To tree or not to tree, that is the question!

Hmm I have been contemplating one of these treeless saddle thingamajigs for a little while, do not know much about them. Does anyone on here have one? What are your pros and cons with it? Anyone else's opinions just on them in general?


Maybe like this one, just to try it out??http://cgi.ebay.com/17-Brown-Treeles...item5886844832

Or this?http://cgi.ebay.com/16-Brown-Treeles...item588691ed0f

I do not know a lot about Treeless, except for the few people I know that ride Treeless and other Forum Info, everyone will say a Good Treeless Saddle will cost over 1,000.00.

I am not sure why the cost so much, but I am sure it has to do with Rider Comfort and Horse Comfort.

I always compare the cheap Ebay Saddles to Shoes, if a Good Saddle is 1,000.00 and a Cheap Saddle is 100.00 that is like comparing a 100.00 pair of shoes to a 10.00 Pair, who wants a 10.00 pair of shoes?

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Well to try out, I ma not really looking to make a huge investment on something I might hate altogether... and I would try a good one but there are no places near me that sell em, so it is either try a cheapo and decide or just never know...

Some people can't afford $1000 saddles.

I had a used Ansur Classic dressage saddle that I LOVED. Used on a 14.2hh Arab mare. She liked it, I liked it, it fit great - and the leather was super awesome.

No longer have that horse, and the treeless didn't work for horse I was leasing (Welsh CobxPerch/Thoroughbred) nor the horse I ended up buying a Thoroughbred built Appy. It just didn't sit right on them, too much pressure on the withers for the Appy and tipping me forward on the Cob (I could have shimmed that one if I wanted). I sold the saddle with much regret (to buy one that fits).

Totally depends on the horse build, the kind of saddle you buy, etc. Riding in one feels much like riding bareback but with security.

I bought the Ansur used several years ago for $1900. They are near $3k new, I believe. You could 'try' one out for the $200 on Ebay but the fit of those and the fit of a better made, attention to fit details may be drastically different and you really won't get the feel for it.

I'd keep checking local paper/craigslist/tack trader AND/OR online places that allow for trial rides, some do for only the cost of shipping. Plus do what you're doing now and talk with people about treeless and which brands they like and why.

I have owned both an Ansur classic dressage and a Torsion endurance. Both were fantastic - and both used on the Arab mare I mentioned.

The link looked more like a bareback pad then a saddle. I don't think you can compare that to a regular saddle like a bob marshall. They do hold there resale so if you don't like it you can sell it easily

I think it depends on how much you weigh and if you are a good rider.
If your overweight, your not spreading your weight over enough area as a saddle would. Your weight is going to be where your butt bones are and that's it. The use of stirrups can be very dangerous with a bareback pad and some treeless.
SO if your skinny and a good rider, I see nothing wrong with them

Treeless saddles can be good or bad. All saddles can. Personally I like them more. I do, however, only like the ones than put you farther back in on the horse and allow more freedom for the rider. I like the first saddle the most, because I like treeless saddles to have a deepish seat.

My favorite saddles are vaquero saddles. Especially because I have two Spanish horses!

I use a treeless saddle and LOVE it, but you get what you pay for... I use a Bob Marshall endurance type saddle and a Black Forest English type saddle.

Most treeless saddles require a good pad as well. I use a treeless Skito and a ThinLine pad. My whole pad set me back, used saddle and new pads, around $1,300. Other good pads for treeless saddles include equipedic, supracor, saddleright, toklat ultracell, etc. You want a good shock absorbing pad that provides some spinal clearance.

For saddles, stick with quality name brands like ansur, bob marshall, barefoot, torsion, freeform, treefree, black forest, bandos (an okay saddle), mackinder, heather moffett, sensation, etc.

Stay AWAY from hilason, sydney saddleworks, maya, freemax, or any other "no name" type brand. If it sells for a "too good to be true" price on ebay or off, just say no .

If you just want a saddle to play around on, then go with a Cashel Softsaddle. You can get them new for around $275, and you shouldn't need any special saddle pad. The only horses they don't work for are those with REALLY high withers or a protruding spine.

You are very likely to hate it if you get a cheapo saddle. They're not well made, slipe around, and even break while you're on. Most good saddle dealers will have a demo program for you to try out quality saddles before you buy.