Riding Treeless

My friend Ren Hurst of Renegade Horsemanship & Hoof Care (more on her later, in the meantime you can Google her) suggested that I back up and tell the "WHY" of riding treeless, so for those of you that are new to the technology and/or the concept, I'll start back at the beginning:

I came to my favorite saddle out of desperation.  I had two young Spanish Arabian horses to start and condition for their career as distance horses, and nothing at all in my barn, leather-wise would fit them.

Nothing that my network of riding girl-and boy-friends had in THEIR barns would fit them.  I know, because we all gathered at a local arena one night and everyone brought me saddles to try.  I'd take saddles off of complete stranger's horses to try.  I'd take saddles off a complete stranger's HUSBAND'S horse to try...no luck.

I'd been riding with a girlfriend that owns gaited horses, and she rides a treeless saddle.  I really liked to look of it, so I borrowed it for a ride to try it.  I liked the seat well enough, but there was just an immense amount of "stuff" between the horse and I - knee rolls, padding, more pads, you name it.  And the stirrup hangers put my legs in a funky position (I'm sure this is a professional term...). 

Yet another friend knew I was in the hunt for a treeless, and sent me to a website where I promptly ordered the least expensive saddle they had.  The saddle arrived and I immediately went out and placed it directly on my gelding's back with no pad.  It fit like a glove.  No extra padding, no knee rolls, no extra stuff.  So far, so good.  I put the pad on and attached all the fittings - I chose english leathers and a dressage girth, although you can choose western endurance fenders and cinches as well.  Got on.  I was a little concerned about the saddle slipping since there isn't a tree, but had no problem at all.  That was it.  I've never looked back and have been hooked ever since.  The fun part of this is seeing my die-hard,  cattle-raising, showing and roping girlfriends riding THEIR treeless saddles - also a move born of desperation because of an inability to fit a traditional saddle to hard-to-fit horses.

The difference in my horse's way of going was immediate.  He stopped bucking down hills - well, can you imagine doing really steep grades with a rigid tree (and 120 lbs. on top of that) gouging you in the shoulder muscle?  I could immediately feel him round his back up underneath me when I went to collect him.  I can feel his heartbeat, I can feel him sigh, and I can feel his back hollow when his head comes up to stare down that dang turkey hen...


TO BE CONTINUED...