Treeless?

[alexvicary]

Do any safecobbers use treeless saddles? I like the concept of them, but don't have any direct experience of how they actually feel or affect the horses, and the more I look into it the more of a minefield it seems - there are so many different styles out there and different approaches with gullets/shimming/specialist pads.... it all gets a bit confusing!

So, does anyone have any experience of treeless, and recommendations?

[erica&george]

Hi,
When I first got George I borrowed a treeless saddle from a friend. The great thing about it was that it was a "one size fits all" so I was sharing. Some people say that they don't feel as comfortable in a treeless saddle but I didn't notice any difference. The biggest problem I encountered and my friend still has, is that it can tend to slip. This is especially true when mounting from the ground and seems to affect skinny horses as well as cobs.

I did have to go through a number of saddles before we found one that George liked and we ended up with a saddle with a serge base (not leather but still very hard wearing). George really likes his saddle and other riders have commented on how comfortable it is.

The saddler who was extremely helpful, described a treeless saddle as being a comfort fit for a horse whereas a normal saddle tend to feel like an over tight waistband on a pair of trousers. The serge saddle is a good compromise as it tends to adapt more if the horse changes shape (due to food!) but also gently massages the horse when it is being ridden.

Neither options were cheap but the treeless saddle was out of my price range. I possibly would have got one if I had had enough money but now I wouldn't. George is very happy with the serge!
I hope this helps, but I am no expert!
I would be interested to see what others feel?
Erika & George

[kmalli1]

Although not a horse owner again yet!, I have ridden in/on a treeless and although it seemed a little different at first, I found it quite comfy, as I tend to feel a bit 'perched' using a GP saddle. It would be interesting to hear from someone who has used one more extensively, and find out how they wear, etc.
Karen

[nora]

Tried the treeless, didn't like it. Maybe it just felt too different and I'm resistant to change after a lifetime in old fashioned leather. Also, I found that it does slip/roll, certainly on a roundish cob. However, since I bought a skinny youngster who I was told had alot of growing to do, and since I had blown the budget really badly when I acquired my George (Shaun as was) and since none of my 5 saddles fitted him, I went the cheap route and bought a synthetic. It stretches and bends and forms itself to him, although I bought one with a flexible tree that could be made wider as he grew and it has been let out several times. This synthetic was so successful that when my second horse came and none of my 6 saddles fitted her, I got her an adjustable synthetic too. You can compete in a synthetic at Riding Club, show jumping, even affiliated dressage. The only place you'll really suffer with inexpensive tack is in the Show ring. Worth considering...
nora

[BessPot]

Hi guys,

On the saddles. We have got all 3 of our horses in the Wintec 500 including our safe cob. The advantages are that they have changeable gullets so you can vary them as you cob changes weight and they have a new extra-extra wide size we are pleased to say was too big even for Bess. I had my first one second hand for 7 years and have only recently replaced it because I wanted a different colour But our other horse has had his from new for 8 years so his is a slightly older version. The australian olympic team use them and they are very comfortable and under ?300.

[dawnhaytree]

I ride my horse in a wintec 500 he is a Tbx but ive heard a lot of bad things about them especially as far as fitting cobs go.Ive got this info off another forum just out of interest.


Generally they are too curved for most wider horses and the panel camber is stupid, with the outside edge digging into the horses backs, poor things. Sadly there are a lot of crap saddle fitters who will happily fit wintecs to all sizes and shapes of horses and proclaim their fit, when they clearly don't

BUT, having said that, rant over, they are designed for TBs and can fit TB OK. They are designed to be used at nothing wider than a medium (otherwsie the tree is too curved and drops at the front) and the panels are very angled at the back, which only fits the sloping backs of TB's. If your TB has a typical TB back - fairly narrow with distinct sloping downwards from the spine ,just in front of the loins, then they might fit. I just fitted one (as much as i detest them!) to a friends TB and it's a great fit - he's a classic TB. If your horse as a fairly flat back in front of the loins, forget about them and buy a thorowgood instead!
__________________

[Liz and Duke]

I used a Wintec 500 on my safecob with great success. I tried another very expensive option but he made his dislike of it very plain and he deposited his rider promptly and was humpimg his back when I tried it out. I assumed the person fitting the saddle was qualified (Iknow, I know - very dangerous!) and he certainly charged enough for his service. I took the saddle back, laid down the law and actually got a full refund when I challenged his status. I didn't know it, but he already had a court case pending because he was being sued by a client with a similar complaint! Thank you, unknown client!

I reverted back to the Wintec and he was back to his normal kind self. Sadly, my wonderful Sabre saddle did not fit him and I sold that to a friend for her TBx - Sabre saddles were fantastic but sadly are no longer made. I used leather saddles for most of my riding but for the since 1992 have used either Thorowgood or Wintec saddles.

I have tried treeless but did not like them and, like Erica, found they slipped on just about every horse I know whose owner uses them. I kept one horse at a yard that was very "natural" (silly description in my view, but there we go!) and out of 6 owners 4 used treeless of various makes and they all had slipping problems and spent vast amounts of money on various pads to try and make them stick!

BTW, have you looked at the safe saddle website? There is a link on the Safecobs website. They are produced with biggies in mind.

Erica - when I was a young gel (and I am quite an old f**t now!) most of the saddles made had a serge lining. They were the devil to keep clean as numnahs were rarely used then! Once dry they had to be carefully but thoroughly brushed and were reflocked regularly.

[erica&george]

Hi Liz,
I am pleased to say that numnahs these days are pretty good and apart from using a bit of sellotape to remove excess hair from time to time it still looks and feels and good as when I got it nearly 2 years ago. George is happy, because like Duke he made it quite plain when he had a saddle he didn't like.
Hope you are well and that Duke has recovered from that nasty injury.
Erika & George

[BessPot]

Well I am quite suprised at the negative wintec comments. All I can say is that we have 3 cobs of varying size and width, all 3 where Wintecs that fit them perfectly without using polypads or requiring any other adjustments, they have all at some point had to wear them with a wide gullet with no complaints or any change to the saddles fit, and they are good enough that people have ridden on ours and decided to buy them for their own horses. The only tragedy for me is that they actually do not make one that would fit my section A who I am currently breaking because or saddle fitter thinks they are actually a better fit on the slighlty broader beasties.

[dawnhaytree]

I was suprised to i quite like my wintec had no probs with it, if your interested take a look at this forum http://www.newrider.com and search for wintecs your find a lot of info about them on there.

[alexvicary]

Wow those people on NR don't like the Wintecs, do they? Just about every RS horse and hack I've been on was wearing a Wintec or Thorowgood and they seem to be perfectly good everyday saddles to me.

Interesting stuff about treeless on NR though, including a link to a fairly local saddler who'd let me trial a few different ones. Now I just have to get me a cob to try them out on !

[Apache]

Hi everyone, Just to say that I would never use anything but a treeless on any of my horses. I would not like a metal bar sticking in my back when a rider gets on!! A treeless lets the horse's shoulder move and the shims are to lift the saddle where there is muscle damage from a tree'd saddle. There are so many different types of treeless on the market but you do not have to keep changing saddles when your horse changes shape. The Rolls Royce in treeless is Total Saddle Solutions (formerly Ansur) VERY expensive but think how much you would spend on saddles having to change it every time your horse changes shape. I use treeless on my cobs and have cantered without it slipping. I do not mount from the ground (too old to lift leg that high) ha ha. This is only my opinion and hope that you are all happy with whatever you use. xx