Treeless saddles on Newforest ponies? Advice appreciated

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BrumbleBee

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Right, I've got a 13.2 New forest pony who I haven't been able to ride properly (aside from a bit of bareback) for about 6 months now due to saddle issues. I've tried so many saddles and different fitters and have struggled to find anything we are both comfortable in (they all seem get very tight down the front once girthed up even) :mad:

I am thinking about going down the treeless saddle route. Has anyone tried this with a New Forest?

He is typical to the type with little wither and big shoulders. He also bucks when excited (has always had teeth/ Feet/ Back checked plus he also does it a lot in the field when excited so I don't reckon it's down to pain).

Is a treeless likely to be unstable and slip if he bucks?

Will I be able to jump/ XC/ Hunt ect. in it or are they more for hacking?

And most importantly will he be comfortable?

I am thinking of trying barefoot saddles (used with the barefoot pad), if he is a 5ft9 in rugs and wears a 16/16.5 saddle which size would he be in these? I'm thinking size 0 plus I am a size 8 leg but could be wrong.

Sorry if this all sounds a bit dumb but I have no experience with treeless and I have already spent lots on saddles so don't want to rush into anything. Looks like he is going to be a driving pony if I can't get anything sorted but I think he would be wasted as he is so much fun to ride :(.

sorry about the long post

Any tips or advice are much appreciate :)
 
Have a look at Total Contact - if you are already riding bareback then you shouldn't have a problem, and I find them very easy to sit to bucks etc and very comfortable. I use mine with a gel pad underneath on a round fell pony and it doesn't slip, I just put a lambskin on top for my comfort :-) They were designed for showjumpers so jumping shouldn't be a problem. I started my pony in hers and she is more than happy to have it on and be ridden - it is a different experience to a saddle. You can usually hire one to try before buying.
 
Another vote for Solution Saddles here, we now have three, one event, one show and one dressage, the fitter was excellent and we have comfortable, free moving horses and comfortabe riders :) (my older Appy couldn't really cope with a saddle longer than 161/2 " which given that I am 5'6" with long legs, was always a problem. The solution has solved that one :)
 
If you want to trial a treeless saddle before you buy (very advisable as they are not all the same) then there is a "Saddles Direct" website and there are details of companies who will allow you to have a trial period of their saddles.

I went for the Tree Free saddle (made in Buckfastleigh, UK), and loved it. Tho' TBH I wouldn't know what size would be good for a New Forest - you could ring them and ask them as they're very helpful. Google "Tree Free saddles" to get their contact website.

Trekker saddles have had very good reviews and apparently they are very easy to adjust the width of ..... I've not tried them personally, but you may find they suit your purpose.
 
This is my first post and I love how supportive everyone is on here :)

Thank you for all the suggestions, I will have a look at them all tomorrow. I have spent today looking at the saddle solution ones and they look amazing, the only downside is that they aren't the cheapest (I'm at university at the minute so not sure I can justify spending that much at this point in my life) although I do like that you can trial them and I will definitely keep them in mind for the future.

I have also had a look and was quite tempted by the Tree Free 'Exmoor' but couldn't find any reviews so it's good to hear that you liked it :)

Has anyone else had a good experience with them?
My biggest fear with treeless is that I will put pressure on the spine or excess pressure under the stirrup bars, but did you find this saddle distributed riders weight well?

I had a look on the barefoot website today and saw that they suggest you don't jump in them which I understand,
does anyone know if this is true for most of the treeless saddles? (not that it's a problem as I'll be great full to even have something to hack in properly at the moment

Sorry for lots more questions,
Thank you all again for your help :)
 
BrumbleBee said:
This is my first post and I love how supportive everyone is on here :)

Thank you for all the suggestions, I will have a look at them all tomorrow. I have spent today looking at the saddle solution ones and they look amazing, the only downside is that they aren't the cheapest (I'm at university at the minute so not sure I can justify spending that much at this point in my life) although I do like that you can trial them and I will definitely keep them in mind for the future.

I have also had a look and was quite tempted by the Tree Free 'Exmoor' but couldn't find any reviews so it's good to hear that you liked it :)

Has anyone else had a good experience with them?
My biggest fear with treeless is that I will put pressure on the spine or excess pressure under the stirrup bars, but did you find this saddle distributed riders weight well?

I had a look on the barefoot website today and saw that they suggest you don't jump in them which I understand,
does anyone know if this is true for most of the treeless saddles? (not that it's a problem as I'll be great full to even have something to hack in properly at the moment

Sorry for lots more questions,
Thank you all again for your help :)
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Here's my coach jumping a metre on a 14.2 cob in a solution ;)

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The reason I got mine was the previous, very expensive specialist cob saddles I had bought turned out not to actually be remotely suitable for her conformation despite one being regularly fitted and one being made to measure for her. Both of those saddles were exerting severe pressure on her shoulders from the points of the tree. So, in my experience a treed saddle can have worrying pressure points too!

My horse is very stoic and her complaint was only ever when I put the saddle on her back. She wasn't girthy and she didn't have any obviously issues under saddle. However, now that she has her solution saddle, it's clear to see that the old saddles were causing a problem while ridden and her performance has improved tremendously. The best bit is she no longer complains when I put the saddle on her back. That's the only confirmation I need as to whether it was the right choice. They do come up second hand and you can have a (very cheap!) fitting and go away knowing what it is you need to buy.
 
FfionWinnie said:
The reason I got mine was the previous, very expensive specialist cob saddles I had bought turned out not to actually be remotely suitable for her conformation despite one being regularly fitted and one being made to measure for her. Both of those saddles were exerting severe pressure on her shoulders from the points of the tree. So, in my experience a treed saddle can have worrying pressure points too!

