Treeless Saddles..which to go for?

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bindi484

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Ive had nearly one million saddles on my odd shaped 5yr old and im giving up as I dont have 1k to spend to have some flashy saddle fitted.
Have now been pointed in the direction of getting a treeless saddle. We mainly hack and sj every so often. Info on what you suggest would be a good saddle for us? And am i right in assuming i can pretty much plonk anything treeless on him and it should fit? Thanks, your advice is most needed. :)
 
i have a freeform and highly recommend it, the key to treeless is get the right pad underneath it to avoid pressure points

It needs to be the right length for your horses back, there is a short back option and a standard, there is also different seat sizes which on a freeform is the same as a treed, 17, 17.5 etc
 
I have a Heather Moffett vogue dressage saddle and absolutely love it! It did still require some fitting and adjustment to get the balance right so I don't think they are quite as simple as plonking on and off you go.
 
Thanks for your advice :) Would you know if freeform saddles are the same makers of freemax saddles? Also, after a lot of hunting i came across a website for Easytrek saddles, quite a few on eBay too. Anyone have any opinions of these saddles?
 
I also meant to ask... have you had any issues with the saddle rolling left and right, especially when the horse spooks for instance?
 
I ride a welsh x hackney and a welsh x nf in a cheyenne. I also used it on a TB and v wide cob and it never rolled. The only thing I cant do with it is mount from ground as then it slipped. I very rarely mount from the ground though.
 
I would strongly recommend you try before you buy a treeless, they don't suit all horses and riders.

There are many options out there, as a general rule you get what you pay for. I have a Total Saddles Solution which my horse loves (and my other horse loathes!). They come in different sizes based on the rider not the horse and you do need a bit of instruction on how to fit them to the horse as they have different pads you use at different times. You will need an experienced treeless saddle fitter to do at least your first fitting, although you may be able to sort it out yourself after that.
 
I've got a Barefoot and a Heather Moffett Vogue for competing. They're both really good but the Vogue is my favourite. It suits all three of my horses and has never slipped ... touch wood :)
 
Try as many as you can, they all have there positives and negatives so it's a case of finding what works for your horse, what you feel comfortable in and like someone else has said finding the right treeless pad to work with your saddle.

I have a Barefoot London that wants a new home. ;)
 
I have a Heather Moffett Fhoenix saddle and love it!! (ps also know of someone who is selling theirs so if your interested pm me for info)
 
I've tried alot of treeless saddles; Ansur, Vogue, Freeform, and Barefoot London.

My horses have liked all of them except the Freeform. I liked the Vogue best for my comfort but in US winters it was rock hard because the foam froze! I also didn't like the way it 'perched' on top of the horse.

In general, I find the treeless saddles really difficult for the rider to ride comfortably in. They don't have a proper twist and riders are nearly always unbalanced and falling forward in them. On a wide horse, these saddles can be real 'cripplers' for a normal sized woman.

I still have an old Barefoot hanging around which I will keep for those odd occasions I feel like using it.
 
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