[QUOTE=Draftmare;8918581]
Looks like the weight limit on the ghost is 170, so that won’t work for me. :([/QUOTE]
I am well over that and it works fine for me. Honestly if you are looking to go treeless, all the asking questions in the world won’t help as much as seeing what you can beg and borrow and sitting in them.
[QUOTE=Draftmare;8918581]
Looks like the weight limit on the ghost is 170, so that won’t work for me. :([/QUOTE]
I am also over 170. I discussed it with the dealer and sent photos of me riding. She thought it would work fine and it does. I use it with the Ghost pad. It’s quite stable on my horses and it has more than one position for the leathers so I can put them farther back and keep my legs well underneath me.
I’ve had a couple of treeless saddles – original barefoot (I hated it because it put me in a chair seat), Torsion (nice saddle but not that stable on my very round horse), Freeform (I like this one), and a half treed Phoenix. The Phoenix was the only one that made my horse sore.
The Ghost saddles are very competitively priced and I think well made.
I tend to agree with Guilherme too.
Treeless saddles are not really treeless. They are barless. What they don’t have are bars. The bars protect the spine. What eventually happens with “treeless” saddles is they start to fold right under your seatbones (where the weight is) and put pressure on the spinous processes of the spine. Of course, saddle quality, rider weight and balance, padding, etc. will determine when this will happen. I’m not slamming treeless, but anyone who rides in one should be well aware of this and be checking the saddle and the horse’s back very frequently.
Saw someone riding with Buck Brannaman yesterday in a treeless. Saddle was off to one side the whole ride.
[QUOTE=tabula rashah;8918595]
I am well over that and it works fine for me. Honestly if you are looking to go treeless, all the asking questions in the world won’t help as much as seeing what you can beg and borrow and sitting in them.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Bogie;8918712]I am also over 170. I discussed it with the dealer and sent photos of me riding. She thought it would work fine and it does. I use it with the Ghost pad. It’s quite stable on my horses and it has more than one position for the leathers so I can put them farther back and keep my legs well underneath me.
I’ve had a couple of treeless saddles – original barefoot (I hated it because it put me in a chair seat), Torsion (nice saddle but not that stable on my very round horse), Freeform (I like this one), and a half treed Phoenix. The Phoenix was the only one that made my horse sore.
The Ghost saddles are very competitively priced and I think well made.[/QUOTE]
Well, that’s good to hear. I may contact them and see what they think. I have tried Barefoot in the past and really hated it. I felt like I was perched way above my horse, does the Ghost feel like that? Do you feel pretty balanced in it? I am still leaning towards a Bob Marshall, but I am not sure how well I will like the lack of structure.
[QUOTE=partita;8918939]
I tend to agree with Guilherme too.
Treeless saddles are not really treeless. They are barless. What they don’t have are bars. The bars protect the spine. What eventually happens with “treeless” saddles is they start to fold right under your seatbones (where the weight is) and put pressure on the spinous processes of the spine. Of course, saddle quality, rider weight and balance, padding, etc. will determine when this will happen. I’m not slamming treeless, but anyone who rides in one should be well aware of this and be checking the saddle and the horse’s back very frequently.
Saw someone riding with Buck Brannaman yesterday in a treeless. Saddle was off to one side the whole ride.[/QUOTE]
Well, yes, that’s what happens with a crappy treeless or a treeless not fitted or padded properly. Bad fit happens with treed saddles quite often as well, as does the saddle slipped to the side. And I would hope any rider, whether they choose treed or treeless should be checking their horse’s back frequently. I not only check my mare’s back after every ride (treeless for 4 years now) but it gets checked by a vet more than once in competition (CTR/ Endurance). She’s happy in, I’m happy in it- so that’s what really counts. AKA- do what works for you and your horse, NOT what other people think should work for them.
[QUOTE=Draftmare;8918942]
Well, that’s good to hear. I may contact them and see what they think. I have tried Barefoot in the past and really hated it. I felt like I was perched way above my horse, does the Ghost feel like that? Do you feel pretty balanced in it? I am still leaning towards a Bob Marshall, but I am not sure how well I will like the lack of structure.[/QUOTE]
I feel like my Ghost puts me in a very nice dressage position with my legs very nicely underneath me (I do use the farther back setting on the stirrups). It has a narrower twist than a lot of treeless also
[QUOTE=Draftmare;8918942]
Well, that’s good to hear. I may contact them and see what they think. I have tried Barefoot in the past and really hated it. I felt like I was perched way above my horse, does the Ghost feel like that? Do you feel pretty balanced in it? I am still leaning towards a Bob Marshall, but I am not sure how well I will like the lack of structure.[/QUOTE]
No, I don’t feel perched and the saddle is very stable, despite some aerobatic movements by my horses.
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