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. We believe that whilst some rider comfort may, at times, have to be compromised, a horse's comfort should NEVER be.
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 educated, and excercised! This was when we discovered treeless saddles - and we never looked back! All of our horses have been 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 found advantagious with treeless saddles:
they are 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
HOWEVER, we are not advocating that treeless saddles are the best for all combinations and this was re inforced when Ronnie joined us at Basse Peze. She is TB x Holstein and came to us from a life of stables, rugs and bowl feeds. She and was'nicely rounded' and we rode her in the treeless saddles just like the rest. However, after a few months 'on track', she began to become much more TB shaped and soon showed the typical high wither which these types often have. We then found that her shape didn't suit the treeless saddles as they sat too low over the withers- time to call in the expert! Local master saddler Glenn Hasker came to measure Ronnie and suggested a cut back saddle would suit her - he was absolutely spot-on! We bought her a traditional Barnsby Raven saddle and it fit like a glove (or rather a saddle!). Ronnie, who has a BIG action, moves superbly well in the saddle and Jayne is more than comfortable!
In our gallery you will see horses wearing treeless and conventional saddles
We are not retailers of saddles, we give this advice through our own experience because we know that buying a saddle can be a MINEFIELD and that moving from conventional saddles to treeless and even back again crosses lots of people's minds. We have never had a problem in any way with treeles saddles and have ridden in them in ALL DISCIPLINES, likewise with conventional saddles.
Please feel free to contact us if you would like to chat about treeless saddles, but if you wish to discuss coventional saddles, Glenn Hasker is the man to speak to.