I think my friend was looking for more of a bareback pad, which this is similar. it is more flexible, and with the seat off, it is more like a bareback pad. I guess it depends on what you are looking for. I like the sound of the plate keeping the saddle off the spine. I don’t ride more than 3 hours at a time, so idk what i would want.
I rode on the treeless Sensation for years. Then for some reason, and I cant even remember why exactly, I started trying out other brands. HATED them. The Sensation by Nickers Saddlery was the only one I liked. I felt secure, my horse moved well, and everything was great. As the years went by, (I’m in the horse health field) I read more and more negatives about the horse’s spines under treeless. Even though I’m not a large rider (tall but not heavy), I decided it was not in their best interest. I have since moved to trees. I rode on Hennigs for most of my dressage career and now I use just trail saddles even for my dressage work! my horses love them!!! I get light weights that put me in a classical position…straight leg under me. I love the saddles that weigh in under 30 lbs…and under 25 is even better although most of those are cordura hybrids. They are much prettier than the synthetics of years ago! I LOVE Fabtrons and Big Horns. www.mahtowameadows.net You can see the saddles here that are actually separated in to light weight and western dressage categories.
The Romans probably invented the rigid tree saddle (although they might have gotten the idea from someone else). They did so because it increased the utility of the horse by providing a superior seat from which to deploy the weapons of the day (javelin or bow or sword). The Romans were not known as great horsemanship and necessity became the mother of invention.
The rigid tree also is very good at distributing weight. The bareback rider has their entire weight concentrated in two, roughly 6" in diameter circles on the horse’s back. The pressure points are likely not important if the rider is a 130 pound guy in a breech-clout. But wrap that guy in 70 pounds of armor and weapons and you have a very different outcome. During WWI the standard load for cavalry horses ran from about 230 pounds (the minimum U.S. standard) to over 300 for some heavy cavalry from Germany or Austria. By this time the horse was expected to be able to traverse 25-35 mi./day for several days.
So the rigid tree saddle exists because it works. It has worked for horsemen for better than 2000 years.
I’ve personally ridden or handled half a dozen or so “treeless” saddles from different makers. I’ve yet to see one that effectively distributes weight. Some, in fact, end up weighing more than a comparable treed saddle by the time you add in all the “extras” necessary to get even a marginally acceptable weight distribution capability. I watched a larger woman mount a Morgan tacked up with an Ansur and the poor horse almost went to it’s knees. It moved completely hollow. It was painful to watch, but the seller did nothing but praise how “happy” the horse was to be unencumbered by a rigid saddle. This was the worst I’ve personally seen, but not the only bad example I’ve seen.
But don’t believe me. Believe the Physics. Believe the effect that high concentrations of weight have on equine biomechanics. Believe the reality that a horse traveling hollow will have a sore back in time.
G.
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Actually, the two treeless saddles I owned were a Freeform and a Heather Moffett. I just don’t find them comfortable for actual work. For moseying down the trail at a walk they were fine. If I wanted to do more, I found they worked against me.
We leased out our horse to a 180+ lb rider who swore by treeless, had been riding treeless for years and said they made sure the saddle fit the horse, was properly padded and “checked” backs after riding. The horse came back to us with white hairs in the saddle area (dark horse with no white) and a very sore back that took time and several chiro/acupuncture treatments before it was comfortable again.
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A horse ridden hollow will get sore regardless of the saddle…
Indeed. But the treeless saddle’s inability to effectively distribute weight will mean two, small circles of significant pressure on the back. That has a very significant potential to induce hollow movement even if the saddle is otherwise well fitted. In a properly fitted rigid tree saddle effective weight distribution is much more likely and the probability of hollow movement based upon THAT dramatically declines.
I come from the gaited world and in Walkers, particularly show Walkers, you see a lot of hollow movement as that allows for more front end action and front end action wins ribbons. There the saddle is actually used to induce the movement by placement (to the rear of a normal position) and rider position (butt on the cantle and feet on the dashboard). I’ve been told by some Peruvian Paso enthusiasts that some PP show saddles actually have small “knobs” on the underside near the cantle to enhance this “pressure induced hollow movement.” I’ve never seen one personally so take that for what it’s worth.
The only person to ever really do anything to explore this was a guy named Miller (first name escapes me) from WI. He was a farrier and used to have a website where he posted pressure scans of horses with different saddles, including a couple of treeless. I lost that link long ago; maybe someone else knows of him. There were some pretty bad examples of fit but the treeless scans were some of the most dramatic.
Some folks swear by them. Some swear at them. On balance, however, the Physics says over time they are likely a bad idea.
G.
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For my Morgan mare- treeless works perfectly for us. I’ve been riding her in it for 6 years- not mosey-ing about the trails, I mean CTR, endurance, CMO, 8-10 rides. Her back is in tip-top shape, we have text book sweat marks and most of all- she is the princess and the pea of saddles. If something isn’t right, I will know about it in seconds. Now my Arab gelding, I’ve tried t a few different treeless saddles for him because I personally prefer how they feel. but they just don’t work for him. So he’s got his own custom treed saddle en route. The moral of the story- do what works for you and your horse. I don’t really care whether what I do with my horses is traditional or meets the approval of others. My motto, that I’ve shamelessly stolen from an endurance decade team rider, is do what works for you and your horse.
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