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Veteran
Posts: 138
 
| After reading some less than savory reviews of the Circle Y Just B Natural saddles I almost scrapped the idea of going treeless altogether. And then I came across a Bob Marshall in my price range in really good shape. I got to try one this past weekend and actually liked it better than I thought I would. Anybody have any input on this brand?
I do still have a couple of questions though...
First, is posting the trot in a treeless saddle going to be super hard, or cause my horse back pain?
I have read that treeless saddles are best for people who don't "just sit there" like people that do endurance and are standing for most of the ride. Being that I show western dressage, I do a lot of "just sitting there" I guess you could call it. I am engaged and like to think of myself as a balanced rider, but beyond posting the trot when we first warm up, I am sitting during all three gaits. Is this going to be an issue?
And then there is the issue of weight. Not very many people seem keen on nailing down how much is too much. Numbers are all over the place depending upon where I look. Some people say 150 pounds is the upper limit, some say 200 pounds, some say it doesn't matter as long as you have a good pad and aren't sitting like a sack of bricks on the horse's back.  . At 220 do I need to be worried?
Also, I am wondering what the resale on these saddles is. If I get the Bob Marshall (it is on Facebook, no returns) and don't like it, am I going to be stuck with it for a looong time waiting for it to resell?
Finally, does anybody have an input on saddle pads? I was thinking of doing either the 5 Star treeless pads, or I just got to try a CSI and liked it, which has a pad they recommend for treeless as well. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
 
Location: North Dakota | I'm not particularly an expert, but my sister and I have ridden treeless and I did quite a bit of research.
1. Neither of us found posting any more difficult in a treeless than in a tree'd saddle. As long as you post properly off of your legs rather than your feet and don't land hard on your horse's back you won't hurt them.
2. Endurance riders may stand up, but that weight is still in the stirrups and they are still riding for several hours at a time, more than any normal horse and rider combo. For an hour or two of riding a day, a treeless will be just fine for western dressage IMO. We did a lot of arena riding and sitting trot in our treeless.
3. There is not one consensus on weight. And I don't think that's possible. There are so many factors such as the build of your horse, quality of pad/saddle you are using, your skill as a rider, etc. Most commonly I hear somewhere around 200lb is the threshold for the average horse. My sister and I are both tall and she was around 180 at the time, I was definitely over 200lbs. We are both quiet balanced riders. My horse has back issues and if he's in pain he is NOT shy about telling me (he's my big baby). He never had any objections to my riding him treeless. I do know of a few other riders in the 200-250 range that, according to them, do just fine treeless. At 220 I'd say as long as you are a good, quiet rider and you're not riding a small, finely built horse, IMO you should be fine.
GET A GOOD PAD THOUGH! Felt pads like 5 star are beautifully made but do NOTHING to absorb shock or distribute your weight. There's no reason to use felt when there are a myriad of superior products on the market that will distribute your weight and absorb shock incredibly well. CSI, Saddleright, or something with Poron XRD (Toklat and Jen X Equine both have these) would be my recommendation for anyone riding treeless.
I have not ridden in a Bob Marshall but wouldn't hesitate to get one. I've never heard a bad thing about them (other than some people just don't like the feel of a treeless, but that's a personal preference).
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 695
Location: Windoming | I have ridden Bob Marshall treeless saddles for over 20 years. Not once has one ever made any of my horses sore. I barrel race and trail ride with them. I use Saddleright pads and the 5 Star pad for treeless saddles. Love both of them. The only problem I have with a treeless is that some horses love it so much, you can't go back to a regular saddle with them. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 538
Location: Central Texas | I have ridden a treeless saddle for over 15 years. I started with the Circle Y Bob Marshall and have since changed to a Bob Marshall. I have ridden on multiple horses. My 14 year old good horse has a naturally sensitive back, but he has never been truly sore from riding in a treeless. I tried to swap over to a Lynn Makenzie Double J at one time, but that made him sore and not run. As for the weight, I have never been less than 200 lbs and it's never caused a problem. |
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 I hate cooking and cleaning
Posts: 3314
 
