Treeless saddle sizing

[annareeves0]

Maybe its just me but people dont seem to put as much emphasis on sizing with treeless saddles??? I know nothing about saddles which is tricky as I need to buy a new one!

The reason I ask is I have just sold my Wintec Wide 17 inch as although an OK fit widthways it was a little long and was over her last rib. We had problems in transitions and I think part of the problem was down to the saddle irritating her. This saddle came with her and was suposedly professionally fitted and the CAIR model - the person who bought it was pretty annoyed it wasnt CAIR but I sold it in good faith and offered to have it back but still felt a bit crappy but Im getting off the point now!

I have decided to go treeless for various reasons - mainly around her being enormous (very fat at present)and very flat backed. I have seen an Equinelibrium GP saddle on Ebay but it is 16.5 inches. Is half inch less enough to make any difference and is it as important anyway in a treeles saddle?

Auction ends tomorrow so would appreciate any comments.
Thanks :)

[No_Angel]

Treeless saddle sizes are an aid for the rider, because treeless saddles don't have a width like a treed saddle.
You do have to take into consideration the length of the saddle if your horse has a short back, but with most of the non traditional types the weight in in the center of the saddle, so it does not matter too much if the cantle is a little far back, as there is no weight there.

[annareeves0]

Thanks for that. Hmm it looks pretty traditional in styling - if i post a link can you see what you think?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170235452810&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=007
Im kind of thinking because of the style that the 16.5 may still be too long although the 17 was only just oversized.
Is so hard to know what to do for the best!
Thanks

[No_Angel]

This is only my personal opinion, but I am not a fan of the Equinelibrium saddles.

[annareeves0]

To be honest I have my eye on a Trekker endurance but the whole package with pad etc is £800.

Any particular reason you dont like them?

[No_Angel]

They just don't look right to me. The cantle looks very high, the leather doesn't look that good, and I have had a saddle very similar to them and it was not fit to be on a horses back.
I haven't actually tried one, and I may change my mind if I got my hands on one, but I don't think I would buy one. There are much better saddles on the market.

[ShariN]

Seat sizing in most treeless saddles is not like the English saddles. Most are close to being sized like a western seat.

I would highly recommend Demo-ing any Treeless you are interested in before buying. Because not all fit all horses.

Example... I love my Treefree saddle, nice saddle, UK made, great workmanship, is stable. But on horses like mine can look a little long, though it has never bothered her to date.There is no pressure from the cantle. Is on the wide side and again,, has never bothered me at all because I have a wide horse.

My horse hated the Freeform, only treeless saddle she acted like this with. Penned back ears and the whole nine yards. Tried both the pads the company said would work..they didn't..just about went to her tail! Biggest problem I think is it was too long but unlike the Treefree, was stiff like a traditional saddle, also wasn't quite wide enough.
Dug painfully into her loin and shoulders.

But I know many people like the Freeform and have no problems.

I can go on with all the Treeless saddles we bought or Demo-ed, but it just comes down to what you horse and you like.

[annareeves0]

Thanks for the comments - will think about where to go next.

[lor]

It would appear on from reading posts on here that certain treeless are more suited to certain types/shapes.

Its a shame that the company's dont say what type their saddles tend to suit, would give us more of a chance :o

[molly34]

Example... I love my Treefree saddle, nice saddle, UK made, great workmanship, is stable. But on horses like mine can look a little long, though it has never bothered her to date.There is no pressure from the cantle. Is on the wide side and again,, has never bothered me at all because I have a wide horse.
Ditto that for Barefoot - my Cherokee is very long but again its not caused an issue on my relatively short-backed cobby thing. Next to a normal GP it looks enormous.

Treeless are no different from treed in that different shapes and styles suit different neds & people, the only way to be sure is keep trying until you find the right one! At least there are more people stocking a range of treeless now, and most companies do offer trial periods - it could be a lot worse.