Treeless Saddles

Ginger Bear

Ginger Bear

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I posted yesterday about a pony that has been through 3 saddles this year due to changing shape since we bought him & he started being worked again..

A few people suggested treeless & I'm getting so confused researching them online.. The sizes are confusing.. Apparently you fit the rider not the horse? You don't have to worry about the last rib?

Could anyone give me some info & experiences?

Thanks
 
I have an exceptionally difficult to fit horse, and now have dressage and jumping treeless saddles.Yes, you essentially fit them to you not the horse. I have stuck to the Ansur/Solution saddles - do some searches on here and you will find a lot of info.
 
I've owned a Torsion and a Libra and like both very much. The Libra in particular is a good experimental option as it is quite cheap but well made. They do fit the rider, but a good pad is a must. Personally I swear by Suber pads but there are plenty of options. The key is giving spine clearance. I am buying a FlexEE next but will continue using a Suber underneath.

Remember you can't mount from the ground. Some people say they find them insecure but I wouldn't say so. As long as your own seat is secure you shouldn't have a problem. I have never gone back to treed since using treeless.
 
So for example if pony is currently in a 16' ex wide saddle. I forget all about length etc & go with the fit for the rider? Why do I not need to be concerned about how long the saddle is?

Also someone I know has a barefoot saddle for me to try.. What are these like?
 
Ive got an Ansur (not sure what the model is, I've had it a while now) and it's great. I believe they are more or less the same as Solution Saddles (who are an offshoot of the original I think). I've got my eye on another Solution treeless when I can afford it.

I actually can mount from the floor. I very rarely do, but I can.

The sizing goes on the riders size, rather than the horse, and I can use mine on a range of horses. The only sort I've not found it to work well on are very high withered animals.
 
Read the section on sizing to explain why you fit to the rider not horse

http://www.solution-saddles.co.uk/sssizing.html

This is my girl in her Ansur jumping saddle - I just got a few weeks ago and love it.

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I've got a Libra leather treeless; apparently they don't do them in leather anymore. Got it on e-bay.

If you ARE going treeless bear in mind that you will need to give yourself (and horse!) some time to get used to the transition; and you need to be aware that generally a treeless saddle will give you, the rider, less support than you would in a treed saddle.

So if you've got a spooky horse say, you may find that a treeless saddle gives you a feeling of less security than you might have been used to in a treed saddle.

Also bear in mind that there could be pressure issues on the part of the back corresponding to where the stirrups have their fixing; as in a treed saddle you'd have all the support of the tree to protect against this.

I do use my Libra saddle, am using it at the moment in fact, as am making decisions about my (treed) saddles......... but it wouldn't be my saddle of preference TBH. Personally I'm more comfy, especially on longer hacks, in a treed saddle (with knee rolls - can't live without them:) ).
 
Kind of in response to the above, please bear in mind there are treeless saddles and treeless saddles..... Personally I wouldn't use anything bar an Ansur or Solution and my horse is comfortable and happy as am I.
 
Treeless saddles are great for the ever-changing shape horse and I've always ridden my youngsters treeless until their shapes settled enough to put them in treed saddles.

My old mare went through a range of treelesses - a Fitform, a Diddi Pad, and two Freeforms. I loved the Freeforms best but those are semi-rigid saddles and therefore must fit the horse's back, not impinging on the shoulders or going past the last rib, as weight-bearing wise, they are similar to a treed saddle.

The youngster I have now is in a Libra saddle. I bought it new for less than £200 to back him, and a year on it's been very well used! We've hacked, schooled, jumped, done dressage and even a fun ride in it and I'm just now starting to think about an upgrade as I'm finding it tricky to balance (he's only 13hh and narrow and I'm 5'5) over the bigger jumps and on faster rides without knee rolls. I've been really impressed with this saddle - it's been very secure, I can mount from the ground, I've sat some impressive baby moments without any movement. My only criticism is that the girth straps are horrid - webbing without reinforced holes, so doing the girth up mounted can be tricky.

My friend has been riding her pony in a Barefoot saddle for a few years now, and competed very successfully in one day events!

Ansurs are Solutions may be great saddles, but they're not the only ones out there. Have a look at this website for more info: http://www.freewebs.com/alternativehorse/treeless.htm
 
I'm another with a solution. I think they are a breed apart from other treeless saddles. Mine gives me more support than my treed saddle.
 
