cashel soft saddle

[No_Angel]

How alike is it to a treeless saddle, say a Trekker?
Thanks
Tasha

[galadriel]

The problem with most bareback pads is that the girth is narrow and quite forward on the pad. When you tighten the girth, it drags on the wither--even on some pretty wide, mutton-withered horses it'll drag on the wither. Since there's no tree or other stabilizing factors, the girth has to be pretty tight to keep it in place; that makes a serious pressure point across the horse's wither, dragging directly on the tips of the vertebrae.

The Cashel has somewhat the same issue; it is, however, thick foam. I cut a bit out of the foam at the wither, and also modified the girth placement so that it is more like centerfire rigging. It doesn't drag directly on the wither now, and the cut out area leaves some room for the withers. (Actually I cut all the way down the spine, but removed most from the wither area.)

Edit to add: New article, Cashel Soft Saddle review:
http://lorienstable.com/articles/z-fitting/cashelsoftsaddle/

[No_Angel]

Thanks for that- interesting reading! :)

I do think its a bit expensive for what it is, im going to look at some bareback pads and things aswell. Although I do want something with stirrups, even tho it may cause a pressure point, as I feel safer when she rears with my stirrups!