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  A Lady with Fight
Posts: 2701
  
Location: NC | Educate me. The good the bad and the ugly. |
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 Sorry I don't have any advice
Posts: 1975
 
Location: Sunnyland Florida |
I recently looked into purchasing one and was surprised to learn they only have up to 1/4 inch of "flex". I'm not sure what I was expecting to hear, but 1/4 inch of flex isn't much. I was trying to compare it to a treeless, and it's far from a treeless. That said, I think I'd go with a flex tree before a regular tree.
Edited by Runaway 2015-02-23 9:50 AM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448
Location: lone star state | I had a flex tree in a rope saddle my horses hated it. Broke broke horses would buck or crow hop in it leaving box when you stand or sit forward causing the "flex". I didn't keep it very long :) |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 964
Location: Alberta, Canada | I loved my circle y flex tree marlene but my mare got sore in it. She's much happier in a solid tree :) |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 490
| Heres my 2 cents on them....
I bought a bob marshall 2 yrs ago when I was having problems staying with my mare through her turns and she was coming up sore. I LOVED my BM for about a year. THEN we started having hit barrel problems. Mainly our 2nd. At my count last year we hit 25% of our runs. Talk about a huge hit in confidence. I was ready to give up on her in December. I was convinced we were bad for each other... etc... So a local girl that runs pro made a practice run on her in the BM in early January. She made a smoking run on her but suggested I try a different saddle.
A friend had her pinkston ProFlex with her that day and offered it to me to try. What did I have to lose at this point? I put it on her and made a practice run. OMG she worked like a completely different horse and I didn't get thrown out of the saddle, was able to get up and really drive her and her turns were smooth. I tried buying the saddle from her and she said no. so my hunt began for a Pinkston. Know how hard they are to find????.... EXTREMELY.
I settled for a Martha Josey Flex by circle Y so get me by but told my husband that if I found a Pinkston I was going to buy it. Made the run in the MJ at the Lance Graves and loved it except for the fact I missed my horn at the 2nd and almost ate her ears. Thank God for an honest horse that takes care of me.
Wouldn't you know that not even 2 weeks later a friend found me a Pinkston. Im in the process of buying it. I never imagined I would like the flex trees but they work for my horse and I. Try them and see what you think.... You might really like it. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Several years ago I talked to someone at Crates and they said they thought they were good for riders under 150 lbs. He said if you were any heavier he thought they were actually harder on the horse's back. Something about bottoming out the give in the flex tree. Any way I didn't pursue it because I am definitely not under 150 lbs.  |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | I love my flex tree for my hard to fit appendix mare. I had a regular tree saddle on her and no matter what saddle I tried (Shiloh, Double J, Pozzi, Martin), it just didn't fit her the best and I kept getting thrown forward. I tried her in a flex tree and I can actually RIDE my horse now. It's amazing. I hate it, however, for my other horses. I get stuck in it and have a hard time getting out the saddle to even post much less hustle one out the turn. |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| I have a Debra Sibley Flex Tree. I love this saddle and so far, I have never had a horse sored up from it or one that seemed to dislike it. Ive had it on a variety of horses. I am more than 150 pounds and I dont find that theory correct. I have a chiro work on my horse once a year to check him out... he rarely has anything outta whack and the few adjustments are very minor. He's even made positive comments about my horse on more than one occasion.
I also love the saddle! I can still feel that close contact with my horse like you get in a BM but I also have something between my seat and his back. Plus i dont have that trapped in feelings lIke I got when in a BM. I love it. cant imagine riding in anything else now. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I used to really like them. I had a Marlene Mcrae and it fit a lot of the horses at the barn I was riding at. After having it for a few years, it didn't fit any of my 3 horses. I probably won't own another flex tree. They really do NOT fit everything because only part of the tree flexes, it'll get slightly wider maybe but the shape and angles don't really change, the width doesn't really change much. It may or may not hurt the horse, but it definitely still has to be fit just as precicely as a solid tree saddle. To me it's not worth the risk and I'll definitely stick with my solid treed saddles from now on. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1092
Location: OK | I just wonder about the screws backing out or the stitching coming apart on a flex. If you think about it, something that moves over it's whole life must work things loose.... I have 1 flex, and I like my treed saddle better. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| stayceem - 2015-02-23 12:56 PM
I have a Debra Sibley Flex Tree. I love this saddle and so far, I have never had a horse sored up from it or one that seemed to dislike it. Ive had it on a variety of horses. I am more than 150 pounds and I dont find that theory correct. I have a chiro work on my horse once a year to check him out... he rarely has anything outta whack and the few adjustments are very minor. He's even made positive comments about my horse on more than one occasion.
I also love the saddle! I can still feel that close contact with my horse like you get in a BM but I also have something between my seat and his back. Plus i dont have that trapped in feelings lIke I got when in a BM. I love it. cant imagine riding in anything else now.
It was several years ago when I looked into them, I'm sure by now the kinks have been worked out. |
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 Oh excuse me!
Posts: 2473
Location: S. California Beach | There are roughly three types of "flex trees"
1. Silicone/rubber made by ralide (used in circle y, dakota and others). This tree will bend the most, but not much after the leather is added.
2. Wood pommel and cantle with a rigid plastic bar attached (have you ever seen a cutting board flex) OR a composite bar attached such as in the flex2
3. Regular wood tree shaved down 1/8" and sprayed with a rubberized liner (flexes up to 1/8") such as the Coats flex tree.
Saddles like the Sibley I woul consider part of the treeless group as there is no real bar...
Problem with the flex tree that once they flex...they dont stay in place and the bars act as a trampoline on the horses back (in the easiest way I can explain) and doesnt absord the concussion like a stable treed saddle.
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