Any issues with this saddle slipping?
Have you talked to Chris about your issues? Honestly I haven’t had much riding time in my bandos. My QH is high withered tho, and so far I haven’t had to remove the hard pommel…but I guess that might change once I see how we all move!
I don’t have a breast collar yet, keep forgetting to measure him for the bridle part! (he’s in between large horse and regular horse sizes for a halter). I hope I can at least arena ride for a bit without one.
(edit: what I mean by bridle part is that I plan to get the breast collar, bridle and reins as a full set at once)
I am not much help (still waiting on circle-k to have something other than 15" in stock) but my tacky too products that i have WORK
I have their bareback pad, and their western pad. lemme tell ya, nothin moves under their pads. My western one was about $100. I went on a 25 miler in a western saddle that usually in that time gets readjusted twice, and i never had to adjust tack with the tacky too pad.
On the flip side, if you decide to sell you bandos, lemme know before you post on ebay 
A2, are you riding w/the pads recommended by the manufacturer or the yahoo Barefoot/Bandos riders? I think the correct padding is very critical with treeless.
I ride in a FF not a Bandos so I don’t know if there is a difference but I was told that for a FF, the Equipedic or HAF was best. I prefered the HAF because it felt more stable. I ride with a Thinline pad on top and never a problem with slippage even with spooks, jumps and sideways bolts, rolling terrain and steeper. Believe me, I am a modest rider at best though I can stick a spook thru years of experience with my agile little mare LOL.
However, the FF is a more structured saddle. The Bandos is “floppier”. A friend of mine had a Barefoot, another “floppy” saddle and rode it with a variety of pads, all off the rack and still had slippage. She sold it and went with a Boz treed saddle. This was before the yahoo treeless group was up and running or she may have tried the pad combos that are recommended today.
But, I know many distance riders using the floppier treeless saddles who do not have this problem. I believe it’s due in part to using the proper padding combo. If I remember correctly they usually use a custom ordered Skito, HAF or Equipedic. Many also say that they incorporate the Thinline.
If you don’t have one of the recommended pad, I have an Equipedic you could try out. It’s one of my extras that I use infrequently since I switched to the HAF.
Hi,
I ride in an Ansur, and I use a quilted square pad with a sheepskin panels underside. I do not have any issues with it slipping. In my experience overpadding is a big issue, as well as grippy pads pulling hairs out on the back, and then the horses wiggle more, and the saddle goes.
Well, I just put the pommels back in the Bandos, and el cheapo no name. The el cheapo fits the QH and the Bandos kind of fits the Arab and that’s just the way it’ll have to be. With the pommel in I had very minimal slipping, and found out that it actually exerted no pressure at all her shoulders. I could easily slide my hand right under on both sides. I guess I just won’t be able to use the Bandos on the QH.
I don’t have the expensive pads yet but will purchase them as soon as I’m able.
I even used an armpit strap for mounting and was able to mount from the ground without the saddle moving.
The problem with my treeless, like yours - is not the saddle or type of pad, but lack of withers…:no:
I loved my BM, but I ended up selling it, because it would just not stay put. IMO, it didn’t matter what pad I tried. Being mutton withered, it just isn’t going to stay. That was my experience anyway.
After almost getting seriously injured when my saddled slipped while going down hill…I put safety over the saddle.
I finally went back to a treed Abetta along with a Cashel no slip pad.
[QUOTE=Huntertwo;3031818]
The problem with my treeless, like yours - is not the saddle or type of pad, but lack of withers…:no:
I loved my BM, but I ended up selling it, because it would just not stay put. IMO, it didn’t matter what pad I tried. Being mutton withered, it just isn’t going to stay. That was my experience anyway.
After almost getting seriously injured when my saddled slipped while going down hill…I put safety over the saddle.
I finally went back to a treed Abetta along with a Cashel no slip pad.[/QUOTE]
Was it a steep downhill? If so, probably should’ve employed a crupper or britchen. More for safety (as you mentioned) than anything.
All this info is good to know, I considered treeless for my broad-backed mutton-withered mare, and perhaps it wouldn’t be a good option for us after all. :eek:
Luckily we have a grand total of TWO saddles that fit her now. A/P and an Aussie. So I’m set. 
Hey, about your aussie - can you tell me how to determine the seat size? I’ve been tossing around the idea of buying one for the Arab to use on rides when I know I might get some aires above the ground and circus manuevers. :eek: I’m looking at those black ones on Ebay right now. They come in a wide. Is that the one you got? What size did you get?
[QUOTE=Auventera Two;3032394]
Hey, about your aussie - can you tell me how to determine the seat size? I’ve been tossing around the idea of buying one for the Arab to use on rides when I know I might get some aires above the ground and circus manuevers. :eek: I’m looking at those black ones on Ebay right now. They come in a wide. Is that the one you got? What size did you get?[/QUOTE]
I got a 17, they are SUPPOSED to run basically like english seat sizes do. Or if you don’t know your english size, add 2 inches to your western seat size. ie, my western saddle (that doesn’t fit my mare, hence why I bought the aussie) is a 15, so my english and my aussie are 17’s.
BUT, beware, as they aren’t exactly built like english saddles in the seat. The cantle is very high (really nice and secure ), higher than Dressage saddles. So if you’re generously built in the bum area, I’d suggest going up a size. There’s really little room for bum in the aussies, if you order your regular english size.
