Easy Trek Treeless Saddles...opinions/experiences?

[anastasia55555]

Hi, havent been on here for a little while been sooo busy with uni.
About a month ago we decided to move back to the livery yard we were previously at from a field that we are renting, as our one pony, Jack, was being even more awkward than before, so we needed the school to ride in again. having brought him back, and attempted to put a saddle on him, it doesnt fit nemore!!!and im pretty sure his wintec saddle has a wide gullet in already ! one fat pony, after his summer holiday!

i have been given an [glow=red,2,300] Easy Trek treeless saddle [/glow] to 'try before i buy' and i was just wondering if any one else has got one/used one etc.

i have got a saddler coming at weekend to try on the numerous saddles i have at home, the treeless one, and a few that he has to see if we can get something to fit!!

[anastasia55555]

any one got any experience/opinions on treeless saddles in general???

[Kate]

Hi Anastasia,

My advice would be to steer clear to be honest, although I have read stories of them suiting some horses. I bought one (foolishly) and am trying to get round to returning it. My saddler took one look at it and advised me never to sit on it again. Apparently the stirrup bars are a liability. It seems to me it's basically identical to a treed saddle, but without the tree and from my limited knowledge it's just not as simple as that. It's possible that the stirrup bars (as well as not being strong enough) create pressure points on the horses back because the design isn't thought through. Due to it's lack of structure, it also has a tendency to collapse on the withers. Anyway, I'd see what your saddler says, but maybe don't ride in it until he has a look.

Hope that helps a bit!

[anastasia55555]

ok thanks, can u remember what make it was at all? i have read that some of them have poor support for the stirrups

[horsey123]

i have used them and found then ok but i have always used them with a heather moffett back saver pad witch is thick memory foam that soffens as it gets warm there great would deffo get hold of one

[anastasia55555]

ok, i was wondering what sort of pad to get hold of to go underneath, knew that they r generally recommended. i am hoping to go back to using a treed saddle again after he is back to his slightly trimmer self!!lol!
well i will see what wonders the saddler can do on saturday, but if treeless is the only way 2 go for now then i will def seek out one of those saddle pads! luckily we wont be riding any great distance or much more than 1 hr at a time in a school, as i know some treeless saddles can cause problems over long distance and extreme terrains.

[Kate]

This was the GP one - looked like a treed saddle. I think the ones that have the more "traditional" treeless look, if you get what I mean, have a better reputation.

I also tried a Heather Moffett pad with mine, but it just wasn't to be. The pad is great though!

[anastasia55555]

o right the one im looking at is an easy trek gp, and yeh does look just like a normal saddle, i was looking at the torsion type ones (think thats how its spelt ) was a little disappointed when saw it. i havent commited to buying it just yet so will see what gets said on saturday!it maybe that he has a second hand leather saddle that might be suitable!
thank you!!!

[maggie555]

Hi,
I've been riding happily in treeless saddles for around 5 years now, so I wouldn't dismiss the option right away. I'm not familiar with the Easy Trek brand myself. So a few general comments: If you have a bareback-pad type saddle (like the Torsions) you absolutely have to use a special pad to make sure you have proper spine clearance (and wither clearance). Yes, many of those saddles have closed rings for stirrup attachment, so you have to use safety stirrups with them. Personally, I've never had problems with pressure spots from the stirrup attachments (and I've tested with a Port Lewis Impression Pad). The bareback-pad type saddles can feel very wide - like riding bareback, which is why I've changed to a saddle with a more treed look.
Sounds like the Easy Trek is one of those. In that case, the panels of the saddle should give you proper spine clearance. Usually these saddles have a fixed gullet with interchangable pieces (like the Wintecs), so you need to make sure the gullet width fits. But since a treeless saddle is flexible front to back, you normally don't have to worry about bridging, and the panels will put even pressure along the back. Also, these saddles often have proper safety stirrup hangers and don't usually have any problems with pressure distribution from the stirrups, because the panels distribute the weight just like a treed saddle. In any case, I love my Startrekk, and my old Torsion certainly fit well too. Good luck with the fitting!

