Considering going treeless...pro's/cons...help!

S

StephA

Living the dream..sort of
Jan 5, 2005
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Title says it all really.

Want to try Spirit with a treeless but I dont know alot about them just that people seem to be raving on about them.

Dont know if this will be of and significance but Spirit is a 16.1 Andalusian. Not been ridden for nearly 2 years and I am bringing him back into work so I am guessing he will be changing shape a fair bit as he is quite fat at the moment!

Also...are they ok for showing in ect?

And what 'accessories' are needed??

Cheers

S x x
 
usually dressage leathers and a treeless saddle pad are needed, depending on the type of treeless you have.

They can be shown in, if you have a traditional one.

They are good for changing shapes of horses, and for using 1 saddle on different horses.

con is the price, when first looking for one the price can be quite daunting.

comfy on your bum.

comfy for the horse.

lightweight.
 
my friends dressage mare hada treeless saddle and all her muscle from around her withers disappeared and had to have 6 weeks off work before changing back to a treed saddle.

im not sure why this happened, but just so your aware it can go wrong.... rarely though but can do.
 
I've got a treeless (SBS) for Saff and am hoping (fingers crossed) to get the new Vogue from Heather Moffett when they come out. I LOVE them and am so glad that I got one.

I use dressage leathers with my SBS and prefer them to 'normal' leathers anyway although you can use 'normal' leathers though dressage are better.

You need a dressage girth for most (if not all) treeless saddles.

You don't necessarily need a special saddle cloth/numnah depending on the treeless. I use a Stephens/Bartl sheepskin saddle cloth because I love them but I know that other people who use the Fhoenix just use a thin cotton high withered saddle cloth.

Saff has been in a treeless for over 3 years now and has a good back with no atrophy, no saggy boobs and no soreness.

You still have to remember that not all treeless saddles are of good quality in fact some are absolutely appalling and that even the best treeless may not suit every horse.

If you're interested in treless most of the good makes will let you have a trial and some have saddle fitting agents.
 
Apparently treeless saddles are made with dressage girths because they give better stability. The girth should be long enough anyway that it comes to just under the saddle flaps so you won't have large expanses of girth straps directly against the horse. If the girth is too short the horse can bang their elbows on the buckles which can, in some circumstances, bring the horse down.

Here is Saff in her treeless complete with dressage girth:

9July2007015.jpg


The girth on this photo wasn't completely tightened (or tucked in!) as we were doing some groundwork and clicker with her at the time.
 
I think you need to think about treeless saddles just like any other saddle. You need to be sure they fit the horse - and just like treed saddles, not every treeless fits every horse. Then you need to make sure that there are no pressure points - and these can be caused both by the saddle itself and by how you ride :eek: - so it's worth getting one on trial to make sure it suits your size, shape and style of riding as well as suiting the horse.

I use a Trekker Dressage which hasn't got a traditional tree but has quite a lot of structure around the pommel compared to completely flexible treeless saddles. I use it for everything at the mo (including little jumps) because I couldn't see how else I could deal with having a 4 (now 5) year old horse who was changing shape all the time - with a traditional treed saddle, I would have had to have it fitted before he was ridden, then checked nearly monthly :eek:, so it was easier to go treeless at this stage. I still check his back and his happiness with the saddle all the time, and later this year, I'll consider what saddle we need next.

The Trekker needs a dressage girth (and dressage pad), but there has never been any problem with the straps rubbing while hacking (I'm actually converted to dressage girths now, and have dressage leathers too... OMG what's happened to me?, I'm so not a dressage rider ;)).
 
I tried going treeless & it didn't suit my horse, she is high withered with a forward girth groove that tends to pull the saddle forward and it was very hard to get wither clearance with a treeeless. She was a lot happier when I went back to using a treed saddle. She is young & changing shape so I've got an adjustable treed saddle for her, this seems to suit her very well.
 
The problem I have is that Spirit is losing weight and building muscle at the same time and like capalldubh says, it would mean having the saddle checked every month or so if I had a saddle that was 'fixed'.

I have been having alot of problems with him in canter ie bucking, throwing head down and I have come to the conclusion that his saddle is too long as he has quite a short back. He is big up front and more narrow behind (he is Andalusian) and has a biiiiig barrelly ribcage and not really any withers to speak of (I will try and post a pic) so I need a saddle that is going to be quite versitile for him as he changes shape.

Thats why I think a treeless will be great for him. He is still learning how to move properly underneath me and from what I have read, treeless allow alot more free movement through the back and will allow me to feel him better.

Bay Mare...now I look at your pic the dressage girth looks ok! I think in some of the pics I have seen people have used incorrect girths. Just out of interest, what breed is Saff. Lovely colouring and looks very well clickered up :D

Can anyone recommend the best place to use for a tryout and an estimate cost?

S x x x
 
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www.bettersaddles.co.uk do treeless saddle trials. The cost of saddles varies greatly. You're looking at least £400-£500 as a minimum I think, for a decent saddle plus pad. The higher end brands go right up to the thousands. I do recommend going with a well known brand though, don't be tempted by the cheaper "copies"

I'm going treeless as soon as I can afford it due to similar reasons to yours, when my horse comes back into work he will definitely change shape, and it would mean having the saddle checked all the time and possibly buying new ones/getting it re-flocked. I've already gone through several treed saddles two of which gave him a sore back so hopefully we will have more luck with the treeless!
 
On the subject of the adjustable treed saddles - the Saddle Co ones can be adjusted while you wait by a fitter. P's saddle was adjusted by Poohsmate so as to allow for some muscle development & padded out with gel pad/shims which I gradually took out as she expanded, this meant the saddle didn't have to be refitted anything like as often as I expected. When P changed shape in the treeless it altered the fit of the saddle & meant I was fannying about with pads again, only in that instance there was no qualified person to help me out & it got very stressful (and expensive, I hate to think how much I spent on pads - my prolite, gel-lite and Stephens pad alone will have set me back almost £200 :eek:). I wish you luck if you do go treeless, I was disappointed that it didn't work for us because in principle it's great, but it's not necessarily the easiest, cheapest, lowest stress option - not in my experience anyway :rolleyes:
 
Cheers people.

Ive got a 'normal' saddle fitter coming out next week and I think I will take note of what he says and then maybe e-mail some1 who specialises in treeless and ask what they think. I suppose both sides will be bias though. I need to get this right though because i cant afford to spend lots on something only for it having to be changed soon after and it costing a packet

I know you have to be ready for these things but it can still get out of control and with him being new to me I seem to be throwing money left right and centre on this and that haha!

I dont mind because I love him to absolute death but got to be sensible :rolleyes:

I hope it IS the saddle that is causing the bucking after all this!! I thought it was because he was in company and so have been riding him out on his own and it did get abit batter for a week or so but now back to square 1

S x x
 
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