The Great Saddle Search - AGAIN!

If there is any group of people who are dedicated to finding proper fitting saddles for their horses, it is Endurance people. They are always looking for good fit. What fits for 5 or 6 miles, isn't going to cut the mustard after 50 or even 100 miles, so if you want comfort in saddles or rider wear, that is the place to go! I went to the AERC Convention in Reno with 3D cutouts of the backs of three different horses: Whisper, Andi and Tosca. What I found in treed saddles was truely amazing and quite eye opening. Treeless saddles for distance are not working out for most people. Seems people have found, like me, that unless you are a featherweight rider, they don't do well over the 10 mile range. I had even noticed on the underside of my Skito pad increased dirt marks on both sides near the front of my pad. What I have been told is that this corresponds to where the girth attaches to the saddle, so when I tighten the girth, it causes a pressure point there. Hmmmm, maybe that is why my mare gives me an ugly face back to my leg at the beginning of a ride, and then it goes away as the pad(s) squash down and the girth loosens into the ride??? Anyway, while my treeless is going to stay here and be used for short rides (those under 8 miles) I knew I needed something with a tree to give more support over the longer miles.

The newest innovation in treed saddles are flexible, hard plastic. Well, maybe not new, but widespread enough now that there are lots of options and brands to choose from. Not flexible as in discs, or "broken"up trees, but hard, flexible plastic surrounded by different types of foam to create a truely flexible saddle that will fit many horses. And in the majorityof cases, these are shorter saddles, and the way they flex, they will not bridge once in the saddle, and this also alleviates the possibility of loin rubs if the saddle is a mite too long. I had 3 of the widest, roundest backs there, and I found many saddles that would be a good fit (and in fact, the same saddle would have fit all three horsesin my bag!).

OK, here are the specifics on all the saddles that the"backs" of the 3 horses I took to the convention fit.

Specialized Saddle: This saddle comes in 3 different trees: mule, regular and wide. All three of my backs(2 Icelandics) fit easily with in the regular tree. With this saddle, you get a foam and "shim" kit and fit the saddle to your horse's back exactly. Since I think in pictures, and am not good with words, I will let one of the dealer's websites explain this process: http://www.lostjuniperranch.com/FittingYourSpecializedSaddleDoc.html
It also has a DVD for fitting instructions. This saddle will allow you to change the fit as your horse's back changes with either more work or lack of work. Here are all the models they have along with prices: http://www.lostjuniperranch.com/SpecializedSaddles.html
Just for the record, I have researched this saddle for a couple of years, and it is most likely the one I am going to end up buying for Whisper and Andi, and I will just switch out the shims when I change horses. And much to my dismay, I did not get any pics of this saddle at the Convention since I already knew so much about it

.Boz Saddle: I was very impressed with this saddle and on my You-Tube video you will see how the tree flexes. The man who makes these built the saddle around a person sitting on a horse bareback. While he makes a very good case for the forward position of his stirrups, they are adjustible because they are attached in a Y style similar to Y girthing, so you can put them in a more "centered" riding position. He says most saddles are designed to set you to the back of the cantle, while his does not because he wants you right behind the wither, where you would sit if bareback. The flex also eliminates bridging and pinching, and because of this, if the saddle happens to be an inch or two too long, it will not come into contact with the loins (unless you had a humpbackedhorse - which you wouldn't be riding anyway!). Hiswebsite is: http://bozsaddlery.com/
I was extremely comfy in one of his english style sheepskin saddles!

Native Spirit Saddlery: This saddle was very impressive, as well. I took a video of it flexing,but it is a bit dark. I don't think the video showshow well it flexes front to back, which will eliminate bridging. I should have taken a pic from the back, but I didn't, to show how the panels flex. In the front, on the pommel, there is a screw (?) for an allen wrench that allows you to adjust the gullet while riding (if need be). The leather on this saddlewas buttery soft, and I fell in love with it! Here is their website:
http://nativespiritsaddlery.com/

Timberline Saddles: This saddle takes what was good about the original Ortho-flex saddles and made their own company. If you look at the pic I took head on ofthe black english saddle, you will see where the saddle attaches to the tree/panel. This very much concerned me and I asked what prevented that area from digging into the horse, and his reply was 20 years of digging into the horse. He assured me they had that problem solved. I sat in the English style "Comfort Rider" and this saddle was absolute heaven to sit in! He said the panels could be made shorter if you had an extreme short backed horse as in one who was shorter than the majority of Icelandics. The two Icelandicbacks I had would have plenty of room with most of his saddle styles. This is their website:
http://www.timberlinesaddlecompany.com/

I wanted to look at Reactor Panel Saddles, but they were not there.

Here is the videos/pictures I took:



I want people to know that there ARE options out there for people who want a treed saddle. I am not bashing treeless saddles, and I plan on keeping mine. They are not perfect, however, and you don't have to settle for treeless if you want/need the support a tree gives and still want it flexible instead of rigid.