Spinoff -Which Treeless?

[Bogie]

You do not want a memory foam pad as it will compress. You want the rigid foam of a skito pad (or similar). Otherwise you are not protecting your horse’s back. The pad you linked to is a meant to go under a standard Western saddle, not a treeless sadde.

This is a very, very important component of the saddle set up. It is a false economy to buy a sub-standard pad. The pads that are effective cost serious dollars.

If you want to save $$ you can often find used treeless saddle pads used on eBay.

Here’s a list of some of the pads available from Action Rider Tack
http://www.actionridertack.com/c-272-treeless-saddle-pads.aspx

Gotreeless.com also has a list.

Many problems that people have with treeless saddles are the result of not padding properly.

[LMH]

@Lamb Chop;6599244

I have a Freeform Classic that is truly amazing. I grew up riding bareback, and this saddle puts me in the same position and balance on my horse.

THIS.

I have owned Ansur, Barefoot, Sensation, etc

Freeform saddles are just hand over hand above the rest.

The other saddles worked for awhile but eventually my horses started having comfort issues…and I am not a big girl at all.

It seemed like every day I was searching for a new pad.

I would never use anything but a Freeform for a horse with any withers-they have an option to purchase panels to give even more clearance.

I love my Freeform with the new Matrix pad-but equally love the Toklat with UltraCell or Equipedic pads.

[paulaedwina]

Thank you, Bogie. BTW I picked the Western Pad because the EZ has a more Western Configuration than English. I’ll take your advice on not getting memory foam (you give good advice). I’ll use the links you provided. I’m being very diligent with this treeless.

Paula

[zakkandtoto]

Has anyone tried a Tucker Shoulder Bridge Pad with some sort of non slip pad?

The Barefoot Atlanta I have on trial is very comfortable and the VPS really did maintain a channel between me and the pad, but the Equipedic pad that came with it is a nightmare. It’s huge, it’s stiff, it’s bulky, it slips in every direction, its “channel” is too narrow, it doesn’t have enough contour for my horse’s withers, and it doesn’t address my main fit issue: pockets behind the withers.

At the walk alone, it almost immediately slipped back behind the wither pockets, sending the saddle backwards 3 inches. The pad was touching my gelding’s hip, at that point, and he doesn’t have a short back.

Too, it was sliding sideways - to a frightening degree (the pad was freely moving between the thin felted wool bed sheet protector I was using and the saddle) - and the girth had to be tightened to an obscene level (my helper was grunting trying to tighten the girth further with me up) to keep it still.

After my ride, the sheet showed a clear clean channel and was dirty (I won’t lie and call it sweat) everywhere but the front third of the saddle.

I’m a lightweight rider and my guy is semi-retired. My goal with him is basically just walk/trot around the field for 20 minutes a few times a month.

A FF would be financial overkill.

Any advice would be appreciated. I’m torn between keeping the Barefoot and trying to find padding that will work or just sending it back and looking for a used dressage saddle with a curvier tree and wither gussets.

[paulaedwina]

Well, EZ it is. I rode it, still am riding it (borrowed) and love it so much I ordered one!

Paula