Riding Treeless, Part 2

The interesting and totally unexpected side effect of riding treeless is that MY body doesn't hurt anymore.  I found this out kind of by accident.  I had loaned my treeless saddle  to a friend to try before she ordered hers, and I was riding my English Ovation.  One of the most comfortable all purpose saddles I've ever ridden - yes, it has a tree.  We just dinked around for a couple of hours, and when I got off of my horse that day, I could hardly walk.  My back was sore, my hiney was sore and my knees hurt.  I got my  treeless saddle back, and I haven't been in that beautiful Ovation since...

Riding treeless has been described as being as connected to your horse as you can possibly be, and still have a saddle on.  My saddle weighs 8 lbs. without fittings.  It fits everything from a pony to a percheron, and everyone from a kid to a 350 lb. man.  Heavy riders do very well in the treeless saddles.   There are special pads that provide all the protection to the horse's back that is needed, and from the horse's standpoint - it has to beat that same 350 pounds on a rigid tree.

A couple of years ago, Deacon and I competed in our first Competitive Trail Ride together.  It was my first CTR in 15 years.   My gelding came in with a perfect score, winning the Novice sweepstakes  - meaning his condition was good, no back or other soreness, pulse and respiration checks all good, etc.  I knew we had done the conditioning for the ride with no soreness, but actual competition is much rougher riding and I knew that would tell the true story.

Here's the biggest deal - before this saddle, I was ALWAYS the one doing tack adjustments.  I mean, get off the horse, scoot the saddle back or forward, dink with the pad placement, tighten it up - you name it.  I rode this CTR with no breast collar, no crupper and the saddle never moved.  I go straight up and straight down , and my saddle is still positioned over the correct vertebrae when I'm done.

Treeless saddles aren't for everyone.  They ARE for people who struggle with body pain in either the horse or themselves.  They are for people who trail ride for pleasure, they are for people who start young horses, they are for people who love to jump their horse, chase cows (as long as you don't try to catch one), team pen, sort, distance ride or do speed events (can you say "Extreme Cowboy Race"?).  They are for gaited horses as well. 

All treeless saddles are NOT created equal, there are some inferior products on the market.  But the great gains in technology that has given  us tiny cell phones has given us beautifully engineered saddles that are light, distribute the rider's weight over the horse's back, and enable us to ride long distance or short, all pain-free.