwards probably only ridden that often too in a grass arena on my land and on hacks. So basically very very light work and just for a plod around on. The fitter agreed that for such light low level of work getting a saddle with a tree would be a lot of call outs and adjustments and that a treeless saddle would be a better, easier, cheaper option for us which I totally agree with.
She suggested coming onto a forum and picking peoples brains on which type of saddle is worth looking at and what kind of padding. It needs to be 16.5" - 17" and I don't mine what style, look or anything really, as long as it fits and is easy! Looking forward to peoples advice. I may go second hand if people think that's a good idea.
thanks

tried a Heather Moffat Flex EE on an Exmoor pony, hoped it would be the answer as he is now difficult to fit 21 yrs old - hated it, felt like sitting on a brick, saddle kept slipping and rolling about the girthing system not suitable for his conformation - also felt perched on the saddle, pony didn't seem keen on it either kept snatching the reins, sent it back, you can do this under Consumer Contracts Regs as long as item not been used as such.

 

[cattyniccy]

So I can get a trekker saddle or a barefoot Cheyenne....both for £250, anyone tried them and can comment?
Read more at

 

[Shady]

So I can get a trekker saddle or a barefoot Cheyenne....both for £250, anyone tried them and can comment?
Read more at

Iv'e had a Trekker and have a Barefoot cherokee.
I am very familiar with both makes and do know the Cheyenne too. It is basically the same as the Cherokee but without knee blocks.
I would really need to see both saddles before I could comment and £250 is very cheap for a Trekker, sounds old, what model is it?
I had the Trekker Luxus and loved it. Its a short saddle and very deep and secure, fully adjustable in seat size and width. Perfect if 2 different size riders are using it and you can ride long or short. Grab rail is fab for spooks but do not mount using it. You don't need a special pad but I would advise getting one so you can shim if needed. They are beautifully made but do not get an old one, they had design problems and some weren't adjustable. Avoid these.
Barefoot Cheyenne. Nice deep seat, very comfy, good for youngsters . Quite wide and very long in size 2, might be too long for your horse and very big for your child. He would need a size 0 ideally , you would need size 1 if you are 10-12 or size 2 if you are bigger( in theory) Can make you feel tipped forward and i can't remember if the position of the stirrup bar can be moved. Newer models probably yes, older definitely no. You need to buy as new as possible and absolutely need the matching pad and a choice of pommel widths to get the correct fit at the wither. They are not always stable , especially on round horses. I like my Barefoot but would prefer another Trekker
Happy to look at the saddles by PM if you like or post them on here

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I've not ridden in a Trekker, but apparently someone a while back did some research using a Port William pressure pad, and the Trekker came up high on those tests as far as pressure on the back was concerned, apparently.

I have ridden in several of the Barefoot models: i.e. London, Cheyenne, Cherokee, and I tried the Lexington too.

The London is their "dressage" model, it has straighter flaps than the others. The Cherokee is the classic middle-of-the-road Barefoot model, with knee rolls; the Cheyenne is more or less the same seat, but no knee rolls. The Lexington was totally unsuitable for my cob; it has a ridiculous 6" cantle on it!! Really only suitable for high withered WB/sports horse types TBH.

If you have a cob, especially a chunky cob, you may find the Barefoot saddles are unsuitable for you; they do tend to put you very wide, uncomfortably so. Also you need to bear in mind that the sizing is crazy: their size 1 is very small, really only suitable for someone of a size 10, size 12 max. I found that with the London, it was a lovely saddle, and very comfortable, BUT in trot, my pubic bone was banging against the pommel of it!! And the size 2 is truly gigantic! Huge!! I bounced around like a pea in a pod in it, was scared to canter as felt so insecure!!

Also, if you are buying a second hand Barefoot on e-bay or similar, bear in mind that there is the "new" model which came out a few years ago which has the "VPS" webbing which is supposed to spread the weight, and the "old style" ones without this. Many people I know who use Barefoot, swear by the old ones, and voiced discontent at the "new" version, so if buying used, check which you're buying!

I ride in a TreeFree Tor. The other saddles in the TreeFree range are the Exmoor (knee rolls, very nice little saddle!) and the Dartmoor (no knee rolls). The firm are based in Moretonhampstead in Devon, and I've had excellent service both pre and after purchase from them, recommend highly. Their Tor saddle is the ONLY saddle that I can ride in comfortably, treed or treeless - it is lovely! Has the feel of a treeless but isn't horribly wide or cumbersome like the Barefoot! You can trial them for a week for about fifty quid. Worth doing, they might not suit everyone, but have provided a fantastic solution for me as my chunkies are just not comfy in a Barefoot! (Edited: if you DO see a TreeFree saddle on ebay or any second hand sites - they come up rarely - then do check very carefully on the sizing. They come up big, very big!! I went to see one of their so-called "17 inch" sized saddles, and it was huge!! I had measured mine at home first, and this one was actually more like an 18"!! Conversely, I went to see one of theirs which was advertised as a 17" but which (when measured) was tiny! So be aware).

Try various ones out would be my advice, always worth going on to a FB Treeless saddles group and asking if there's anyone in your area with a treeless saddle they may let you try; if you are in the SW you could try mine, dunno where you are OP.

 

[MDB]

I have a Trekker Luxus and love it. It's deep and so comfortable. It holds you in on spooks, and the bar at the front which is used to asjust the saddle makes an excellent grab bar in emergencies. My mare had such trouble with conventional saddles and I notice how much more free her shoulder movement is with the Trekker. Her gait was totally different. I ride for several hours over a variety of terrain and up and down some very steep hills. Neither her or I have never had any problems with this saddle.