Help me chose - i'm indecisive

[chickflick1066]

Okay, I need some pointers on whether to go Treeless or not and stay with my treed saddle.

Reasons to go treeless (i don't seem to have many:o )

> No worries about my current saddles issues, lack of wither clearence etc.
> Kinder to the horse

Reasons to stay treed or not go treeless

> Looks more conventional and smarter
> Bit more GP then treeless - useful
> I'm too heavy for a treeless (I'm in the region of 13-13.5 stones but actively trying to lose some)
> The one's in my budget (trekker and barefoot) aren't very sexy looking
> My horse will sweat using the thick pads
> Hard to look after - black fading?

My Stumps is 14.1/2hh dales x cobby thing who is lacking a bit of condition at the moment - she's also croup high and has pigeon toes + a long back so no the most desirable conformation.

I'm 17 year old happy hacker really. All I want to do with my pony is to enjoy riding her - whether it be the weekly/fortnightly lessons we have, hacking for miles or jumping occasionally and not very big.

I would really love to convert treeless at any time but i'm scared to take that final step. Any tips or pointers would be fab, thanks :D

[~Perdita.M~]

Go treeless;)

As far as I am aware.....they don't fade any more on these than normal treed black leather saddles:confused: As long as you take care of it the same way. Bit different if you go for the seude/nubuck type as they can go bald and shiny in patches:rolleyes:

As for your weight - i think as long as you didn't gain anymore, and hopefully continued on your healthy way down, made sure that the seat was big enough for your bum so you werent sitting on the cantle, and made sure you had sufficient padding underneath, oh, and take not to properly fit the pommel and cantle blocks, i dont think it would be a problem at all:)

Looking more conventional, well yes they do look a bit different. I actually like them - love my nubuck fitform it looks a bit like a funky western/ gp mix!:D If you have nothing serious showing wise in mind, then really, it should be a problem. They are certianly comfy for hacking and pleasure rides and a bit of small jumping!:)

[No_Angel]

with a cobby pony you wont need loads of pads, so she wont sweat, and even then you use pads she wont sweat under.
you know im pro treeless so of course im going to try and pursuade you:p

if you want more traditional looking (does it matter if you only hack?) try looking at a trekker dressage (i seem to be pushing these alot lately) they really are a bit step up from the talent, and they have knee rolls aswell which are good, but it is more suited to higher withered horses, tho it does fit my section a very well and she is quite wide.

[Rummi]

Hope i can 'butt in' on this thread! I have been riding Rum bitless for over 3 years (scrawbrig then Dually), and he's going barefoot in 4 weeks time!!! (can't wait!). After reading Klaus Ferdinand's 'Dancing with Horses' and just started schooling Rummi bareback, I'm very tempted to get a Bareback Treeless saddle. I have a lovely Forrester GP saddle but I use the Flexi-ride stirrups.

Could someone help me with a few queries.....

what sort of saddlepad do I need to use?
can a normal girth be used, or something different? I use a chaffless wintec girth, could I still use this? (guess I may need to get a shorter/dressage one)
can I still use my flexiride stirrups (look like western stirrups)?
do I need special stirrup leathers?

I can get lots of info on the saddle and its fit/use, but not much on the extras, thanks

Oh yes.............what about jumping? Can you jump in a treeless? (only up to 2ft 6"?)

[Whatanejit]

Chickflick if you can wait a wee while I'll add to this. Cooper is going to be introduced to a Trekker Talent in two weeks. I'll give you a progress report.

Good luck with your decision.

xx

[chickflick1066]

Whatanejit, course i'll wait :D

I really cannot decide. I've PMed various people on here regarding treeless countless of times, spesh showjumper, drummer's mum and poor No_Angel has had to read many of my relentless treeless posts...yet I still can't decide.

It's like trying to chose Muckboots all over again:o :rolleyes:

[shirley]

What is the reason you want to go treeless? Not very clear from your original post.
If your treed saddle is fitting your horse just right and you are having no problems with it then why change. Like the old saying if it ain't broke then don't fix it.
Also had an interesting conversation the other evening with a group of horse people, who know quite a lot about natural horsemanship. There is a number of documented reasons why not to actually have a treeless saddle, as a number do not actually clear the spine properly, so rider actually sits on the spine. That the newer saddles being bought onto the market are flexible treed saddles, that give spinal clearance, but do not affect the shoulder / forward movement of the horse either. The actual saddle they were taling about is the Mondial saddle on the Barry Swains websit. Is expensive £1800 plus, but may be worth looking at in the long run.
Please do not think I am against treeless saddles, not the case at all. So why not have a plan of action. Carry on progressively loosing you weight to a better weight for your height. Have a really good look on the websites at all the different options of saddle available. Go for what looks right for you and look at these options. Most do a trial period, do this and see how it your horse adapts / gets on with it. Also look at the comfort from your point of view as well. Then also think about bitless bridles and perhaps barefoot, but take things slowly and be very sure of what you are doing and then go for it.
Happy shopping and good luck

[Unicorn]

Chickflick, if you're anywhere near me (i'm in Surrey) and seeing one in actions, maybe even giving it a try would help, you're welcome to come and muck about with my TreeFree, or I could bring it over to you?

I use mine on my very wide cob and wouldn't go back to a tree'd saddle now - it's so comfortable.

[jamsinthecat]

I have to agree with No Angel and would say definitely give treeless a go. I ride my New Forest pony in a Trekker Treeless and I absolutely love it. No Angel helped me out with advice about which padding to use and I haven't had any problems with sweating etc. I have even been doing some showjumping in it, nothing huge but I've had no probs at all. I have to say now I have got used to being able to feel my pony flexing underneath me and feeling her heart beat, I would be really reluctant to go back to a treed saddle. I would really like to upgrade to something with kneerolls though so that I can progress with my jumping if I feel brave!! With a treeless saddle you do feel so much more connected to your horse which I love:D

Hope this helps

Annabel

[chickflick1066]

Unicorn, I'm in south Bucks ;)

Shirley, thanks for your response - her current treed synthetic saddle currently doesn't fit and I think treeless could be a kinder option. They look dead comfy too ;)

[Pink's lady]

Personally I'm not a treless fan. I can't see how a treeless could be any better than a well-fitted tree'd saddle - there is no way they can possible distirbute the pressure well. I'd defintinly prefere the latter. Of course, the benfit of a treeless is that you don't have to worry about it being well-fitted. but that's about the only benfit I can see over a tree'd.

Personally I'd get the Griffin Flaired. Had it done to Pink's and it's lovely. All the benifits of a treeless (it mould perfectly and moves completly with the back), without the problems (lack of pressure distribution/pressure points).

I know there's loads of people who love their treeless, and their horses go 'better than with a tree'd.' But I suspect that 'better than in a tree'd saddle' is only becaue their tree'd wasn't a decent fit. ;) Of course, I would prefere a treelss saddle over a tree's tha's not perfect - any sensible person would. But give me a perfect fitted tree'd saddle any day.

Of course, trying to get a perfect fit............................:rolleyes:

[Unicorn]

Unicorn, I'm in south Bucks ;)



Ah, probably a bit far for me to travel at the moment, I'm afraid. But if you find yourself round this way, feel free to give me a shout.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

[chickflick1066]

Unicorn, don't worry - thanks for the offer :)