Are Treeless Saddles Good For Horses Backs?

Treeless saddles are often said to be more “natural,” more comfortable for riders and/or horses, or more universally fitting for all equine back shapes and rider seats.

What is the advantage of a treeless saddle?

Some riders opt for treeless saddles to make it easier to lift them onto the horse, for personal comfort preferences during riding, or to fit horses with especially wide backs that may have uncomfortable pressure points with traditional saddles.

Are treeless saddles OK for horses?

Treeless saddles can be bad for some horses because they don’t distribute a rider’s weight evenly which can cause spine injuries, muscle soreness, and saddle sores, especially when riding over long distances. However, they do allow a horse to move more naturally.

Is it hard to ride in a treeless saddle?

Because there is no tree to hold the saddle above the spine, horses with very high withers or big hollows on each side of the withers are difficult or impossible to fit with a treeless saddle. Generally, treeless saddles are not designed for jumping, though small jumps can be taken while trail riding.

Are treeless saddles good for swayback horses?

Answer: Horses with a swayed back can go very well in a treeless saddle.

Is there a weight limit for treeless saddles?

Is there a weight limit to a treeless saddle? Generally speaking, the weight limit is around 170 lbs, but keep in mind, there are plenty of exceptions. Depending on the size of your horse, it is certainly possible to go over that limit.

Are treeless saddles good for endurance?

The Barefoot Atlanta Treeless Saddle is an extremely light weight, horse friendly endurance and trail saddle.

What is the most comfortable saddle for a horse?

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• Acerugs All-Natural Cowhide Saddle.
• EquiRoyal Comfort Trail Saddle.
• King Series Classic Distance Rider.
• Hilason Flextree Trail Saddle.
• Acerugs Cordura Synthetic Saddle.
• Royal King Roughout Training Saddle.
• Wintec Pro HART Endurance Saddle.

Is riding bare back better for the horse?

The scans of bareback rides showed small areas where pressure reached a level that could cause pain and tissue damage in the horse’s muscle fibers. This was particularly true where the rider’s seat bones contacted the horse’s back.

What is the most gentle horse to ride?

Keep Calm & Ride On: Meet the 5 Calmest Horse Breeds

• American Quarter Horse.
• Morgan Horse.
• Appaloosa Horse.
• Norwegian Fjord.
• Connemara Pony.

Do treeless saddles slip?

Since Ansur treeless saddles have no rigid frame to dig into the horse’s back, the saddle will slip toward the rider while mounting from the ground.

Do you need a special saddle pad for a treeless saddle?

If you ride with a treeless saddle, you will want to have a quality saddle pad to go with. The best treeless saddle pads offer cushioning, support, and a proper fit to ensure your horse will be comfortable. Ideally, they should have shock-absorbing foam, silicone, or felt inserts to improve performance.

Is it better for a saddle to be too big or too small?

In general, it’s better to have a saddle a smidgen too big than a smidgen too small. (A smaller saddle may cause uncomfortable chafing.)

How do you help a horse with a sway back?

Ground Driving: Ground driving is a non-riding method of encouraging your horse to engage his core and hindquarters and lift his back, therefore strengthening his abdominal and back muscles. Cavaletti & Pole Work: Poles and Cavaletti are great exercises to work on in the saddle for a swaybacked horse.

How do I stop my horse from sway back?

These exercises include:

1. Proper lunging to encourage a horse to use their back and abdominal muscles to carry themselves.
2. Carrot stretches to keep their muscles from getting too tight.
3. Work over ground poles or cavaletti, which encourages the use of the back and hind end.
4. Ground driving.

How do you saddle a horse with a sway back?

If the horse is only displaying signs of a sway from lack of correct muscle development, then using the saddle bridging shims will allow the horse to move more comfortably and correctly so that those muscles can be developed and the shims may eventually be removed.

Do treeless saddles need to be fitted?

Makers recommend having a treeless saddle and padding professionally fit to your horse’s back. Because there is no tree to distribute a rider’s weight from front to back, pressure points from the rider’s seat bones may cause pain for the horse, especially with a heavier rider.

Does a treeless saddle need fitting?

You will need a tight 3 fingers in between your 2 panels in the gullet area. Adjustment to the panels from the stirrup area to the pommel of the saddle can vary for your horse’s needs. In other words most horses have two very different shoulders so with the panels you may place them where they are needed…

How heavy is too heavy for a horse back ride?

Deb Bennett, PhD, founder of the Equine Studies Institute and an expert in the biomechanics of horses, has advised that the “Total weight of rider plus tack must not exceed 250 lbs. There is no horse alive, of any breed, any build, anywhere, that can go more than a few minutes with more weight on its back than this.

Are treeless saddles good for horses with no withers?

Without a tree, a bareback pad/treeless saddle cannot protect the horse’s spine, support the curvature of the rider’s spine, and be comfortable for both horse and rider.

Are treeless saddles good for high withered horses?

One of the main reasons for needing to use a treeless pad under a bareback pad, is to relieve pressure for high withered horses. Horses with a high wither or under developed topline may benefit from the extra foam inserts either side of the backbone that provide a channel.