Why go treeless?

I did with my last mare. I wasnt looking to buy treeless but i came to it through listening to my horse and saddler. Had the saddler up to fit her and she looked uncomfortable in everything. Saddler had her friends torsion in the van, it wasn't for sale but she suggested trying it. She instantly relaxed and moved beautifully. I ended up buying a Dartmoor Treefree on eBay and loved it. This mare was just used for hacking though. At the time, treeless weren't really recommended for jumping. This is changing now though with Heather Moffetts saddles. I will add that all physical checks were done, she was just very picky!

Currently have a new horse and I want to jump and XC with her so have had her fitted with a treed. Am definitely on the look out for another eBay treeless for hacking and schooling though! I really like them :-)
 
I don't follow trends and fads, and I was really scathing about treeless saddles, thought I'd never have one, in fact probably didn't give them enough thought to even think I'd never have one.

I was riding my young horse in a treed saddle, and having some problems with my position, and noticed his back was becoming asymmetrical. I mentioned it to a YO friend who I didn't know rode treeless and he suggested I come over to his and a treeless rep would try some saddles for me, free of charge (and I got to have a play in his nice arena) so I said 'Yeah ok, suppose'. No intention of liking them, I was there for the play in the arena :p and well blow me if my horse didn't change his way of going in the treeless. I hadn't really realised he wasn't moving as well as he could, being a young horse and only ever ridden in his treed saddle, I had no point of comparison.

The fitter watched me ride in the treed and told me the horse was shoving me out of position to carry me to one shoulder, which I'd thought was all me, and I'd been trying to sort myself out. I didn't ride him again in the treed saddle, and stumped up for the treeless. The asymmetry rectified itself really quickly. Had it a few years now, and ride a few horses in it.
 
What's the theory?

For example, I've seen iffy horses go well in old military saddles because the bearing panels, although stiffer and longer, are just so much larger that the weight is spread more evenly. This even applied to a dodgy arab I had, who per the books should not have been in that saddle because of his short back.
 
After having nightmares with treed saddles for Shy (he would buck at the slightest issue), we tried treeless. It took a lot of buying and selling to finally get the saddle we have now, but it has been worth every penny. He moves so well, his shoulder is much free - er (?), and he LOVES going out now. It changes shape with him, as he is typical cob. Tbh, I can't understand how treed saddles can give as much as is needed ?

Not only that, my Barefoot Cheyenne Drytex has really helped my bad back - it gives a lot of support, and is hard to come out of. I can't jump in it - it is not a jumping saddle, but we only hack anyway, and it's what I need. Synthetic and very lightweight.

How do I claim my commision ?
 
Similar to Shysmum I had all sorts of issues with tree'd saddles and pony kept changing shape. I tried a treeless not expecting much and loved it. Pony is much freeer in her shoulder, I have a much better feel for her, I can feel every stride and the second she tenses even slightly. It also makes me sit straighter and more evenly and I have never come off in it despite some interesting broncs
 
I started on the treeless route when I had my big cob. He was being ridden in a Wintec that seemed to fit him really well. A visitor let me have a go riding him in her Bob Marshall saddle and his movement was transformed. I've never looked back, tried a lot of different treeless saddles along the way, and love the concept.
 
Shysmum said:
After having nightmares with treed saddles for Shy (he would buck at the slightest issue), we tried treeless. It took a lot of buying and selling to finally get the saddle we have now, but it has been worth every penny. He moves so well, his shoulder is much free - er (?), and he LOVES going out now. It changes shape with him, as he is typical cob. Tbh, I can't understand how treed saddles can give as much as is needed ?

Not only that, my Barefoot Cheyenne Drytex has really helped my bad back - it gives a lot of support, and is hard to come out of. I can't jump in it - it is not a jumping saddle, but we only hack anyway, and it's what I need. Synthetic and very lightweight.

How do I claim my commision ?
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I'm liking the look of them, especially the GP one. do you find you feel secure without the knee rolls? (though the GP one does have them) I have a gypsie cob and mainly hack but daughter jumps a bit (could keep his current saddle for that if needed). do you find the freer movement helps if they lean on the forehand? he is much better with schooling etc but I'd be interested to know. I'm thinking of starting longer hacks and maybe starting some endurance next year.
 
Because Rods was a pain the backside to fit. I don't have to worry about horses going up in weight, down in weight, odd seasonal changes, reflocking, etc. I can do everything I can in a treed, I'm more comfortable, my horse is more comfortable, and it's absolute heaven when you're riding a variety of horses and you can simply stick your own saddle on them.

I'm a convert.
 
Because they suit my horses, can't think of a better reason. Nothing to do with fashion, have owned / used my Podium for 8 years now.
 
Waaaay back in the late ninties/early noughties my young cob was going through saddles faster than most horses went through shoes :) He's wide, hardly any withers and and has shoulders that a rhino would be proud to have...as a result firstly finding a wide enough saddle was a challenge before the days of extra wide saddles being readily available and then one that didn't impede his shoulders. I was all set to buy a made to measure but as he was only 4 or so then I knew he had a lot of growing and filling out to do...

In one of the horsey mags I saw a piece about these new treeless saddles (Freeform I think) so I rang the company Goldfinch who were importing them and had a very long chat and liked the idea - then the fun started! They wanted to come and fit the saddle, lovely sez I when? After 3 or 4 attempts to get them to commit to date we left it that I would travel 100+ miles to deepest Suffolk with a young horse to somewhere they were doing a clinic (I must have been insane but I was desperate) - then Foot and Mouth hit and since I was liveried on a cattle farm we were on lockdown. I begged them to just take my £650 (so not a cheap option) and just sell me a saddle but then they told me that actually they had sold out and it would be an undetermined number of months before I got one anyway. Dear God, I then swore that I wouldn't buy from them even if they were the last place to get one ever. 3 months wasted.

In the meantime I'd had a go on one through a friend of a friend of a friend and loved it so started looking for an alternative. Looked at the torsions but I would have had to import one and that really was expensive but eventually found Horse and Harmony who had the Trekker which looked just like the freeform but was £300 cheaper so of course I bought that. It was delivered a week later (note the contrast :) in service please ). It suited the horse, I loved it and found it really helped my dodgy back so all good. I eventually sold it 8-10 years later for 90% of what I paid for it.

When I got another horse I bought him a newer model Trekker Pro Endurance http://www.equinewhispers.co.uk/hor...er-pro-endurance-classic-treeless-saddle.html which both he and I loved. More traditional (once the handle is removed) looking, no need for special pads or safety stirrups, infinitely adjustable and honestly more comfortable than the average sofa. A very tricky to fit pony who was happy to express his discomfort in other saddles with a rodeo display relaxed and moved like a dream in this saddle as did other horses...

I got into treeless because of a difficult to fit youngster but really can't see a reason now to go back to treed especially since the newer generation of TFs are around, they are so much better than the original TFs of 10 - 15 years ago.
 
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