How many decisions do you have to make when choosing a saddle?
How much are you willing to compromise your comfort for your horses' comfort?
How much do you have to spend?
What kind of riding do you do?
How long will the saddle last?
How many times will your horse change shape in his lifetime?
We have asked ourselves these questions a million times in the past when deciding to change saddles. A saddle which looks great or has a fancy name can be a VERY EXPENSIVE MISTAKE! Fitting a saddle is always a compromise between what LOOKS good and what FEELS good. At Basse Peze we believe that whilst some rider comfort may, at times, have to be compromised, a horse's comfort should NEVER be.
When we bought Echo (welsh sectionD) as a 7yr old, he was extremely poor. Jayne tried at least 13 saddles on him - none fitted properly! Because of his appauling behaviour under saddle (due to previous mismanagement), he needed to be excercised. This was when we discovered treeless saddles - and we have never looked back! All of our horses are ridden in treeless saddles and Jayne has taught complete beginners to ride using them (many people comment on the feeling of security for the rider).
Below is a list of things which we have found as advantages with treeless saddles:
· they adjust to the horse's back in all directions
· totally flexible & move with the horse
· the anatomical shape makes them fit well
· close contact enables more feeling and therefore better communication
· they suit most types of horse and most syles of riding
You will see Boots sporting a treeless for his first backing session, in our gallery - also Echo looking much better 2 years on!
We are not retailers of saddles - we give this advice through our own experience -- because we know that buying a saddle is a MINEFIELD and that moving from conventional saddles to treeless crosses lots of people's minds. We have never had a problem in any way with our saddles (we have 2 different makes) and have ridden in them in ALL DISCIPLINES.
Please feel free to contact us if you would like to chat about treeless saddles. If you would like an opportunity to try a treeless saddle before you buy one, why not visit us? We offer chambres d'hotes in Dordogne plus Natural Boarding for horses.