TREELESS SADDLES FOR HORSES

by
John O'Leary
Horseman.

23rd September, 2007

Hi John
I wrote to you a little while ago August I think asking you what you thought of treeless saddles as I have a hard to fit horse.
I thought I would let you know how my horse and I went with it. I did buy a barefoot saddle western style treeless and it is great. My horse is striding longer and moving much freer. It seems to be a success. I had all sorts of trouble getting a treed saddle to fit him and so this saddle is a blessing as all horses need a saddle that doesn't cause them pain. we riders also need a comfy saddle and this is one of those. It takes a few minutes to get used to feel as you sit as wide as your horse is a bit like bareback and you can really feel your horse move underneath you. Your horse can also feel every signal your body gives them. I thought this info might be useful to your readers with hard to fit horses.
Thank you for your advice you gave me at the time. I enjoy your website by the way.
Cheers Deb

Thanks for that Deb. I have been waiting for some feedback. Very helpful. Common sense was telling me that they would have to be liked by horses.

Second comment - along the Bowen way, we looked at saddle-fit in some depth. I had actually just purchased a treeless saddle (a barefoot Cheyenne) and everyone I knew was still unsure about how it would work out. I have used it ever since then and even bought another one (freeform - for dressage or jumping). My horses love them - especially my rotund little Arab/welsh who was blatant in showing her discomfort in he any other saddle I had tried. I watch the condition of their backs consistently and no problems. I highly recommend them.

Thanks Donna

Dear Mr HP,

As a regular reader of your site I noticed someone concern about the stirrup attachment on the Barefoot Cheyenne as there is no ‘release’. I purchased a Barerfoot Cheyenne saddle and went in search of a TRUE safety stirrup that you could not get hung up in. I looked at so many different designs and was not happy with any until I came across little known AUSTRALIAN designed safety stirrups by Smartrider. They have two types they have the Smartrider ‘Escape’ and the Smartrider ‘Breakaway’ stirrup . I bought the Escape to go with my Barefoot saddle and have been wrapped,this one also ‘doubles’ as a ladder (has to be seen to be believed ) to give you the extra 2-3 inches you may need to mount the taller horse and save re-adjusting once mounted. I was so impressed I bought another set for my stock saddle and have also purchased their breakaway stirrup made of marine grade stainless steel to go with my English saddle. Check out their website for demonstrations of how these stirrups work to keep riders from becoming trapped and dragged.They are also really pleasant people to deal with. www.smartrider.net

Hope this helps some readers,I think it’s great an Aussie has come up with this excellent design,we should support them,

Cheers,

Vanessa