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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 407
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*** If this is a repeated post, my apologies in advance ******
first of all I DISLIKE WITH A PASSION SADDLE SHOPPING!!! with that being said, I rode on a treeless saddle this weekend and I THINK I like it but I am one of those people that takes forever to know for sure and then I have to wait for all the planets to line up correctly and the sun be in the perfect position in order to make a decision. With that being said, for those of you that have experience with them, can you PLEASE tell me the good, the bad, the ugly, the ugliest etc? I ride 2 horses working on 3 so it would be awesome to have a saddle that fits it all if there's such a thing . thank you so much for any input!
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 621
Location: Arkansas | I ride and compete in the Circle Y Tammy Fisher treeless saddles and i will never ride in any other saddle, it meets all my needs and fits all my horses. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 407
| that's the one I tried out yesterday and I really liked it. I couldn't make a run in it but lope the barrels in training and I like the way it felt. I could only try it on one of my horses, the other one was home and both of my guys have such different conformation. I am hoping I can get one and it will fit both of them  |
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  JMHO
Posts: 1869
 
Location: Oklahoma | I love it for my high withered, 16+ hand gelding. I feel is fits him perfect and doesn't get in the way of his shoulders or bang into his wither like a treed saddle. On my barely 15 H rounder mare, I feel like it sits an inch or two over her shoulders and it makes me feel like I'm almost riding her neck. I did buy the "Shoulder relief cinch" and it's helped a little. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Treeless saddles are wonderful. BUT, they aren't the be all and end all of saddle fit.
I love my Just B Natural on my high withered guy. Hate it on my wider flatter dude. I know Bob Marshalls and Tammy Fishers work better on the wider flatter horses, but I have a saddle that fits him, so don't need a treeless. In other words, this treeless doesn't fit my 2 very different shapes!
They can also be harder to fit on high withered horses. They can rub and sit directly on their withers causing issues. My JBN with a 1 inch pad is great. But Bob's and Tammy's are built differently and aren't as great.
The bad -- They can crease and fold (don't buy one with creases!) and can create pressure points on your horse. Another UGLY -- They can trap you in with a fold (fold during accident) in a serious accident, like a flip. Small chance most horses will flip...But there's a chance.
The Good to great - They are comfy! They hold you in! My horse that it fits has had way less back and soreness issues after the switch. |
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 Member
Posts: 28
| I am in the same boat with saddle shopping! I have 2 horses that I'm trying to fit and have tried a Jackie Jatzlau on both and fit great w/ no dry spots! I was all "gung ho" about buying a treeless, THEN started reading mixed reviews of where people had stated it made their horses back sore because it doesn't evenly disperse the weight along their back like a treed saddle would. And others said they've used a treeless for years with no issues... I am all about comfort and pain free for my horses!
I was thinking maybe get the Tammy Fischer with a CSI pad so they would have some spinal relief?
Help!...LOL  |
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 Peecans
| I like my tammy Fisher a lot, its the only reason I can ride my one mare.
My loves:
-I can feel every movement in her back and she can feel mine, this can be bad if you are a.bouncy ruder though.
-I like its so light and easy to get on. My one collar bone and shoulder give a lot of grief
-I like the seat position and how secure it feels
Dislike:
-I hate the rigging and doing it up the sturip is in the way and can not be put on the horn as that pulls the rigging up too
-the sturips always hook on my boot tops when I ride. It drives me crazy some days lol.
-I have to keep my core strong to run it in (I mean you should anyways but I hates the exercise) the horn is NOT solid and you can not flop around or it will hurt your horse.
I grab it a lot even on horses that use treed saddles fine, I did use it on a big day of cattle moving, sorting and finding and by the end of the day I did not find it as comfy as it was when we started my hips were a bit sore from the seat position but that was a whole day riding. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2489
Location: somewhere up north | I have been riding in a Bob Marshall for over 12 years and love them. I've used them on several horses and never had an issue with my horses being sore. However, I feel they are best suited for smaller people and/or those that have good balance. I've used them on high withered and no withered horses. I've always used a 5 star pad, but they will tend to roll so I have to cinch them up tighter more often. I find them very comfortable for me and I cannot/won't ride in a tree saddle anymore. They feel like a board to me now. LOL |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 317
Location: MS | I now love my Tammy Fisher. Took me a few weeks to get used to it. I also switched to a saddle right pad. It made a huge difference.
I bought mine because I was so tired of trying to find a treed saddle to fit my horse. This saddle has improved his attitde and he's moving so
much better. |
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Boot Detective
Posts: 1898
| I have had both a Tammy F and a Jackie J. The saddle horn sits too high on the Tammy F model and feels like its in the way and you will catch your bra on it frequently. It feels like you are riding in a sling. I really like riding the Circly Y Jackie J model because the saddle horn isn't so high and it is very comfy saddle. It holds you in but you can still get up off your seat to push a horse. I love the light weight. It makes it so easy to saddle multiple horses without killing your arms/shoulders. The stirrups are in the way when cinching them up so I keep a bungee cord handy to hook the stirrup on and loop the bungee around the horn to hold the stirrup out of the way. No one saddle fits all and neither do these saddles. I have tried them on 2 different high withered horses and did not like the way it worked out. I think if a horse has a dip in their back, these saddles can buckle in the middle too much and put too much pressure on one spot. Just my opinion. But I have used them on more average built horses and loved them. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1631
Location: Somewhere around here | I had a Tammy once and didn't like it at all, but now I have a Bob and it feels like I can move more. The only thing I'd suggest is you buy one that's peaked so it doesn't interfere with higher withered horses. |
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 Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | I've been riding in a BM for about 8 years now and love them! They fit my horses good. When I first got my boy he was only 4 and still growing so I first used a 1/2": CSI pad with it. But after he filled out I switched him to a Saddleright and never looked back.
Not looking forward to the next couple of months, I am getting our 3 yo back from the trainer and will probably have to use a treed saddle for the first months or so.
There are a couple of things that are different with the treeless I found out. First I can't put the stirrup over the horn when I'm tacking up. So it can get in the way a bit. And second, because the rigging is much lower I have to use a 26" cinch, and it is very hard to find a roper cinch in that size.... But other than that, I really don't have any issues with them.
I do have to say, I bought a used one to try out for a couple of months, and after I figured out I liked it, I went and ordered a new one from BM. Sold the used one after about a year for the same price I bought it for. If you take care of them (don't let them fold over) they hold up very well. |
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Expert
Posts: 1432
| I've had 2 bob's and hated them both. I now have a Tammy and a Jackie and really like them. I don't exercise my horses with them. Mainly use them for competition only. |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | I have a Bob Marshall, a flex tree, and a regular treed saddle. Love them all. The Bob works great to shed a few pounds on my tiny horse, though I do have to cinch it down pretty snug or it will roll off his super wide back. I did NOT like the Bob on my gray....he's got a bit of a sway back and the Bob folded up on me and felt way too small. The Bob gave TOO much feel to my big sorrel, who is super sensitive anyway. I had a flex tree custom made for him (Yay for winning 2 saddle certificates to the same shop!) and love it. It's heavier, but he doesn't react to every single move I make now and he's not wrenching my back with power like he was in the Bob. |
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