What does this mean?

[SonnysHumanSlave]

Looking at saddles on ebay, it says "Spring Tree, Flexible Points"

Could anyone please shed some light on this for me, this saddle searching is driving me crazy.

Thanks.

 

[Nollaig Shona]

IIRC it means the tree of the saddle is made from a flexible material (and not rigid wood) and the points (the bits under the skirt, above the stirrup bars) can move slightly. It gives the horse a bit more freedom of movement.

AFAIK all modern saddles are made like this, I can remember waaaay back when spring tree saddles first came on the market and they were like something out of Star Trek!