Just to throw another make out there - try the Heather Moffett saddles too before you decide. I had a Solution saddle (old style) - horrible hard thing with a hard roll of leather at the cantle that looked like it could rub the spine if it protruded at all. Heather Moffett saddles are soft and comfy, love mine and so does my horse.
 
I have a solution freestyle and absolutely love it. I originally bought it for my very awkward tb (high withers, dipped back, muscle wastage) there was no way a normal saddle would fit him.

I now use it in my 'normal' pony and his difference in going is fantastic as he is so much comfier, I have now combined it with a fairfax girth and he's gone from a bucking, grumpy thing to really enjoying his work.

I would suggest looking at the unofficial solution saddle page as lots on there for sale at cheap prices. I'm also considering selling mine for the next size up but want to have the next size up secured first so I'm mot without a saddle.

Also be careful when choosing a fitter, some of them are a complete waste of space. I have brilliant results with Emily Howe and she travels all over the country :)

Good luck, also try to look at your saddle as an investment, technically you won't need to buy another saddle again as these can't it anything.
 
treeless are like treed saddles - not every design will fit every horse/rider combination. also remember that you will need a very good pad underneath most of them (these ain't cheap and it's not worth skimping).
It can take some time to figure out what combination you both like best (I had a very expensive model that many many people love and it did not suit at all - we now have a different make that both horse and I love - neither is a bad saddle, the first one just did not suit)
What type of back conformation has your horse got? - there are less options for those with a high wither, and those options tend to be the more expensive models.
Personally I would disagree about 'any length on any back', although the weight may be distributed slightly differently a too long saddle can still irritate at least, or worse, interfere with the horse's action.
 
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Kokopelli said:
technically you won't need to buy another saddle again as these can't it anything.
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Not quite. I didn't find mine a successful fit on a particularly high withered horse, so I'd never say any saddle, even treeless, will suit anything.,

As to Heather Moffet saddles, I'd not touch another if it came with bells on, but that's through personal experiences, I know other people rate them well enough.
 
KristmasKat said:
I'm another with a solution. I think they are a breed apart from other treeless saddles. Mine gives me more support than my treed saddle.
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I agree with this, I have a GP Solution saddle.

I have knee rolls, narrow twist and a saddle that changes with my horse. I can (but choose not to) mount from the ground. I've done low level dressage and jumping with it, I've done TREC and endurance along with hacking and schooling.
 
I'm another who has happily ridden in a Solution saddle for years now and really rate them.
But,(an important but) I don't think it is possible to buy second hand and fit to your horse without the guidance of one of their own fitters to explain the "how to".
 
Here is a link to the unofficial Solution saddles page - it is where I recently sourced my Ansur Konclusion (sp?) jump saddle. Worth a look. I agree high withered horses may not be suited by all treeless, but the simple ansur and solution originals (energist -not the smarts so much) seems to fit and can be padded to fit most very wide and round horses, which is what my mare is.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/71440867600/
 
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I love the idea, but so far haven't found the right one for me. I had a Barefoot London for a while, but it seemed to sit lower and lower on the horse's withers, despite having the correct pad. It was comfortable though and I used it on some quite naughty ponies, but didn't like it enough to keep it as a spare.

I tried a Heather Moffett, old style and couldn't get on with at all, but I got it second hand, so maybe it wasn't a good fit for us. Both these I sold easily.

I have one friend who was advised not to use a treeless on her horse for endurance (although there are plenty of endurance horses that are ridden in a treeless) and another friend who does many, many miles of hacking who uses just a flat pad with stirrups (it has a name but I can't remember) and has no problems at all. I would love to try a Solution but they are SO expensive and I just wonder whether it is worth it for me now.
 
Another fan of Solution saddles. I have the Freestyle and both my horses go well in it. I did try the Smart but the 1st horse I tried it on made it very clear she didn't like it - I think it was to do with the fact that the pommel is more fixed than on the freestyle. I believe it was to make it look more like a normal saddle. I feel very secure in the Freestyle despite the fact that 1 of my horses can spook for England and it is also very kind to my bad back and I am never stiff even if I haven't ridden for some time.
 
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