Treeless saddles/fitters?!

[YogaNurse]

I have a new pony coming next week and he comes with nothing. I will be doing lots of ground work to begin with but I will need a saddle at some point, and have been seriously considering going treeless. The barefoot saddles website says they are ideal for horses that are changing shape, which he will be doing a lot of.

I can’t seem to find any actual saddle fitters that do treeless so how would I go about having it fitted? Also, how does everyone get on with doing disciplines other than hacking in treeless saddles? I would need one for hacking initially and then have another for schooling/dressage!

 

[CMcC]

You don't need a fitter for Barefoot. Make sure you buy the proper saddle pad with the saddle.
I rode two of mine in Barefoot GP type saddles for years and found them very good. When I wanted to do some dressage with one of them I bought the Barefoot dressage saddle - I didn't find that as good, it was narrower and as she was wide the fit wasn't good and had to return to conventional saddle.

 

[YogaNurse]

You don't need a fitter for Barefoot. Make sure you buy the proper saddle pad with the saddle.
I rode two of mine in Barefoot GP type saddles for years and found them very good. When I wanted to do some dressage with one of them I bought the Barefoot dressage saddle - I didn't find that as good, it was narrower and as she was wide the fit wasn't good and had to return to conventional saddle.

Thank you, that’s fab. I can start off with a GP and then opt for a normal dressage saddle. By this point he will have grown and filled out anyway.

 

[Kat]

I have a solution saddle. They have fitters so you can get help ensuring they are suitable, they also hire then out for extended Trials. They are the only treeless Saddles that can be used in all competition disciplines to the highest level.

 

[webble]

I have a solution saddle. They have fitters so you can get help ensuring they are suitable, they also hire then out for extended Trials. They are the only treeless Saddles that can be used in all competition disciplines to the highest level.

Who has decided that?

 

[Sleipnir]

The Ghost treeless are fab, can be fitted to horses/ponies with shorter backs and their reps usually help with finding the right fit and model for the horse/rider combo.

 

[Leo Walker]

The Ghost treeless are fab, can be fitted to horses/ponies with shorter backs and their reps usually help with finding the right fit and model for the horse/rider combo.

I have a Ghost as literally nothing else fitted him. If you are anywhere near Northampton my fitter does treed and treeless and usually has a few treeless you can trial.

 

[tickety_boo]

I have a solution saddle. They have fitters so you can get help ensuring they are suitable, they also hire then out for extended Trials. They are the only treeless Saddles that can be used in all competition disciplines to the highest level.

This is totally untrue.

 

[ozpoz]

Which other treeless saddles are accepted for all disciplines tickets-boo? I know that most of them are not, and Solution definitely are.

 

[webble]

Which other treeless saddles are accepted for all disciplines tickets-boo? I know that most of them are not, and Solution definitely are.

accepted by whom? As far as I know Heather moffets are

 

[tickety_boo]

Just off the top of my head, I know that both BD and BS accept ANY make of treeless as long as it resembles a traditional tree'd saddle (ie, not a western type). Not sure about BE as we aren't members.

 

[Sleipnir]

I have a Ghost as literally nothing else fitted him.

Exactly my experience. Absolutely nothing else among the treed and treeless saddles I tried fit my beast + there are tremendous problems with finding a saddle fitter who knows what he's doing in my region. Turns out a broad, short back with small withers and huge, straight shoulders is ridiculously hard to fit a saddle!

 

[Rowreach]

I have a solution saddle. They have fitters so you can get help ensuring they are suitable, they also hire then out for extended Trials. They are the only treeless Saddles that can be used in all competition disciplines to the highest level.

It used to be that Solution saddles were the only treeless saddles approved for use in FEI competitions, but I've no idea if that is still the case.

 

[YogaNurse]

Thanks everyone, going to look into ghost and solution saddles. Good to hear that you can compete BD with a treeless!