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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 383
 
Location: Sweet Home Alabama | I'm the one who's had a terrible time getting my 6 yo gelding properly fitted. He's too big! Just a recap of what we've been through this past year... I bought wide tree Pro Rider, then bought 3 Caldwells that Charon suggested (when one didn't fit she told me to try a wider tree), I just bought a wide tree Tami Semas (not for him but it fits him best, which still isn't great). I'm thinking of buying a Tammy Fischer treeless. I've never owned, sat, or even been up close to a treeless saddle. I've been doing some research and reading in past threads on here but there are still a few questions I have that I can't find an answer to. Sorry! I hope I don't come off as stupid here.
1. What is the size (gullet) options? I've seen wide but that's it.
2. Does it feel like a bareback pad to you?
3. Does it bend at all?
4. Do they feel any different than a treed saddle? Does changing pad thickness affect that?
5. Have you noticed if your horses feel and act better?
Any other comments or suggestions welcomed! I'm just tired of this never ending cycle!! I've spent more in saddles than what the horse is worth. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1612
 
Location: Cocoa, Florida | If you have never sat or ridden in a treeless I would suggest buying an older used one or borrowing one from a friend and trying it before you get a brand new one. They are VERY different from a treed saddle and will take a while to get used to. I have a Tammy Fischer and I love it but it took a while to get used to, it was even much different from my old Bob Marshall treeless. I choose the Tammy because it sat me deeper then the others and I like the high front and back. I also like the way the stirrups keep my feet directly under me as where the BM flung my feet back, you can change the stirrup rigging to be set more forward.
I've had many pro riders and I loved them but I ride a lot of different horses so I wanted something I could throw on any horse. The Tammy comes in a regular and a wide tree so they don't specifically fit every horse the same. You can also try a Jackie J or a Just be natural. I loved the just be natural!
Good luck! |
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 Just a Yankee
Posts: 1237
Location: Some where I haven't left yet | I would suggest a Jackie vers a Tammy, the Tammy's might feel like they trap you unless you like feeling snug. I would go with the Jackie wide. I have a trail pommel which is wide on an original BM. Pad thickness and the shape of your horses back will impact how the saddle "feels" to you. I've been riding in a treeless for about 20 years. To stop the "fold" feeling a back cinch is a must, snug, but not calf roper tight. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 639
Location: God's country...aka TEXAS | From my experience, treeless saddle make them sore. It puts all the weight on their withers. I would try a double j wide fit or their #10 tree, OR a crown c with flat bars and a wider gullet. I've had good luck with both of those on my wide, flat backed horses. Good luck! I know its frustrating. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| 1. What is the size (gullet) options? I've seen wide but that's it.
The regular and the wide are around 1/4 inch different. The regular are a little more peaked in the front for horses with higher withers. On a Tammy, most people choose the wide.
2. Does it feel like a bareback pad to you?
Doesn't really feel like a bareback pad, but it's certainly different than a treed saddle.
3. Does it bend at all?
They are NOT supposed to bend or have ANY creases in the seat. They are broken if they have creases.
4. Do they feel any different than a treed saddle? Does changing pad thickness affect that?
They feel WAY different than a treed saddle. Pad thickness doesn't change much of the feel.
5. Have you noticed if your horses feel and act better?
My gelding and I went through multiple models of saddles before I gave up and went treeless. I tried a Tammy Fisher and HATED it. I never did get to try a Jackie, but found a Just B Natural to try. I tried a Circle Y Bob and it was ok. I LOVE the JBN. It is the most similar to treed out of all of them. My gelding, who struggled with shoulder and back issues does not struggle anymore. So very pleased with the JBN. I would recommend trying out as many as you can to see what works for you. They are different, and it goes to personal preference for how much you want to be contained (Tammy =Way contained, Jackie = Semi contained, JBN =Contained but able to get up and ride and more leg movement ability, Bob = Semi contained).