As for tree sizes, I went more by gullet width than anything else. I believe mine’s a 7.5" gullet, which is considered pretty darn wide. The only thing wider than that was the draft Aussie, with a massive 10" gullet. :eek:
Oh, and regarding which brand I got, I bought the “Bushmaster Ultimate” from Sydney Saddleworks, through the ebay seller Frontier Equestrian. :yes:
If you have any more questions about the aussies, let me know! I wish I had more folks to talk to before buying mine, it would’ve made things a lot easier. :lol:
Oh good, thanks for the info! I haven’t decided what to do yet, but I just can’t help but thinking I don’t want to eat dirt at the endurance rides this coming year! :eek:
[QUOTE=Auventera Two;3032459]
Oh good, thanks for the info! I haven’t decided what to do yet, but I just can’t help but thinking I don’t want to eat dirt at the endurance rides this coming year! :eek:[/QUOTE]
Well they’re great saddles for preventing the eating of the dirt. :lol: The very first ride in mine, my mare did one of her lovely ‘warps’ sideways (ie, spooked so fast that one second we were in one spot, and the next second we were in a spot a good distance sideways to where we were originally… as if she warped there ), and I tell you what, I DID NOT MOVE. Lost my balance a bit, but between the poleys and high cantle, I was being held in! :yes:
I’ve had no problems with my Fhoenix but it has a channel underneath over the spine and that will really help with stability laterally. I remember my old Ansur Classic being a much less stable saddle. With the Fhoenix, I can mount from the ground and have no slippage issues at all.
I have a FF and use the HAF pad on my QH and have had no problems with slipping - either up or down hills, or sideways if he feels like leaping around - I usually forget to even put on my breastplate. :winkgrin:
If ytou take the hard pommel out of a treeless saddle you’ve pretty much changed it into a bareback pad. Combine that with no withers and round barrel and you’ll have a rolling saddle. Fleece pads and girths make it worse. Guess you know that. However, most of those removable pommels can be altered so they fit a horse better. If the entire pommel arch is just too narrow you may not be able to improve it. But if it’s just the bottom part of the pommel, the flat part that sits on the horses withers, that has the wrong angle, then you may be able to change that angle sufficiently with a belt sander. I haven’t seen the pommel out of a Bandos saddle, but I know that some folks have changed the pommels of other brands.
Something like this: http://www.bitofbritain.com/Nunn_Finer_No_Slip_Pad_p/0179.htm may help a bit also. The SMX neoprene girths that have the textured neoprene surface against the horse are about the stickiest girths/cinches out there and have some give to them. A lot of folks use them with the western treeless saddles. I don’t care for them but they help with the sliding saddle thing.
Bonnie Snodgrass
Thanks for all the advice everyone 
One thing I know for sure is that I won’t buy “sticky” pads and girths because I don’t want to yank out the horse’s hair. I think the real answer has to come from reshaping the saddle somehow. Also, I already bought 2 of the mohair girths that were really expensive, I love them, and would like to keep using them.
The suggestion of sanding the pommel is a good one. I will give that a try.
The Bandos pommel is VERY narrow. I can’t believe they designed it that way. The only thing I can think is that they designed it for endurance Arabs who are very thin. If you look at the pics of Chris’ pictures wearing the saddles, the horses have bones sticking out. My Arab is fatter and rounder so the fit is a lot tighter. And the Bandos pommel will not fit the QH at all.
I guess I’m using El Cheapo on her until I can figure out some other solution.
I will buy the HAF pads though. It’s just so much $$$. I’m buying hoof boots and breast plates right now.
[QUOTE=Auventera Two;3033342]
Thanks for all the advice everyone
One thing I know for sure is that I won’t buy “sticky” pads and girths because I don’t want to yank out the horse’s hair. I think the real answer has to come from reshaping the saddle somehow. Also, I already bought 2 of the mohair girths that were really expensive, I love them, and would like to keep using them.
The suggestion of sanding the pommel is a good one. I will give that a try.
The Bandos pommel is VERY narrow. I can’t believe they designed it that way. The only thing I can think is that they designed it for endurance Arabs who are very thin. If you look at the pics of Chris’ pictures wearing the saddles, the horses have bones sticking out. My Arab is fatter and rounder so the fit is a lot tighter. And the Bandos pommel will not fit the QH at all.
I guess I’m using El Cheapo on her until I can figure out some other solution.
I will buy the HAF pads though. It’s just so much $$$. I’m buying hoof boots and breast plates right now.[/QUOTE]
FWIW, I use a non-slip (‘sticky’) pad, and have never had any hair loss from it. Even now when she’s shedding, it isn’t any different for her than using a normal pad.
A2: I finally have gotten some decent ride time in on the Bandos and found that it was a little more slippery tonight, but I’m still playing with tightening the girth since it has that new leather and cold toughness!
So far, the pommel is staying in and seat works for me on (no sheepskin). The HAF pad works nicely too, it has a stubbly grippiness to it.
Hope you get your issues figure out!
My daughter had the same problem; we found that her horse’s left front leg was shorter than the right causing the shoulder to drop and the saddle to slip.
Added a pad under the shoe to square him up and the saddle never slipped again.
After we figured out what the deal was we let that hoof grow out longer.
