Treeless Saddles are they really so bad?

Kadi

Member
May 23, 2006
308
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16
Norfolk/Suffolk border
As some of you might know I'm buying a new saddle for DP and me in the near future.

I'm very open minded and not certain what I really want but have been looking into the 'Treeless' options.

The main criteria is that DP is happy in it and it is comfortable for me and puts me in a good place (the two I've tried so far have had DP going better than he's ever gone).

Why Oh Why is it that every one I mention 'Treeless' to any one they make me feel like I've committed a crime (apart from you guys on NR) and it is the most dreadful thing in the world that I could do to DP.

Has anyone else had this sort of response.

XXX
 
i have no problem with treeless, they just don't suit jay who is very high withered:)
 
we've been treeless for a while now and have no complaints! i can see why they wouldnt neccessarily suit a horse with very high withers and im not sure i'd use them for hours and hours of heavy duty riding due to the way the stirrups are attached on some of them, but for normal people riding low withered horses who dont do any jumping (theyre fine to pop over tiny jumps with every now and then but they aren't jumping saddles!) or serious showing (again, some treeless saddles look odd for showing ...), theyr great
 
If it suits your horse and it suits you then there's absolutely nothing wrong with a treeless. Saff has been ridden in a treeless for 2.5 years now and has absolutely no atrophy and apart from when she slipped in the field and tweaked her back hasn't had a single issue with her back ... now looking for some wood to touch!

Everyone has their preferences and although I'm a treeless fan I'm not against treed saddles as long as they're fitted by someone who knows what they're doing.
 
Jackson has very high withers, and is not a wide horse (but very deep in the girth). He is just 5, and is likely to change shape lots in the next few months. We have just got a Trekker Master for him, which is treeless but I suspect nobody will ever know ;)

There are three fittings available - narrow (which we eventually settled on), standard and wide. It has panels, so doesn't rest directly on the spine, and the stirrups attach to proper stirrup bars which are set fairly far forward so the rider has a nice secure seat in a good position.

Today was our second ride, and I managed to sit through bouncing, a couple of little bucks, an enthusiatic canter downhill and a jump over a small stream ;) And I was still smiling at the end :D

Worth a look, if you're not too sure about treeless...
 
I've ridden both my horses treed and treeless and both go better treed. Both do lots of work, including fast stuff and jumping with the rider in a forward seat, which the type of treeless I have isn't really suitable for. They both have withers which make some sort of padding or shimming essential treeless. Horses for courses.
 
It's a difficult one. Given the choice between a perfectly fitted treed saddle and most treelesses, I'd go for the treed every time simply because of the physics of weight distribution. (on 99% of horses)

However, good, well designed treeless saddle vs good-but-not-perfect (i.e. most) treed saddles, I think the choice is a lot harder.

I find the treeless saddles like the Torsion and Barefoot quite hard to justify conceptually. I know that people say that the weight distribution's not a problem and that there aren't pressure points. And I'm sure that if you are on the light side for your pony and they are a normal/round shape then it's true. But...just from thinking of basic physics - pressure, force and area considerations, no matter how good the pad I can't see how the weight will be distributed anywhere near as well as in a treed saddle with panels.

I haven't been close enough to a Fhoenix-type treeless to comment, would love to though.
 
I think it completely depends on your horse.
My pony Katey has gone better in a treeless saddle than in a treed but my TB mare Daisy goes better in a treed saddle than a treeless.
If you are going to get a treeless,try to get them on trial first.
I would also reccommend the Barefoot Cheyenne for normal riding ie longish hacks,small jumps,etc.
Although I have jumped 3ft4 in my treeless saddle before so I also think itdepends on the rider and how they ride.
 
There's nothing wrong with a well fitting treed or treeless that is fit for purpose. One of the big problems with treeless for me is that I like hurtling about & jumping, and there aren't many treeless saddles that are really designed for that. I had a treeless Ansur jumping saddle for a while, I liked it, my old horse liked it but my current horse was not impressed! She seems happy being ridden in a different treeless (Fitform), but although I have jumped in it I would not recommend it if you want to jump regularly, it's not very secure. I've got an adjustable treed saddle now and I think at long last we are both happy! It's a shame if people are anti-treeless just on principle but I've encountered people who seem to be anti-treed on principle so it cuts both ways. Best to be open minded & do what's best for the horse in the circumstances, whether that's treed or treeless!
 
well i ove 'em; i have seen and heardof horses who have gone beautifully, even ebtter, in treeless, and i don't need any more proof than that.
though i do appreciate that they aren't suited to all horses/riders.
 
I'm a huge treeless fan, however I have nothing against a well fitted, regularly checked treed saddle.

So far I've seen lots of horses improve under treeless saddles, another few who go pretty much exactly the same, and only one horse so far that made it perfectly clear that she preferred treed to treeless.
 
I have a Barefoot Cheyenne & it's the most comfortable saddle I have ever sat in. I do mostly trail riding, and some lessons, and only jump very low (I'm a chicken!).

Mouse is so much happier in it too. He no longer 'marches' around on trails or lessons, he has a nice swing to his movement now, which I think he just couldn't achieve in a treed saddle. He's much much much less stressed while jumping, and I can feel his movement at canter much better now.

I know there are some people on here that don't like them for what various reasons, and some have legitimately had some bad problems (which have been handled badly by manufacturer too), but I would recommend them to just about anyone.

As far as weight distribution goes, with the treeless, Mouse has had even sweat/pressure pattern since the very first ride. I doubt that would be possible if it there wasn't a good disribution of weight.
 
Depends on the horse. My old YO competes affiliated dressage in a Fhoenix at quite a high level.

I use WOW saddles which are not 'conventional'. My older mare goes fine in that but detested the two treeless saddles that I've tried - as in stood on her hindlegs for the one and only time in her life when tried in an Ansur. When I tried the Fhoenix she would at least move, although she was VERY grumpy and behind the leg. My other mare went no differently in the Fhoenix to how she goes in the WOW, she is incredibly wide so the Fhoenix did me no favours in the hip department :rolleyes:
 
I don't think you can say that treeless saddles are 'bad' or 'good' - it just depends on the horse and rider. Like any other saddle, you have to search around for the best combination for both of you.

It took the whole of last summer to find a treeless saddle that suited both my horse and myself, and when we did - wow! What a difference! We tried a number of treeless and treed saddles throughout the summer, but when we tried a Fhoenix everything just clicked into place. My horse moved beautifully, easily and freely, I was comfortable at last, it put me in the right position easily, and we just knew it was the right one for us. I've never regretted buying a Fhoenix, and my horse's back is so much better. After experimentation I settled on a Stephens lambswool pad underneath, which is the best for us.

That's not to say a Fhoenix suits every horse - no saddle will do that. If you are considering a treeless saddle, just try as many different types as possible, i.e. different styles, ones with panels underneath, ones without, different sizes. Experiment with different numnahs/pads and get the padding underneath right. Just like you would with a treed saddle really. It's time well spent, truly. You won't regret it.

My horse is a 27 year old Fell pony by the way. He was great with the saddle testing as he let me know which saddles/pads he liked and which he didn't! Fells are very good at telling you what they do and don't like. ;)
 
Here it is :) About the correct positioning, do you think this is too far back, i know the girth i have is slightly too long (had to make extra holes :eek: ) and the saddle seems like its really far back. But since you people know these saddles better i thought id ask you before i rush off to buy a new one.

IMG_4160.jpg
 
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