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 Zeal Queen
Posts: 3826
Location: TEXAS | I ride in a tammy fischer. Always go with the wide. I love love love the way it feels and so does my horse. I ride mine with a saddleright pad, best pad for a treeless. It gives wither clearance and spine clearance. When I unsaddle his withers and spine are always dry. And best is you don't have to tighten them as much with this pad, they will not slide. My horses started acting better when I started riding in it. I had a man in my area that does the equiTherapy. He said he thought my horses back would be so sore by looking at him, he's appendix bred, super tall with a little longer back. When he did the therapy, it showed no soreness in his back. He couldn't believe it. I truly believe it's becuase I use a treeless. |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | I have a bm and i really like it..never made any of mine sore and i have used it on everybody.....m |
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Expert
Posts: 1612
Location: Cocoa, Florida | slacy09 - 2017-02-23 8:23 AM
I ride in a tammy fischer. Always go with the wide. I love love love the way it feels and so does my horse. I ride mine with a saddleright pad, best pad for a treeless. It gives wither clearance and spine clearance. When I unsaddle his withers and spine are always dry. And best is you don't have to tighten them as much with this pad, they will not slide. My horses started acting better when I started riding in it. I had a man in my area that does the equiTherapy. He said he thought my horses back would be so sore by looking at him, he's appendix bred, super tall with a little longer back. When he did the therapy, it showed no soreness in his back. He couldn't believe it. I truly believe it's becuase I use a treeless.
That is why I love my Tammy...I can ride with a loose girth and it does NOT slide at all!!! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 545
Location: Texas | I have just switched to a Tammy Fischer treeless. I had a Lazy L by Coats that I LOVED but it didn't fit my new mare. She has very little withers and is pretty thick backed. I didn't like the treeless at first at all but felt like finding a treed saddle that would fit her might not be an option. It's a completely different feel. It's not like riding bareback but you can definitely feel things that you couldn't with a treed saddle. Now that I've gotten used it, I really like it. I don't feel like I can't get up and ride, but I'm not nearly as free moving as I was before. I don't think mine is a wide and asked about a wide verses a regular and they said once it's broken in, there isn't much difference. That came from Circle Y so I feel that's an accurate statement, but I don't know for sure. I used the Classic Equine Zone pad with mine and it works well. |
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 Sorry I don't have any advice
Posts: 1975
Location: Sunnyland Florida |
1. What is the size (gullet) options? I've seen wide but that's it.
I use a Wide, always. They ususally offer a regular & wide.
2. Does it feel like a bareback pad to you?
It feels much more stable than a bareback pad, but not as stable as a treed saddle.
3. Does it bend at all?
I've owned many Bob Marshalls and now a few Circle Y Jackie Jatzlau's; none of them have ever folded, and don't have any bend.
4. Do they feel any different than a treed saddle? Does changing pad thickness affect that?
Yes, they feel quite different than a treed saddle, it takes a little getting used to. Once you're used to the treeless, a treed saddle will feel like the weirdest thing ever! LOL. Changing pad thickness puts you farther away from the horse and you have a little less feel.
5. Have you noticed if your horses feel and act better?
I noticed the difference on the clock, the shoulder movement you feel in a treeless vs. treed saddle is amazing. I've ridden treeless for over 20 years. My horses don't get sore with the treeless saddles. I have mine checked often and they never have soreness. I also don't use chiropractors anymore.
Other things to think about: The Tammy Fischer traps you in with High pommel and cantle, and the Jackie Jatzlau saddle has a Low pommel & cantle, allowing you more freedom. The Bob Marshall is in between those two, although you can order your Bob Marshall saddles with low pommel & cantle (they ride much better that way in my opinion). Three inch bottom stirrups are a must for the best balance in these saddles. Mounting from a mounting block, alternating left/right each time you ride will help save the withers and chiro bills.
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| 1. What is the size (gullet) options? I've seen wide but that's it.
Most people are buying wide but I have had people buy wide's and needed regular so I would talk to an expert in measurements for that.
2. Does it feel like a bareback pad to you?
It doesn't feel like a bareback pad imo but you can feel your horse a lot more.
3. Does it bend at all?
They shouldn't bend in half but they don't have a tree so the pommel flexes backwards if you crap it out of a run or if you ride a super fat horse, it bends you in. I remember thinking my saddle just got 2 sizes smaller. I would never break a colt out in one because of its flexability.
4. Do they feel any different than a treed saddle? Does changing pad thickness affect that?
They feel completely different! I ended up getting a deb sibley flex tree because I couldn't stand the trapped feeling of a bob marshall. Pad wont make a difference.
5. Have you noticed if your horses feel and act better?
This question will be from who you ask. I have had chiro's in favor but most say horses in treeless needs twice as much chiro work. With that said, I have a few friends who ride in them and never had much for issues. However, if you don't have a good seat, treeless aren't for you. They don't have anything really between you and the horse so your impact is much stronger in a treeless. |
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