This review is for the Ghost Treeless saddle. I now own two of them, and the models I have are the Roma and the Firenze.
Roma
Firenze
The reason I trialed this saddle in the first place is because I have a mare with very asymmetrical shoulders. Every treed saddle I've used on her slides to the right, and it is difficult to get her to move straight because the saddles interfere with the large muscle behind her shoulder.
The first saddle I bought was the Roma. It has a straighter thigh block and straighter flap than the Firenze.
The saddle distributor said to choose the saddle based on how I sat on a horse, i.e. with a longer leg or shorter leg. We tried the Roma based on photos of me riding.
It turned out that the Roma worked out perfectly for one of my mares, but on my other mare I do ride with a little shorter stirrup, and the forward flap of the Firenze worked better for the way I ride due to her movement and barrel shape.
These saddles are only recommended for riders 170 lbs or less. Since I only weigh about 125 lbs and my horses have round, wide backs, I find that I don't even use a treeless pad with the saddles. They have panels that velcro on the underside of the saddle, and these panels along with my horses' anatomy keep my weight on either side of the spine without allowing the saddle to touch the spine.
The saddles have two places to attach stirrup leathers, either forward or back. They also have a sliding girth attachment so you can adjust for a horse with a forward girth groove (which one of my mares has).
I recently had purchased a Freeform saddle. Although I noticed my mare with the asymmetrical shoulders moved very well in it, the twist was so wide that it hurt my hips. I tried for several months to get my body to adjust, but even a short ride left me very sore. In order to keep the older Freeform off the horse's spine, I also had to use a treeless pad with inserts that made everything even wider. The Ghost saddles have a twist that feels just like you're riding in a treed saddle.
One of my primary worries about riding treeless was whether the saddle might slip to one side dangerously when riding fast. I'd heard this might be the case, especially on horses with wide barrels such as my two Arabs. I've found this saddle to be extremely secure, even on horses that are spooking, twisting, leaping, etc. There is less slipping than with my treed saddles, and I actually tighten the girth less than I did with my treed saddles. The saddle stays in place, and I stay in place too. Both of my saddles are made out of the oiled nubuck which is very similar to regular leather but less shiny and with a little more grip to it.
The issues I've had: if the thigh blocks are wrong for your leg and riding style, they will press against your leg and cause bruises. That's what I ran into on my horse that needed the Firenze when I rode her in the Roma. So choosing the right model is important.
The knee blocks were one worry I had because I dislike Australian saddles because they limit your mobility in the saddle. I don't like feeling trapped into a position. However, the thigh blocks are very small and don't lock you in. It's more like they are there for support if you need it but otherwise you can ignore them (unless the model is wrong for you).
The stirrup leathers run from the underside of the saddle through a slit in the flap. I wasn't sure how that would feel, but it does not change anything about how I use my legs or ride. I ended up buying fleece covers for my stirrup leathers and they make the ride so comfortable I don't need to use half chaps.
Overall, this is the most comfortable saddle I've ridden in. My horses love the freedom of movement and seem to prefer them to the expensive Lovatt and Ricketts we rode in for the past several years. That's why I ended up keeping the Roma too, because even though it didn't fit the mare I bought it for, my other mare seemed to really like it.
Roma
Firenze
The reason I trialed this saddle in the first place is because I have a mare with very asymmetrical shoulders. Every treed saddle I've used on her slides to the right, and it is difficult to get her to move straight because the saddles interfere with the large muscle behind her shoulder.
The first saddle I bought was the Roma. It has a straighter thigh block and straighter flap than the Firenze.
The saddle distributor said to choose the saddle based on how I sat on a horse, i.e. with a longer leg or shorter leg. We tried the Roma based on photos of me riding.
It turned out that the Roma worked out perfectly for one of my mares, but on my other mare I do ride with a little shorter stirrup, and the forward flap of the Firenze worked better for the way I ride due to her movement and barrel shape.
These saddles are only recommended for riders 170 lbs or less. Since I only weigh about 125 lbs and my horses have round, wide backs, I find that I don't even use a treeless pad with the saddles. They have panels that velcro on the underside of the saddle, and these panels along with my horses' anatomy keep my weight on either side of the spine without allowing the saddle to touch the spine.
The saddles have two places to attach stirrup leathers, either forward or back. They also have a sliding girth attachment so you can adjust for a horse with a forward girth groove (which one of my mares has).
I recently had purchased a Freeform saddle. Although I noticed my mare with the asymmetrical shoulders moved very well in it, the twist was so wide that it hurt my hips. I tried for several months to get my body to adjust, but even a short ride left me very sore. In order to keep the older Freeform off the horse's spine, I also had to use a treeless pad with inserts that made everything even wider. The Ghost saddles have a twist that feels just like you're riding in a treed saddle.
One of my primary worries about riding treeless was whether the saddle might slip to one side dangerously when riding fast. I'd heard this might be the case, especially on horses with wide barrels such as my two Arabs. I've found this saddle to be extremely secure, even on horses that are spooking, twisting, leaping, etc. There is less slipping than with my treed saddles, and I actually tighten the girth less than I did with my treed saddles. The saddle stays in place, and I stay in place too. Both of my saddles are made out of the oiled nubuck which is very similar to regular leather but less shiny and with a little more grip to it.
The issues I've had: if the thigh blocks are wrong for your leg and riding style, they will press against your leg and cause bruises. That's what I ran into on my horse that needed the Firenze when I rode her in the Roma. So choosing the right model is important.
The knee blocks were one worry I had because I dislike Australian saddles because they limit your mobility in the saddle. I don't like feeling trapped into a position. However, the thigh blocks are very small and don't lock you in. It's more like they are there for support if you need it but otherwise you can ignore them (unless the model is wrong for you).
The stirrup leathers run from the underside of the saddle through a slit in the flap. I wasn't sure how that would feel, but it does not change anything about how I use my legs or ride. I ended up buying fleece covers for my stirrup leathers and they make the ride so comfortable I don't need to use half chaps.
Overall, this is the most comfortable saddle I've ridden in. My horses love the freedom of movement and seem to prefer them to the expensive Lovatt and Ricketts we rode in for the past several years. That's why I ended up keeping the Roma too, because even though it didn't fit the mare I bought it for, my other mare seemed to really like it.