My confusion over treeless

Hey everyone!

Now, I am barefoot and bitless but I admit that I am not treeless. It is my understanding that treed saddles are made to distribute the weight over the muscles that run along the spine so that no weight/pressure is put on the spine itself.

My question is, wouldn't a treeless saddle allow for the unwanted pressure/weight on the spine? I am just treeless saddle stupid and just looking for some clarification.

Thanks!

Not all treeless are the same. Generally you want one that has a channel for the spine and make sure to measure so that it is wide enough a channel for your horses back. Any saddle that has a tree in it is rigid, the horses back is not. So a lot of horses because of this do not get along with treed saddles because they create stiff, rigid pressure points. I am sure someone else could explain more I must run off to tend to the horses.

http://www.solutionsaddles.com
Hi horsehippie check out this website for more information. The Total Saddle solutions saddle that I use is made by the British company that used to be part of Ansur saddles. Ansur saddles have an interesting website which can give you a lot more information so just google their name. These saddles are at the expensive end of the market (I got mine second hand and it was still expensive) but you could check out barefoot saddles and torsion saddles as well. Cyndi rides in a Barefoot and likes it. I also have a torsion saddle and like that too but as Sydney says you should have a channel to clear the spine and this is sometimes provided by an expensive numnah. You need one of these with the torsion but not with the solutions saddle.

Thanks for the info. I will definately look into those sites. I am familiar with the Barefoot saddles as I was going to get my bitless from them. I ended up getting a Dr. Cook from a different Canadian site as it was the same price as the Barefoot brand.

Thanks again!

After the car insurance is paid off I am actually getting a natural ride. Seems very interesting. Basically it's a bareback pad with stirrups and a gullet that keeps it from sliding so you can mount from the ground too. www.naturalride.com
I have yet to hear one bad review on it unlike others such as the cashel soft saddle etc.
I've been looking a long time for a good bareback pad. I didn't like the ones with the stirrups for obvious safety reasons and a lot of the others looked slippery too.
I just about bought the reinsman tacky too pad until my friend sent me the natural ride link.
Anyone used this bareback pad/saddle?

I ride in a treeless Bandos saddle. It does require a special saddle pad, which is what gives you the spinal clearance you need. My TB mare was impossible to fit in a treed saddle, and she is so happy treeless.

When I rode, I did it in my Heather Moffett Flexion. It was by far the
best ride I have had in my life and the only saddle that would fit my
horse.
I recommend buying, borrowing or stealing a ride in one if you can! to see for yourself.

One point that hasn't been mentioned yet about treeless saddles is
rider weight. Generally if you are over 75 kgs, you need to be cautious
and get professional advice for your horse's sake.
As it stands with most things, you get what you pay for.
A high end quality treeless is the only way to go.
Buying a cheap saddle (treed or treeless) is the epitome of false economy.

In the treeless yahoo group that I visit, there was a lady who took apart a "cheap" treeless saddle that was purchased on eBay. It was made in India. The photos are unreal!! You wouldn't believe how shoddy the work was, and the stuff inside. A lot of it felt stiff, and along with a hard piece of plastic (or something like that), there was also layers of foam glued together. The glue is the type that gets brittle and crumbles. So, like Kodak said, beware of cheap saddles - treeless or not. It's better to spend the extra money on a name brand. I've also heard of cheap saddles that had feminine hygiene products as padding.

I use a Barefoot Cheyenne. I'm not terribly secure in it yet, but I hope I am in time. It might just be too big for me. Barefoot makes a model called the Sevilla, and it's very Spanish looking. I really like it. It is supposed to hit the North American market in May, or so. I haven't yet contacted the Canadian dealer to see if she is getting any in.

There is a saddle called the Rebecca Saddle, and they are custom made to you and your horse's requirements. The nice thing with them is that they have a V-shaped billet, which is helpful for the horses who don't like being cinched up in one spot...like a bra. They take about nine months to come in, from the time you order them.

The rigging you are talking about is Y rigging. What it does is instead of anchoring the saddle in one spot it stabilizes it over a wide area so the pressure of the cinch/girth is not localized in one spot. Especially good for bad backed horses.

Yes, Y rigging, that's what I mean. Thanks Sydney