First sit in a Freeform

Skippys Mum

New Member
Nov 25, 2007
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Scotland
Hi there,

well, my trial freeform arrived today. I got it out the box and my first thought was OMG its HUGE. Still, headed off to see how it looked on Arnie.

What do you think (sorry he is so manky)
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It looked much much better on than off. It is fantastic soft leather and feels really good quality (although if I get one it will be brown:)). It is a thing of great beauty:D

So... waited for Hubby to come home (needed a bit of assistance) and on I got - and off again - and lengthened the stirrups - and on again - and -OMG it is the comfiest thing I have ever sat on in my life:D.

I only went a wee quick walk down the lane as it was starting to rain but it is sooo comfy. I felt ,for the first time ever, that I was sitting INTO him rather than perched on top of him. It didnt move at all even when I mounted (although I did use the block). I cannot wait to get a proper shot of it tomorrow - I'm keeping my fingers crossed this may be "the one".

Wish me luck (not helped by the fact that his mouth is playing up again so I had to ride him in a headcollar:()

K xxx
 
sounds promising, might have to have a look at one for my boy have seen them before but dismissed them as being huge
 
Think i'll have to have a good look into these

According to my saddle fitter my boy is short backed so will only tack a 16 1/2" saddle and he has one shoulder bigger than the other (which is pretty common) but was told because of this he could only wear a saddle with cair

he has a bates collegiate but i just can't get along with it. i don't feel secure at all (and being a rider with confidence issues this doesnt help) and feel, as you say, perched on top. I want something i can sink into
 
According to my saddle fitter my boy is short backed so will only tack a 16 1/2" saddle and he has one shoulder bigger than the other (which is pretty common) but was told because of this he could only wear a saddle with cair

And does your saddle fitter by any chance sell saddles with cair? ;) Basically its soooo not true. Most treed saddles can be persuaded to fit wonky horses with some creative flocking or padding and treeless can often be even easier since they mould to the shape of the horse rather than being fixed to the shape of the tree.
 
actually he does. mind you i only bought my boy last year and his previous owner told me the same thing. she had him in a wintec but i hated that too. I'm not keen on synthetic saddles which was we got the collegiate but just cant get away with the perched feeling
 
Shikras Mum, that was my problem with Arnie. He would be fine in a 17" saddle but I am too tall (and long in the leg! - and fat in the arse!!) so I need a minimum of an 18" saddle. This meant it was sitting too far back on him and up his shoulder at the front.

Apparently this is not a major issue with this freeform:)

I had a wintec wide which fitted him well enough but wasnt very secure. It slipped to the side constantly and I came off him a couple of times when he whipped round quick:(.

I only went a couple of hundred yards last night but I felt sooo secure. Just about to go and play again tonight so fingers crossed.

I'll keep you posted:D
 
I've been a huge fan of treeless so am used to the size issue.

IMO it looks absolutely fine, not too big at all :)

I looked at this model when I first researched the treeless but ended up with a barefoot as I couldnt afford the freeform :rolleyes:

Good luck - its looks absolutely delicious :D
 
Right, had another wee play tonight. I'm slightly hampered by the fact that he has another abcess on his jaw (vet says its caused by his teeth coming through - and that this could go on for another year:() so I am riding in a headcollar - so no brakes:).

My RI came up tonight and had a wee shot. She was very impressed despite having had major reservations about it:).

We couldnt do much as the heavens opened and I didnt want to get it soaked:(.

So, still a thumbs up. I will try the other seat tomorrow (I have a 17 1/2 classic seat and an 18" classic plus with poleys - wee bumpy bits - to try:)).

The 17 1/2 is a bit wee for me and I feel my knee is a little bit over the front of the saddle but hopefully the 18 will solve that.

