Ee GADS. Am I actually considering a treeless saddle?

[Bogie]

I have both treed and treeless saddles . . . currently on the treeless front I have a Freeform and a Torsion Extra Light. I’ve previously owned a Barefoot Cheyenne and a Hilason.

I have an article on this in my blog (see my signature line), but in a nutshell:

• The Freeform is much more like a treed saddle (for the rider) because it has the feeling of a twist. If you have a wide horse, you might find that the Barefoot and the Torsion style stretches your hips a lot.
• The Freeform has a modular design that allows you to change the seat sizes, which I find a very useful feature. You can also change the position of the stirrups which I also really like.
• I hate Nubuck and didn’t like the way it wore, that’s one of the reasons why I sold my Cheyenne. I also found it put me in a slight chair seat.
• The Torsion EL is a minimalist saddle as it has no fenders. I love the very close contact feel and really like the connection that it gives me.

When I tried the Cheyenne, they didn’t have the gullet that the newer models have. It was a very unstructured saddle when I tried it. I thought of it more as a glorified bareback pad. I also found that having just two seat sizes wasn’t helpful. Many people fall inbetween and have two size up to the 2 which might be too roomy.

The Torsion saddles mostly now have the ability to pad up the gullet with shims. IMHO, the quality of the Torsion is better and I like how the saddle is “shaped.” Mine is in Buffalo leather and is wearing extremely well.

Best idea is to try a few. It definitely is a different feel, but I didn’t have any real problem switching over to them. I probably ride treeless about half the time.

I bought both of my Treeless saddles used and each one cost about $700. Both were pretty darn close to new – I think the Torsion had less than 5 rides on it. When I was buying it, I found that Jeannean at www.gotreeless.com was very helpful. Might be a good place to start!

[gypsymare]

I love my Freeform classic and can mount from the ground with zero problems and haul up a hill without a breastcollar with no slipping but my horse has a serious slope to her ribs that would make it nearly impossible for any saddle to slip backwards, and enough wither to keep it secure. I hardly feel any difference between riding in the treeless and a treed saddle as A2 has described, so don’t be afraid!

That being said, I don’t see how a treeless saddle is going to help your problems with your saddle slipping backwards. While we’d like to think that a perfect fitting saddle would stay secure on it’s own, if your horse’s conformation is such that there’s just no slope to keep a saddle in place it’s probably best to find the most comfortable padded breastcollar you can find.

[BaileyTW]

[QUOTE=gypsymare;3182394]

That being said, I don’t see how a treeless saddle is going to help your problems with your saddle slipping backwards. While we’d like to think that a perfect fitting saddle would stay secure on it’s own, if your horse’s conformation is such that there’s just no slope to keep a saddle in place it’s probably best to find the most comfortable padded breastcollar you can find.[/QUOTE]

To a degree, I agree with this. my horse has a very narrow ribcage and just doesn’t hold a saddle in place. Any saddle, treed or treeless, slides back if we ride a hill. I learned REALLY quick that a breastcollar was required. However with the same saddle (my Barefoot treeless) on a horse with more nicely-sprung ribs and a higher wither, it is INCREDIBLY stable. I have had luck with a Zilco endurance collar, it is nice, padded, and doesn’t rub Bailey. And Bailey is VERY rub-able. I swear if he even looks at neoprene his hair falls out.

Are you saying though that the saddle slides when you are on the flat on your horse? If thats the case, are you setting it too far forward? or maybe it just fits that badly. I had a saddle that just didn’t fit his withers and would slide back totally behind his shoulder (aka, to his butt) because of that, even on the flat. So the saddle should fit to be in place on the flat at least, but like gypsymare said, you may just have to make exceptions when riding trails/hills.

[katarine]

Honestly, I refuse to let a breast collar keep it in place- it’s THAT bad- it’s not SORTA not fitting…it’s gone and half way down his back in 2-3 laps around a small arena. tacky pads aren’t going to keep it in place either.

I think a saddle that fits ought to stay where it belongs when ridden on flat ground - extreme conditions do rightfully call for cruppers and BCs, I’m fine with that. But I can’t believe his shape is so extreme that he needs a BC as a band aid in a FLAT arena. I’m just not there yet!

[gabz]

Well… I rode a friend’ s horse. I snugged the girth, walked the horse around, tightened the girth again, and then one more time before mounting.
Regardless - about 20 minutes into the ride, I had to dismount, adjust the saddle again, tighten it again, and remount.
It was TWH.

Never tried to fix it. Never rode the horse again.

[BaileyTW]

[QUOTE=katarine;3184363]

I think a saddle that fits ought to stay where it belongs when ridden on flat ground [/QUOTE]

Yes, I agree. If sliding back is the issue, be sure to check if it is too snug around the shoulder area, that is my big problem with my TWH.

[Blueskidoo]

I have tried a couple of treeless saddles, but the saddle that works the best on my horse, a huge moving TB, is The Freedom Saddle by Crates. www.thefreedomsaddle.com.

The saddle is really open in the shoulders and the hips and that seems to let y mare really move and bend without restricting her gait. Because if there was a Derby for walking, she would win, she just eats the ground.

We are very happy now.

[Cindyg]

[QUOTE=Auventera Two;3180671]
Treeless is not for everybody. It takes a LOT of muscle control to ride treeless. It’s much more like bareback, but with stirrups. You’ll hurt in muscles you didn’t even know you had. [/QUOTE]

@BaileyTW;3180068

Be aware that if you get a treeless, they ARE different. you can’t rely on your stirrups for balance as much.

I just want to add that this has not been my experience. I’ve ridden in a Rebecca Softride treeless saddle every day I could for the past 5 years. My horse also has a short back. I do use my stirrups. The saddle doesn’t roll when I mount. I’ve never felt it slip side to side or front to back. (But I don’t ride hard. Your mileage may vary.) And I don’t feel like it requires any particular muscle control or balance. It just rides like a good saddle to me.

As someone else said, though, I don’t know that a treeless will solve your slippage problem. ???

Here’s a link to the one I have. It’s a very nice saddle: http://www.rebeccatreelesssaddles.com/