All the horses in the pictures above are wearing Treeless Saddles .
Treeless saddles have been around in some form or another for almost as long as horses have been ridden. They most certainly are not new.
There are a great many treeless saddles on the market, made of a variety of materials and in a wide variety of styles.
There is one important fact that I think it is important to remember , the best saddle for your horse is the one that fits him , in every aspect.
Quite often when fitting a saddle, people neglect to fit the saddle to the dynamic horse , the body of the static horse varies greatly to that of the dynamic horse, and the dynamic horse, once warmed up and working well, will vary a great deal from the same horse just beginning his work.
It is also important that the saddle fits the rider. If the saddle does not fit the rider, it can throw them out of balance, either putting them behind the movement, or tipping them forward, again causing the rider to be unbalanced . An unbalanced rider = an unbalanced horse.
The treed saddle causes restriction for the horse. Imagine the ridged tree; the points of the saddle tree restrict the movement of the shoulder.
Lateral flexion is suppressed in a treed saddle , and the horse will find it difficult to lift his back and thus engage his hind quarters.
The treeless saddle has evolved , and there are many designs available to suit all horses, all riders and all pockets.
The wonderful thing about the treeless saddle is that when your horse changes shape, for whatever reason, you need not worry about his saddle hurting him.
Depending on the treeless saddle you use, you may not need to do anything when your horses shape changes, or you may need to change the fit (width/length ) of your saddle or add or change pads and / or shims . Definitely not buy a new expensive saddle , only to have him change shape again.
I have tried a variety of treeless saddles, including the Dream, Wintec, Barefoot, Torsion, heather moffet phoenix and vogue, the Trekker , and the Total contact.
All of these saddles were very comfortable, and the horses I rode with them performed very well ,
The saddle I now prefer is the Total Contact, We use this saddle on all the horses, this includes a 13:2 welsh , a light weight 15:2 Anglo Arab, a 15:2 heavy cob, and 2 welsh X thoroughbred standing at 14:2 and 14:3 .
This saddle is the most liberating I have ever ridden in. It is like riding bareback with the advantage of stirrups.
Some people have voiced concern about pressure on the horses back, however we have never seen so much as a mark from the saddle, and the horses backs always get the ‘all clear’ from our equine Physiotherapist.
We find we ride much more ‘ with’ the horse, sitting trot and sitting to the canter, although light seat is great to. It is so easy to stay with your horse and to ‘feel’ them, you really do feel ‘at one’ .
The horse can clearly ‘feel’ you and react to your requests with ease.
I appreciate these saddles may not be for everyone, but I strongly recommend anyone who loves the liberating freedom of bareback, try one.
Oh, another great advantage, how many brand new saddles that will fit every and any horse you have, are under £200 ( March 2011 ) and yes you can jump in them.
So the next time you need to change your horses saddle, seriously consider trying a treeless, your horse will benefit , and therefore, so will you.
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Reblogged this on Treeless Saddles Tried and Tested and commented:
Interesting read, however just to clarify this site doesn’t include the HM range as it is part treed, The Contact hasn’t found its way in my tack room to be tested.
Wintec doesn’t make a treeless.
The Total Contact is one of a few I have not entertained. I ride bareback regularly and I don’t want stirrups.
I use the Freeform and like you I have tried many others, I liked the Treefree and I had the Dream prototype for the company testing.