treeless saddles

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lizstuguinness

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have heard good things about them, but was wondering if they dont have a tree, does fitting matter?????

how do you fit a treeless saddle?

my horse isnt backed yet, but is ready to be. i will get a sj saddle for her later, but thinking that a treeless may be ok to just hack about and school her in.

also the ones i have seen are like endurance saddles and over grown pony pads are they all like this??
 
There are various makes of treeless saddle. I ride in a Torsion and have ridden in one for 8 years. But I do not do any jumping. It is very important to have the correct saddle pad with a treeless saddle - you can't use an ordinary numnah as this could cause pressure on the horse's spine. Other makes are Freeform, Dartmoor, Heather Moffat. A word of warning - the ILPH used to use treeless saddles to back their youngsters, but when they came to using a treed saddle, they practically had to reback them again. So if you plan to switch to a treed saddle in the future with your youngster, be warned, this will feel totally different to a treeless saddle.
 
Take a look at the Long distance Riders Guild Web site they have got evidence on it that treeless saddles can do permanent damage to the horse. Stick to the proven conventional saddle especially with youngsters are concerned or you will find that you permanently damage your horse.
 
Don't touch with a bargepole!
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I have just bought a treeless saddle and am really, really pleased with it. My conventional saddle was painful for both me and my mare, the treeless is very comftorable for me and my mare after about 10 minutes of "what is going on" throwing the head around seems much happier (have only ridden with it twice so we are still getting used to it.

I have bought a Barefoot saddle, you buy according to size of the rider. Does'nt need to be specially fitted, although there is some adjustment you can make for a horse with high withers. Must admit I was a bit cautious about ordering but it has turned out fine.

Would definitley recommend.

Clare
 
[ QUOTE ]
Don't touch with a bargepole!

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the first negative thing I've heard about treeless saddles, is this a "don't touch" any treeless or a particular style ?
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What are you basing this statement on ? please tell, I was just about to order one
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I have tried every make of treeless as has my trainer who is a professional. They damaged all the horses backs after a couple of months use. Fantastic at first, but then the pressure points build up and give the most incredible pain to the horse....
 
to be honest, I'm not a fan of treeless saddles either and I'm inclinded to agree with seabiscuit...

You haven't said whether you have ridden in one before and if you haven't, I really, really do suggest you have a go in one first before you buy as they are very different from conventional saddles. I'm not sure which make my friend's got but I'll be perfectly honest and say your description of an overgrown ponypad just about sums it up!

Also, if you're planning on jumping don't even go there...
 
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