Advice on barefoot saddles- please!

[JustJas]

Kizzy my husaband's 5 year old mare (ID x cob) has changed shape beyond belief after a few weeks in a 20 acre field- she has muscled up and turned into a table-top back. Her wintec will not touch her even in an extra-wide gullet. 2 Months ago she was a m/w! We are tempted to get her a trailrider barefoot. But have no experience of these but have always been tempted to try them..

Nexty my arab mare- would a treeless (like the cheyenne) suit her? Also as I ride her with no rein contact at all using only body weight would a bitless bridle be a good idea?

Please advise...

[Showjumper]

Please see my website for lots of info about both treeless saddles and bitless bridles. www.freewebs.com/alternativehorse

Definitely worth trying a treeless but remember, you will need to get the right padding and girth for both the horse and the saddle which can be quite expensive.

I am a huge treeless fan but too many people see the "one size fits all" aspect, buy any old treeless, slap on whatever pad and girth they have lying about then when they have problems, they blame the saddle.

They do need fitting, although not in the sense of a treed saddle. With a treeless, you can customise the fit using pads. It might be worth getting somebody out to try treeless on both your horses before you spend out the money on them.

Also, some horses just plain don't like treeless. I know of one who hates treeless but loves her WOW saddle. Her owner also has a little Welshy who adores his Barefoot Cheyenne, so it's really horses for courses :)

As to the bitless, nothing to lose. Give it a go. Test brakes and steering from the ground first, then ride in an enclosed area to check you have the necessary control before going outside. Although you could also argue, if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

[Shadowlark]

i don't care for the barefoot trail rider, only because the horn is fake, and can't be relied upon at all.. and the simple truth is that if it's there.. at some point he may try and rely on it! There are other western treeless options tho. I ride my arab treeless with a 9 inch gullet size, we were pretty much out of options! I really like the saddle I have - so much so that a more standard one of the same make is on the way for little Shine.

Bitless would probably be fine, but there is still preassure there, depending on which you use, will change what kind of preasure (poll, nose, chin, side of face). Keep in mind there are now seemingly hundreds of bitless options, from hackamore to bosals to halters and leads to Dr Cooks and Neutral bridles... the options just keep going! Heck a lot of people just ride with a rope around the horses neck now! (I don't think I would advise THat one for hacking ;))

Does any of that help?

[mad mare1]

I am also another who rides an arab treeless...and my girl is now 20, and her movement has never been better! last year, my vet said she was sore over her back, and had muscle stiffness, and was stiff through her shoulders...this year, only 4 months after purchasing a Barefoot Cheyenne, she is happy to go forwards, and is working better...the vet did her annual check up last week, and she is no longer stiff...and the sore patches he found have disappeared!

I can't thank Carrieh enough for letting me buy her saddle, and I can't believe the difference it has made to Crystal.

[JustJas]

Thanks for the advice! Looks like we will be taking the plunge.

I have looked into the barefoot saddles especially the pads- I want the physio pad that they sell with the pad and the girth they recommend.

I like the trail rider for my husband because it does not have the silly decorative horn. They do say very pointedly on the site I found that the horn is simply decoration.

[EnduranceAli]

I am having a Barefoot Cheyenne on trial on 6th November :) Looking forward to seeing if it will suit Frayne - who has no withers, very flat/long back and VERY WIDE!! Wish me luck :D

[mad mare1]

should do hun...Crystal is fat at the moment...and I am having no problems with fit with the Cheyenne...and it is comfy for both me and the horse!

[The Original Crazywoman]

Good luck EnduranceAli! I am thinking of going over to a Barefoot Cheyenne, but really hard to make decisions at the moment. Still hankering after a Freeform! :confused: