Which treeless?

I have tried a Libra pad which ws just a ppad and stirrups, it didnt feel that supportive to either of us and I had concerns over the pressure points fromm the stirrups.

I tried a Heather moffett Phoenix and although it was comfy I found the saddle itself quite heavy and the actual seat quite short. I now have a FlexEE which i love it is one of my best ever horse purchases but again I had to go for a slightly longer seat than with a 'normal' treed saddle. I will be honest and say I can no longer get the thinking behind treed saddle and would never go back to one now
 
I used to have a Torsion which was lovely to ride in although I don't think it really suits very high withered horses. I currently have a Libra which was bought as a trial for a new horse with muscle wastage but it has made such a difference to her back I've carried on using it. It's very comfy for me too. However I use a Suber pad underneath. Imo the pad is more important than the saddle. I intend to buy a FlexEE shortly as well.

I love the fact it's much more like riding bareback (but more secure) although some people seem to hate that. As long as you use a decent saddle and a decent pad I can't see any reason to ever go back to treed!
 
Treefree Dartmoor. Beautifully crafted, made in the UK and no breaching stirrup leathers inside the saddle across the seat area which some have creating pressure points.

Also, they have a huge amount of info about what treelesses are good for and less good for, rather than the 'brilliant for everything' spiel you seem to get from every other manufacturer.

Really recommend them.

Whatever one you get, invest in the right besspoke pad/numnah for underneath, that's really important.
 
I've tried most treeless styles over the years.

The ones that look a bit like western saddles (barefoot, torsion etc) are pretty rubbish. They are so soft and flexible that they offer no support for the rider or protection for the horse other than their padding. You might as well just strap a prolite pad on with a surcingles.

The freeform/freemax style are better. Their base is stiff and fairly ridged, which protects the horses back better. There's still issues with the stirrup bars across the seat although they're removable and I fixed mine so the bars are suspended from a wide webbing V velcroed on at the front and back, not the middle.

HM saddle often don't fit. The gullet channel at the back is far too narrow on the higher spec models and the panel shape doesn't suit all. When they do fit they're good saddles.

Her newer FlexEE saddle is pretty good but has issues with balance (collapsing at the front mainly) and sliding back. They do have more pressure under the middle (I.e under the rider) but prob not enough to cause a problem.

I've not seen a SMART saddle in real life (seriously expensive! ) but hears good reports.

The cheap 'traditional' looking indian leather imports are basically exactly the same as a FlexEE but badly made with poor quality material.
 
Agreeing with Kallibear's post...

I won't personally touch HM saddles.

A few people I know upgraded to the Smart saddles and I hear good reports from them too. Too expensive for me, though. Maybe when they start coming up second hand at the same time I have some spare cash, I will invest :)
 
Kallibear I disagree on the Barefoot saddles - yes the Cheyenne is very 'western' styled but so far every horse I've put mine on has loved it - my youngsters especially move very freely in it just because it is soft and flexible and must (to them) feel like they haven't got anything 'tight' on their back. I can feel when they are getting tense and equally I can feel when they are relaxing and starting to move properly - I've found that extremely helpful when bringing the youngsters on.

I also have a barefoot Barrydale - I only got this because as I'm getting older my knees needed a bit more support. I love the barrydale, gives me great support and so far the horses are happy, I've been using it now for 6 months and all have just passed a back check with flying colours.
 
Hi
I ride treeless and have done since I found my Sensation saddle, seriously comfy and more important to me as I ride a fat fjord, it has a twist so does not feel like I am sitting on top of a table and give me hip ache. I had two trekkers a pro endurance and a trekker talent both felt awfully wide to sit on.
 
Um, sorry to be dense OP but WHY are you considering treeless? I ask this because if your horse has got back concerns, then "going treeless" might not solve any of those and may actually make the situation worse.

Having said that, treeless saddles are a very handy piece of kit in that if you've got a horse constantly changing shape, they (obviously) don't need to be re-flocked constantly.