[Jenna]

I have an Easy Trek for Kira, and I love it. I wanted to start her in a treeless to enable her to change shape. It's comfortable for me and for her - she's the kind of horse that will let me know in no uncertain terms if she's not!

I like the look of it - it looks very similar to a 'normal' saddle.

I have also had a barefoot Cherokee - and actually I hated it. I didn't feel secure in it, I bought it for Indi who it didn't fit because it just wouldn't sit in the right place, and I refused to ride Kira in it after the first time because it slipped horribly and it felt unsafe for her and I. Having said that, I sold it to a lady with an arab and she loves it.

[daisysp8]

I`ve just bought this:

www.equinewhispers.co.uk/libratrec.html

From here:

www.equinewhispers.co.uk/

I`m sat here as we speak waiting for the Fed Ex man ;D

I`ve spoken to a few people about them, who have said they are nice comfy saddles, for riders as well as the horse, i have the correct pad and girth for the saddle coming too, and will use my own stirrups. I have a problem with my low back and hip, and on long rides i do suffer. I`ve been told that these are ever so comfy and a good starting point cost wise to see if the treeless route is right for us. I`m not going to be show jumping or doing XC ... Just hacks and a bit of schooling, so we`ll see how we get on ;D

[Kate]

Definitely agree about getting the right pads. My pony came with a Torsion, and it is essential you use the treeless pad.

Daisy, I like the look of the Libra Trec, looks very comfy!

The difference between those and the EasyTrek ones is that my Easy Trek at least didn't come with a pad. I think the more traditional treeless style ones did though. The GP I got also didn't have an interchangeable gullet.

Looking at this though it does look a bit different to mine: cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-EASYTREK-FLEXIBLE-TREELESS-17-5-GP-JUMPING-SADDLE_W0QQitemZ180313564626QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Horse_Wear_Equipment?hash=item180313564626&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1301|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318 so maybe they've changed them.

Re: the stirrups, I'm just not convinced about the pressure. I know that in most treeless saddles a lot of work is done in order to make sure that the stirrups do not create pressure points, but in this saddle I see no evidence that's the case. But as I said, my understanding is very limited. Also my saddler said that the stirrup bars on mine were just not secure enough to take the weight of a person - he pulled on them hard and practically tugged them off, so I'd check that too.

My pony is a very flat backed arab who is very tricky to fits saddles to though, so it's entirely possible that it just didn't suit him and I'm sure it works fine for other people. You can only try and see, as you say. Anyway, hope you find a suitable saddle!

[anastasia55555]

well the saddler came on saturday. showed him the easy trek and he refered to it as almost an 'indian' saddle, doesnt mean much to me. also said almost appeared to have a half tree and was about as much good for his back as a saddle with a broken tree.

also he said that the stirrup bars wouldnt be enough to support the weight of a person and could case sore points etc not to mention snap off !!!

he said the torsion type were much better, with suitable pad and girth, but this one he said stay well clear of!

in the end he measured up the two wintec saddles we have, with interchangable gullets, and we have ended up swapping them over between our two horses, changing down a gullet for one, and got a gel pad to go under the podgy one! which well and truely glues the saddle to him, just need another one to put on top of the saddle to glue my bum down!!!hehe!!

also decided to use a human girth aswell to avoid any pinching etc, he also showed me how to use it so didnt chop him in half, is suprising how tight u can make it !!

[Kate]

Yep, that's exactly (almost to the word, weirdly) what mine said. So either they're the same person, or there's been a memo about Easy Trek saddles that they've all read!

Glad you managed to get a saddle sorted.

[anastasia55555]

lol would be a suprise if was the same person, if not then obviously they are unfortunatly (for the company, but not for us!) well known for being 'unsuitable'