Barefoot Cheyenne Saddle? Any Good?

[welshymad]

Hi, I have been looking at the barefoot cheyenne saddle and i like the look of it, i have a TB and was pleased that they do aa fibreglass insert for high withered horses in the pommel of these saddles. Has anyone tried or got one of these saddles, any thoughts on them? good, bad, hideous? any help would be very much appreciated :)

[No_Angel]

I haven't used a barefoot on my tbs, but similar types. My tb isn't happy at all with anything without a gullet, my idxtb will have anything that isn't treed on her back, but she goes much better in the saddles with a gullet.
From personal experience with a lot of different brands and types of treeless saddles, TB types usually prefer saddles with gullets and usually saddles like the barefoot require quite a lot of padding to give a bit of wither clearance.

[welshymad]

Hi No Angel, if i get chance i will post some pics of my TB. shes not a skinny poor eater type, shes a fat good doer type. i have ridden her bareback recently on quite a few occassions and she seems happy with me there. i would like her to feel free through her back and have tried quite a few gullets, narrow, narrow-medium and medium and she doesnt seem comfortable, she seems hollow and tense. do you know anywhere that hires treeless saddles or is it a case of buy n try and if the horse isnt happy sell it on? i really like the feonix one but cant afford it :o i know that probably sounds tight and that my horses comfort shouldnt be an issue for the sake of the price but with two horses to keep its hard. Many thanks :)

[JULIA G]

Hi Welshymad

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Barefoot Cheyenne! It is the most incredible saddle I have ever ridden in. I did try the Phoenix but my horse didn't take to it at all unfortunately. I have also tried the Mondial but still prefer my Cheyenne. I use a Heather Moffett Seatbone Saver (which I recommend for any saddle, treeless or not) so it's doubly comfy. I feel as though I sink into my horse instead of sitting on him, I can feel everything move under me, his back muscles relax, he moves much more freely, no restriction through the shoulders anymore and he is so much calmer and more relaxed when we ride out.

I get such a kick every day putting his saddle on knowing that it is not hurting him in any way and I used to worry constantly about his old saddle and that it was pinching him and just didn't seem right somehow. I know he's much happier as he now stands like a rock when I saddle up and get on. Before he always put his ears back when I approached with the saddle, was very girthy and always started walking off when I was barely on. He doesn't do any of this now, it's fab.

It took me about a week to get used to the Cheyenne with the set back stirrup bars and lack of knee rolls but now I love it and if I ever ride in a treed saddle I feel very perched and distanced from my horse and I definitely feel much safer in my treeless when he spooks than I ever did in my treed saddles. I also feel I am riding much more in harmony with him too.

Re: your TB and the gullet situation, the new Barefoot Cheyennes have a thick, moulded, pressure bearing panel on either side of the spine and these panels create a gullet to guarantee improved spinal clearance. There are many treeless pads on the market but there is a special pad designed to be used with the Cheyenne saddles called a Grandeur Pad which gives very good protection. If you want further cushioning, there is the Physio Pad which is similar but thicker still.

Tons of info can be found at: www.horseandharmony.co.uk, tells you all about the Cheyenne saddles. I believe you can hire a Cheyenne from www.bettersaddles.com but you can buy a saddle (or package deal) from Horse & Harmony try it for a full 7 days and if you don't like it send it back and get a full refund.

Sorry this reply is so long but I'd say go for it, I highly recommend them !

[cc rider]

i loved my cheyenne! it fit well and was very comfortable. but i managed to sit in an armchair position too well and when it rained on a long hack the saddle got soaked and now has a permanent watermark. my shape changed with all the riding and mucking out and the size 2 became a bit too roomy. then my boyfriend bought me a leather hackabout that i use now. i just wish they made a leather one!

[welshymad]

Thank u Julia G and cc rider, they are really positive comments and it is such a reasonable saddle too! hanks Julia G i will check out those links, fingers crossed i may have a happy horsey before we know it!! :)

[Esther.D]

I have one and I like mine too! I have taken the back fibreglass insert out of mine and stuffed it with polystyrene beads as there was pressure at the back but the front seems absolutely fine (I ride around a lot with my hands under the saddle checking for pressure!).

[welshymad]

Thanks Esther D. What type of Pad do you use under use, is it the grandeur? are they good? :)

[cc rider]

get the grandeur. they are the best for a cheyenne!

[~Perdita.M~]

I have a cheyenne and love it too:) I use mine with a haf pad.

[The Original Crazywoman]

I am thinking of selling my Freeform SB and getting a Barefoot Cheyenne. I have quite a wide mare who is WelshxTB. Do you think the Cheyenne would suit her? Has anyone used them on a wide horse? :)

[welshymad]

Hi, Esther.D has a newforest i think and she is happy with hers :)

[No_Angel]

the barefoot has a lot less twist than the freeform, if you find your mare wide with a freeform your hips may pop out with a barefoot.

[carrieh]

I use a Heather Moffet Hipsaver with my Barefoot saddle. It does exactly what it says on the tin! It really does give a much better 'twist' to a Barefoot saddle.

[Laura2184]

I now have one, have had it for about 2 weeks and I love it! It is soooo comfy and I feel a lot more secure than I did in my treed saddle.

I have a wide cob and at first I found it quite wide but Ive soon got used to it and I also have dodgy hips and its not that bad.

My horse is a lot more forward going in it, I have been checking for even sweat marks and so far it has been perfect.

I'd highly reccommend! :D

[byfleetstud]

I have a Chyenne, and i love it, but am looking for a barefoot numnah with knee rolls, barefoot no longer sell them, does anyone have one they want to sell, i can't get used to not having knee rolls.
byfleetstud@hotmail.co.uk 07824337261

[molly34]

I use a Heather Moffet Hipsaver with my Barefoot saddle. It does exactly what it says on the tin! It really does give a much better 'twist' to a Barefoot saddle.
ditto :) I have a Cherokee not a Cayenne but seat and gullet wise they're pretty much the same. I rode it as is the first couple of times and it was just that little bit too wide!

byfleetstud, I got the Cherokee because I wanted knee rolls! The only place I've seen a pad with knee rolls was V-bandz, bizarrely enough. You could probably acheive the same result if you bought some knee blocks on their own and sewed heavy duty velcro on an existing pad?

[byfleetstud]

Thanks, I have been i touch with horse and Harmony and they no longer manufacture the pad with knee rolls, so i guess unless i get a unbranded pad (which i'd prefer not to as i paid over £100 for the physio pad i have) i will get some velcro and try and find some knee rolls on the internert. Thanks

[doris]

I have a Barefoot Cheyenne and have never been comfortable with it. I think it's my fault though as I bought a size 2 thinking that a larger rider would be using it as well as me, but this turned out to be not the case, and I'm a size 12 and just think it's too big for me. So, I'll probably sell it and try something else. Maybe there's someone out there with a size 1 who finds it too small and would like to swap. Or maybe something like a Freeform might fit me better?

[chestnut-mare]

I have a barefoot cheyenne (like most people, I love it) and also bought the pad that came with detachable knee rolls. It was a waste of money buying the knee rolls as my knees came no-where near the rolls. They are velcroed on so you can picture how far forward they need to be to fit the edge of the pad! I can understand why they no longer sell them! I'm sure there is a barefoot model that now comes with knee rolls on the saddle ??. Can't remember off the top of my head what the model is though :rolleyes:.