However........ you need to bear in mind the fact that there WILL be pressure points where the stirrup insets go; also the saddle you choose is only as good as the pad underneath, so if £££ is an issue then you're best not to skimp on the pad, as this is vital. Some treeless websites will tell you that you don't need a pad underneath, which is total rubbish, yes you do, its absolutely vital.

I've tried the Heather Moffatt Phoenix and the Vogue. Awful awful awful! They contorted my body into such a strange position in only 45 mins of riding that I could hardly walk for three days!

I tried the Barefoot, but it was the size 2 and was far too big for me (I'm a size 14/16); plus my knees didn't have any support and I just didn't feel confident enough in the blimmin thing to canter in it.

As my horses are both changing shape at the moment and purely on a whim, I bought a leather Libra saddle on e-bay. What a lovely little item, its got knee-rolls and is wonderfully comfortable, although when you first get on a treeless they seem incredibly wide and you have to get over the shock of having your knees pushed apart so radically!!:) But in about 10 mins riding in it, you do get used to the different way of sitting.

A word of warning though, you will feel EVERYTHING that's going on with your horse. My loan mare is very unlevel behind (is sound, but is unlevel), and in a treed saddle you hardly notice it, but when I hopped up in the treeless saddle and went for a hack the other night, I had to ask a friend to confirm she wasn't lame! - as she felt incredibly unlevel.

Also, with my traddie cob, he felt very strange, especially going downhill!

So there's pro's and con's really.

A friend advised me that if you're going to buy on e-bay in particular, to avoid like the plague anything made in India, or anything that hasn't got a maker's name on it. She said that the best buy is something well known like a Libra, Freeform/Freemax, Barefoot (but not their latest models which are AWFUL apparently and are all over e-bay like a rash coz no-one likes them), or Torsion.

But the best thing, if you ARE serious about treeless, is to trawl a few websites, do your research, and if you can, find a company that will let you try one to see if you like it. You may have to pay an up-front fee but better that than be stuck with something you're not happy with. THEN, look for one similar on e-bay!!

Also bear in mind that not every treeless saddle will fit every horse. If you can, get someone to look over the fit of it as if badly fitted a treeless can do an awful lot of harm.

And don't forget you'll need safety stirrups with a lot of treeless saddles.
 
I ride in a Solution Smart and love it. I've done the pressure mat testing too and there were no pressure points anywhere, possibly why they aren't cheap initially. Some treeless saddles are awful, so try to test as many as possible before deciding.
When I look at how many saddles I've bought over the years, (and sold on at a huge loss when horse changes,or child outgrows) I think they are worth it.
 
I have just booked a trial with a solution smart saddle as I saw them at a show and was impressed and then read some excellent reports on here. They are pricey but if I don't need to change saddle so often it should be worth it!
 
Definitely consider the Solution saddles. I've got both the Smart Close Contact Dressage and the Original GP. Both very nice saddles, which both I and the horses get along with. They do need fitting though, so certainly have a proper fitter in and have the two week trial they offer as they don't suit every horse and every rider.
 
can you jump in the flexee saddles securely?!
I had a libra and really liked it, but pony wasn't wide enough for it! Suited my table top 14.3 tho.
I used a suber pad and their backs stayed sound, still use it now for when my tree'd doesn't fit properly (i.e. when she gains too much weight in summer!) and it protects her back. A pad that does what it says on the tin!!
 
Another Solution saddle lover. I have a freestyle and both my horses go well in it. It is also great for my bad back & I am never stiff even if I haven't ridden for a while, and as others have said you can get a 2 week trial to see if you and your horse get on with it
 
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH for taking the time to reply. Its all very informative. I have 2 x 3yr old welsh part breds, they are quite different from each other, one is mostly heavy horse and the other is an anglo-arb x welsh and is quite thoroughbredy. We have just backed the heavy lad and he's sooooo comfy to ride bareback around the field, I've sat on the finer one and he's good too. I intend riding my heavy boy bareback and then it occured to me that a treeless might be a good idea,even a pad without stirrups maybe. Lots of thoughts and ideas going round my head. I have a lot of reasearch to do!
 
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