Re: Treeless saddles vs. regular saddles

["Steven Proe" <trails@aaahawk.com>]

Hi Lucy: We did all of the above plus some on Sunday also same trails up
Maine Bar, a hint use the crupper and a breast collar. I also use a running
martingale and ride with a loose girth, this way the saddle can move a wee
bit on the ups and downs and the horse can also breath a lot easier going up
Maine Bar to the campground.

Steven and Trooper had a ball with the other 25 riders riding together on
Sunday.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Lucy C Trumbull" <elsie@foothill.net>
To: "RideCamp" <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2001 12:15 PM
Subject: RC: Treeless saddles vs. regular saddles


> MarisR@aol.com wrote:
> >
> > I have ridden several saddles, treed, treeless, and an Orthoflex.
Iliked
> > them all, and properly fitted, my horse was not lame or sore with any.
> > However, once I spent some time in the treeless, I was never AS
comfortable
> > with any other saddle after that.  I'm not willing to try again, it's
too
> > comfortable.
>
> :))
>
> I'd have to agree with you there... :)
>
> A friend from England visited on Sunday, bringing with her an
> english saddle for me to use for a year or so, for arena work.
>
> I've been riding in Bob Marshall Sportsaddles for 4 years now,
> and haven't ridden in a treed saddle in all that time. I've done
> 230 miles of 30/50s in the SS with my gelding with no back problems
> at all.
>
> However, my dumpling-shaped, greenie mare is abit uncomfortable
> going down steeeeep hills. Because she's so round and has a
> forward heart-girth, the SS tends to be pulled onto her withers
> and she gets cranky. The best thing I can do for her is to crupper-
> train her, but that's been slow going and we're not there yet
> (read "I'm too chicken to ride her down a hill in a crupper" <g>).
>
> So we went for a 8-9 mile ride on Sunday and I decided to try
> the english saddle, to see if that worked any better than the
> SS for the mare.
>
> In terms of where it sat on her it seemed very good. The saddle
> was suited to her round, fat...er... sorry "well sprung" shape
> and the position of the rigging didn't seem to pull the saddle
> forward the way the SS sometimes does.
>
> For those of you who may be familiar with the trails around
> here, we rode from "Third Gate" (top of the canyon) down to
> the WST/Tevis river crossing at Poverty Bar and back up again.
> Maybe 1000' of descent in 4 miles?
>
> I now have a very sore bottom. :))))))))
>
> Gah. I'd forgotten what treed saddles feel like! Ack.
>
> (note I was brought up on english saddles, so once I got used
> to the "nekkid" feeling, I was quite comfy in this saddle and
> it fit me quite well - until I got off it <g>. My, er,
> "delicates" are still sore to the touch two days later).
>
> A the end of the ride, when I took the saddle off, I wasn't
> that happy with the sweat pattern. On the SS, when I take
> the saddle off, I have this enormous smooth surface area that
> the saddle's been on (with a nice dry channel area along the
> spine, courtesy of my Skito/Toklat with inserts pad).
>
> With the english saddle, there was a very small weight bearing
> surface sweat pattern. It gave me the impression of having been
> perched on this lil' area.
>
> Looking at how it worked for the mare, my answer would be
> "no better" - in terms of pressing into her withers on steep
> downhills. She was about as cranky as normal - sometimes
> she went down a hill fine, sometimes she objected. I suspect
> a lot of what I'm dealing with is just a greenie horse who
> needs to get used to the idea of going down hills, and
> develop the muscles to do so. The crupper will help (when
> I get brave enough).
>
> As an aside, towards the end of the ride, she did develop a
> funny hitch/kick out with her right rear leg at the trot.
> My friend said it looked like she might have pulled something
> high up and was uncomfortable. I don't think it was saddle
> related - more likely that we were climbing up and down
> steep things that she's not used to, and she pulled something.
>
> Needless to say, the english saddle will be used purely for
> arena work from now on - it didn't work for me, or for my
> horse.
>
> --
> **************************************************************
> Lucy Chaplin Trumbull - elsie@foothill.net
> Repotted english person in Garden Valley (Sierra Foothills), CA
> **************************************************************
>
>
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