My horse is very stoic and her complaint was only ever when I put the saddle on her back. She wasn't girthy and she didn't have any obviously issues under saddle. However, now that she has her solution saddle, it's clear to see that the old saddles were causing a problem while ridden and her performance has improved tremendously. The best bit is she no longer complains when I put the saddle on her back. That's the only confirmation I need as to whether it was the right choice. They do come up second hand and you can have a (very cheap!) fitting and go away knowing what it is you need to buy.
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Firstly your cob is stunning, and I think it's safe to say you can jump in them then :)

Everything you just said is exactly what's happening to me, even a made to measure I had didn't fit, but he never complains, It would be much easier if he let me know when he wasn't comfortable.

I will have a look for a second hand one then, thank you so much
 
BrumbleBee said:
Firstly your cob is stunning, and I think it's safe to say you can jump in them then :)

Everything you just said is exactly what's happening to me, even a made to measure I had didn't fit, but he never complains, It would be much easier if he let me know when he wasn't comfortable.

I will have a look for a second hand one then, thank you so much
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Thank you. I can do everything in mine that I would do in any saddle. It's never slipped or moved either. The other issue the treed ones had were slipping back because the points of the tree stuck in her shoulders and the shoulders are so large and active there was no where for the saddle to go but back. The solution allows her shoulders to move under it. I use a breast plate (as they advise) just in case, but it's never been in use, where as it could not stop the treed ones moving back however tight it was.

There's a FB group, unofficial solution saddles, they come up for sale there regularly.
 
I would say that treeless can be fine, I fit regular saddles so not a great fan but they can work, but that if you want a treed saddle it should be perfectly possible. A flat enough tree and things like a point strap will keep the saddle back off the shoulder and not digging in. It's often not a matter of width but the shape of the tree from front to back and it being unstable, where a NF pony will usually kick it forwards and it ends up slightly on the shoulder where it's not supposed to be so it won't fit right.
 
Big vote for Solution Saddles here! I have a native (a mixture of coloured cob, ID and Welsh D) and its perfect for him and me.

webble said:
I have had heather Moffett for the last few years which I liked but I tried a solution last week and loved it.
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This is going to sound strange, but was it a VSD?
 
There is a lady who rides for Great Britain at Trec. Her ponies have been NFs and she uses an Ansur saddle. I have ridden a NF in a Solutions and it was absolutely fine. I would not recommend either a HM Pheonix or Vogue if you want to jump seriously. The Solutions may be expensive but well worth it.
 
I'm not sure that using point straps really helps with keeping the points of trees from digging in.
We got the solution saddles because of having youngsters and the difficulties we have experienced in the past, with shape changing so quickly and saddles not fitting. However they have proved to be absolutely fabulous for the older horses, sisters Draught mare is moving better than she ever has since she got to us and the older Appy is much more relaxed in her work, even though she has had one made to measure saddle and another which was fitted to her. I was sceptical of treeless saddles, but I think that it is true that you get what you pay for, so the Solutions are quite expensive initialy, but are probably a saving in the long run.
 
If you use the search function OP there are quite a lot of threads of people discussing their trials on various types that would be worth you having a read through.
I think brightbay had/has an exmoor saddle.
 
LHIS said:
Big vote for Solution Saddles here! I have a native (a mixture of coloured cob, ID and Welsh D) and its perfect for him and me.



This is going to sound strange, but was it a VSD?
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Yes it was, are you the very kind lady that let me borrow it via Elaine?

E ta yes you are thank you so so much, I did try to bribe Elaine into accidentally leaving it 😉

Your pony is lovely she showed me some gorgeous pics of him
 
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webble said:
Yes it was, are you the very kind lady that let me borrow it via Elaine?

E ta yes you are thank you so so much, I did try to bribe Elaine into accidentally leaving it 😉

Your pony is lovely she showed me some gorgeous pics of him
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Haha yes that's me :) I thought it might have been you given you're in Elaine's area, she showed me a photo of your boy he's lovely, she said he was very similar in temperament and looks to my little monster.
Glad you loved the saddle - was happy to lend it out :)
 
LHIS said:
Haha yes that's me :) I thought it might have been you given you're in Elaine's area, she showed me a photo of your boy he's lovely, she said he was very similar in temperament and looks to my little monster.
Glad you loved the saddle - was happy to lend it out :)
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Well thank you once again, it made me mind up. I'm just hating the 4 week wait for manufacture ha ha
 
webble said:
Well thank you once again, it made me mind up. I'm just hating the 4 week wait for manufacture ha ha
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It's the only catch! I was lucky and got mine as a ex-demo, Elaine had it in for another person who was interested but as I am a livery at her yard and was looking for one I had a little ride in it and snaffled it :D
 
YorksG said:
I'm not sure that using point straps really helps with keeping the points of trees from digging in.
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Tree points dig in usually because they're the wrong width or in the wrong place, if a point strap is making the points dig in then the tree shape, width or panel shape is wrong. I make sure the tree is flat so the front of the saddle can't be pulled down, that the tree points and flocking make the fit totally parallel with the horse's sides at the front, meaning pressure is totally even down to the points, and use the point strap to align the girth with a forwards girth groove. To this end I can't remember a single customer where I've had to recommend they use a curved girth. I do get a little annoyed when fitters say that point straps are the work of the devil, they really aren't, it's all about the overall saddle fitting "system" you use and believe in, plenty of fitters use them very successfully and I find only a tiny majority of horses won't tolerate them at all.
 
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