I managed a trot tonight (which in itself is a breakthrough considering my nerve is shot:eek:) and I still felt very secure - or I would have done if I had had any brakes:). It is still the comfiest saddle I have ever sat on in my whole life:D

I'll update again tomorrow - any thoughts on this would be appreciated:D
 
I'm really keen to try one of these. Unfortunately my OH wont allow me to spend more than £250 on a saddle at the moment

I fully understand his reasons, he bought me a new wintec last year when we got my boy, then a month later, because i wanted leather he bought me a new collegiate, which due to my nerves hasn't had much use

I've tried to explain im in a vicous circle, my confidence isnt good at the moment and i dont believe the saddle is helping matters as i just do not feel secure, if i felt more secure in the saddle then this would surely have to benefit me confidence wise

i've been looking at some cheaper ones but don't know anything about them really

the one i've been looking at today is a cooperbeech treeless saddle especially for cobs and i've also been looking at second hand barefoot saddles

I'm sure once i'm riding like a pro i'll then be able to get a freeform, but need to find something to tide me over in the meantime
 
Shikras mum,

The hackabout seems to get good reports for cobs:).

You could always sell the other two to raise funds. I personally, am using the "dont tell him how much" routine:D:D (come on, I dont believe for one minute I'm the only one:eek:)

I cannot believe how much more secure I feel. Its night and day - and no more constant standing in one stirrup to straighten it.

It does feel strange turning tight. It felt like it was slipping but it wasnt. I think it must be me feeling his back moving:)
 
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i usually use the flutter my eyelids i really really need it routine, but he's away at work at the moment and cant see my pleading eyes down the phone

We already sold the wintec, that went towards the collegiate, but i just cant get away with a 16.5" saddle, my bots too big and i want something i can sink into

my boy has a back like a table top but a 16.5 is all he can take, i thought maybe the treeless saddle would work for both of us instead of just him
 
i dont know alot about these saddles however i am very interested in them, does anyone on here know if these are any good for high withered horses? sorry for hijaking your thread just very interested from your feedback.
 
i dont know alot about these saddles however i am very interested in them, does anyone on here know if these are any good for high withered horses? sorry for hijaking your thread just very interested from your feedback.

They dont recommend them for very high withered horses. The one to ask is Showjumper from here (she has posted higher up). She is an agent for Freeform (too far away for me:() and has a great website where there are reports of umpteen other treeless saddles. Including the hackabout:).

I have been researching this for months on end as I didnt want to make an expensive mistake and the Freeform kept being the one I came back to as being best for Arnie and me. I didnt want one that looked too "treeless" if you know what I mean and to be honest, when you're on board it looks totally normal.
 
i usually use the flutter my eyelids i really really need it routine, but he's away at work at the moment and cant see my pleading eyes down the phone

We already sold the wintec, that went towards the collegiate, but i just cant get away with a 16.5" saddle, my bots too big and i want something i can sink into

my boy has a back like a table top but a 16.5 is all he can take, i thought maybe the treeless saddle would work for both of us instead of just him

Fluttering eyelashes doesnt work when its accompanied by a pungent aroma of horse pee!!!

re the saddle size, thats the same boat I'm in. This was a last resort situation but I'm really impressed so far. I dont feel perched on him at all. I feel that I'm sitting really deep into him (although trotting felt a bit weird - I was almost wanting just to do sitting trot).

Unfortunately, this has not been a cheap exercise. All in, including the pad and short girth, I'm going to be over £900 for one for me:(. To be fair though, it is gorgeous soft leather and it does look worth the money:)
 
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I've just spotted a free form saddle for sale on ebay, it must be a different free form though, seems far to cheap, brand new with girth and stirrups £160.00. It has western stirrups though

My OH isn't happy though, he thought when he bought me the collegiate that would be the end of saddle talk

trying to make him realise that its no good if it suits the horse but not me
 
They dont recommend them for very high withered horses. The one to ask is Showjumper from here (she has posted higher up). She is an agent for Freeform (too far away for me:() and has a great website where there are reports of umpteen other treeless saddles. Including the hackabout:).

I have been researching this for months on end as I didnt want to make an expensive mistake and the Freeform kept being the one I came back to as being best for Arnie and me. I didnt want one that looked too "treeless" if you know what I mean and to be honest, when you're on board it looks totally normal.


many thanks for this, i am off to do some research however mac is very high withered so may not be the type for him,
 
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