Location: Jersey Girl | The Bob Marshalls hold their value so you should be able to get the same as what you paid or pretty close to it.
Pad wise I have always used the Pro Choice HD pads under them. |
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Veteran
Posts: 138
| txcajuncowgirl - 2016-10-26 12:48 PM
I have ridden a treeless saddle for over 15 years. I started with the Circle Y Bob Marshall and have since changed to a Bob Marshall. I have ridden on multiple horses. My 14 year old good horse has a naturally sensitive back, but he has never been truly sore from riding in a treeless. I tried to swap over to a Lynn Makenzie Double J at one time, but that made him sore and not run. As for the weight, I have never been less than 200 lbs and it's never caused a problem.
That's good to know. |
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Veteran
Posts: 138
| fulltiltfilly - 2016-10-27 7:27 AM
The Bob Marshalls hold their value so you should be able to get the same as what you paid or pretty close to it.
Pad wise I have always used the Pro Choice HD pads under them.
I am still not sure if I am going to like treeless, so I am glad to hear that they resell fairly well. My other big concern about going treeless is that I really prefer to have a narrow twist. |
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 Just a Yankee
Posts: 1239
Location: Some where I haven't left yet | draftmare - 2016-10-31 6:03 AM fulltiltfilly - 2016-10-27 7:27 AM The Bob Marshalls hold their value so you should be able to get the same as what you paid or pretty close to it.
Pad wise I have always used the Pro Choice HD pads under them. I am still not sure if I am going to like treeless, so I am glad to hear that they resell fairly well. My other big concern about going treeless is that I really prefer to have a narrow twist.
Twist? There isn't a tree in the saddle, so the "twist" will come from the horse it self. If your horse is narrow then your "twist" will be narrow, and Wide..... Wide. They mimic your horse so think of it as bareback under your seat. Unless you go with a Deb Sibley then there is something under your seat that will mimic (To some extent) a tree. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | Lucylouwon - 2016-10-31 9:22 AM draftmare - 2016-10-31 6:03 AM fulltiltfilly - 2016-10-27 7:27 AM The Bob Marshalls hold their value so you should be able to get the same as what you paid or pretty close to it.
Pad wise I have always used the Pro Choice HD pads under them. I am still not sure if I am going to like treeless, so I am glad to hear that they resell fairly well. My other big concern about going treeless is that I really prefer to have a narrow twist.
I am unsure what you mean by twist. But I do know that BM are now making treeless saddles with a higher cut in the front for taller withers. So it's almost shaped like a contoured pad if that makes it easier to envision.  |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Lucylouwon - 2016-10-31 9:22 AM draftmare - 2016-10-31 6:03 AM fulltiltfilly - 2016-10-27 7:27 AM The Bob Marshalls hold their value so you should be able to get the same as what you paid or pretty close to it.
Pad wise I have always used the Pro Choice HD pads under them. I am still not sure if I am going to like treeless, so I am glad to hear that they resell fairly well. My other big concern about going treeless is that I really prefer to have a narrow twist.
Agreed ^^^^ A Treeless has no tree reason called a Treeless, lol.. Like what LucyLouwon said your twist will be coming from the shape of your horse and depends on how much pad you use too. I use a 3/4 inch 5 Star pad under my Bob Marshall. I call the BM's a modify bareback pad. |
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Veteran
Posts: 138
| Lucylouwon - 2016-10-31 9:22 AM
draftmare - 2016-10-31 6:03 AM fulltiltfilly - 2016-10-27 7:27 AM The Bob Marshalls hold their value so you should be able to get the same as what you paid or pretty close to it.
Pad wise I have always used the Pro Choice HD pads under them. I am still not sure if I am going to like treeless, so I am glad to hear that they resell fairly well. My other big concern about going treeless is that I really prefer to have a narrow twist.
Right, I get that. It's just another thing that I am considering. My mare is pretty wide. I don't ride her bareback much due to that.
But after trying yet another treed saddle without any success, I am really seriously thinking about going this route now. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1139
Location: Oklahoma | I too have rode in Bob Marshal saddles for 15 years and not one time have I had issues with soreness. I hear all sorts of stuff from people and read them thru the years. My take is I think issues of saddle pulling off to side etc.. You want to be a balanced rider. If you flop in saddle then it will make a horse sore cause your banging his kidneys. Mounting,,,,, you still have to be balance upon mounting. Not just I'll bear all my weight in that tiny stirrup. You can see people even with a hard tree do it and the horse is even pulled to them. I love my saddle I have a bad back and issues that a hard tree is hurtful to my body. I even just recently tried a Sibley saddle . I was wanting one of them. Nope cant do it. It hurt me too much and I don't even think my horse liked it. lol
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Veteran
Posts: 138
| I like to think of myself as a fairly balanced rider. My biggest concerns continue to be posting the trot, and that I do a lot of sitting at the jog once she is warmed up. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 319
| I have no problem posting in my Tammy Fischer.
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