Found this-
"There are two main types of horse saddles, the Hungarian and the Moorish.
Cowboys in the United States use the Moorish saddle (more commonly known as the Western Saddle) which has a horn to which the lasso can be tied. A lasso puts a lot of strain on the saddle, so to hold it in place it has two strong girths, each tightened by a cinch strap. The English saddle is an example of the Hungarian saddle. Hungarian saddles have no horns. The English saddle has padding, and the stirrup is hung farther forward than on the Moorish saddle.
Riding in a Western saddle has evolved very differently to riding in an English saddle. The saddles have developed over time to be most suited to the particular discipline chosen by the rider.
http://www.equisearch.com/article/eqsaddleev619
I came across this and the bareback pads were the first to be used.
Some were a bit like my Barcelona in the other thread, I wonder if they were all hand tied as well.
The why, well my previous chap kept bucking in a treed. He was an xwide with a big shoulder. So I borrowed a Barefoot after riding in it first on someones pony. He didn't buck the whole ride, I bought one.
I just stayed treeless because of his shape, he was happy.
Now current lady is a xxwide, any treed will be a wh type without knee rolls, my treeless hasn't got knee rolls so as she is happy why change it.
Most people who have ridden in the Freeform like it as it puts you in the correct seat if you want that, has a soft cantle and twist so "feels" treed.
Other reason, my nearest saddler is crap, I wouldn't trust him to fit anything.