Treeless saddles (Sorry lol .. help)

[daisysp8]

I have a treeless that fits Storm well, and although its taking time for me to adjust to riding in it (weird, but in a good way) I`m not keen on the girth ... It is the correct one for the saddle but it just seems bulky, cumbersome and a pain. So i`ve been looking at other girths and i have a couple of Questions ... in no particular order and quite random really but :

I have a 45" Christ Lamfelle girth, it fastens relatively low on each side, is this normal ? Is it that we are so conditioned by "tree`d" saddles that the girth has to be fastened more "top side" than lower down ? Would having say 55" or 65" girth make it cover more area and be more secure ?

Do any of you suffer from (treeless) saddle slippage, and what do you do to stop it ?


This is a picture of him in his saddle: (please excuse my dopey face)



This is a link to the girth i have (Christ Lamfelle):

www.equinewhispers.co.uk/leathersgirths.html

... and on the same page there are 2 other girths, i`m thinking one of those would be better ? ? Either the Aerborn Atherstone or the basic Neoprene Girth ... any opinions and advice very welcome ... thanks !!

[jakeandbarneysmum]

It's hard to see from the photo (or the web-site), but it looks quite like a dressage girth - it's normal for the buckles to be below the flap - the theory behind it is that it reduces the bulk underneath your leg, so should be more comfortable for you, and for the horse (who is the other side of the girth buckles, of course!).

I'm riding in a "wow" saddle at the moment, and it has a similar girthing system. I have worked out which hole the girth needs to be on to be snug, and I get it done up to where it needs to be before I get on, then I don't have to grope around to do it up from on top!!!

The girth you've got actually looks really nice. I think I'd suggest that you persevere for a little longer and see if you get used to it. Does Storm seem comfortable in it??

[daisysp8]

Yeah, he goes really well in it, you can see in the ridden video of me in PC.

This is the saddle i have ... The Libra Trek:

www.equinewhispers.co.uk/libratrec.html

And it is soooooo comfy lol. Just a very different way of riding that takes some getting used to. And yes you`re are right it is a dressage girth, that is what was recommended for me/Storm (based on pictures/weight/him/shape/and me).

So its ok them fastening up lower down then lol ... it just feels so weird, as on a normal saddle you`re normally looking at eye level or upwards to do up the girth ... but with him i`m bending down lol, i don`t know if its just psychological (maybe?) but it looks as though it couldn`t possibly be tight enough to prevent slippage at any speed ? ? !!

I`m away to do a hunt now for "wow" saddles lol

[merryberry]

Hi.
I have a treeless saddle and went to a longer girth because the buckles sat behind Mouse's 'arm pits' and a fellow DG'er suggested a longer girth to improve her freedom of movement. I have had a bit of a nightmare with girths and have ordered a humane girth in the end. I didn't order an elasticated girth because I have been advised that they aren't a good achor (I may be completely wrong). I found a normal girth I couldn't tighten enough. The girth does do up lower than a normal girth on an english saddle, and I have yet to be able to do the girth up on my treeless saddle from on top!

[julz]

If your saddle is slipping then perhaps it needs some slight adjusting to the fit.. some balancing perhaps.. maybe get in touch with the company who make and supply them, to see if they can suggest anything. Other than that try a non slip pad under the saddle.

The tree'd saddle we had for seamus was awful.. atleast two people (myself included) fell off him because it slipped round! since having the treeless, it has never moved, not even when he takes a fancy to bucking!

[Garry]

Are you using a saddle pad/numah that has been specifically designed for use with your particular saddle. I have found in the past that this can cure the slip problem.

[jes]

As I understand it, with dressage/treeless girths you need to make sure that the buckles are above the horse's elbow to avoid them catching it and causing injury/pain. Your's looks about right from what I can see on the pic. Very nice girth too.

I've got a Barefoot leather girth for my treeless, which is really nice. Don't know if I'm extra flexible but I have no trouble tightening my girth from on top, do feel like I'm hanging off a bit, but the saddle doesn't move.

[daisysp8]

Jan 6, 2009 20:29:02 GMT 1 Garry said:

Are you using a saddle pad/numah that has been specifically designed for use with your particular saddle. I have found in the past that this can cure the slip problem.

Yes i got everything as per the advice of the saddle lady.

The saddle hasn`t actually yet slipped, the girth i`m using i just find very bulky somehow ? ? and just feels odd, but again its all new to me so may-be it is more psychological ? . The saddle felt "ok" when i rode in it the other day, but i just felt un easy with it (and how low that girth attatches to the saddle, how can that give you stability ? lol). It doesn`t help that i`ve had one of the "anti-treeless" brigade telling me how terrible they are, doom and gloom and expect it to slip and me end up trampled and dead etc etc etc (thank heavens i`ve moved to a lovely new place).

Just hoping to hear of other peoples positive experiences and go from there i suppose .... and get used to the whole little teeny girth thing !!

[Amanda (S Yorks)]

I've always used the longest girth I can get away with without it actually touching the bottom of the saddle, which means my mare is in a 30" girth.

My Fitform doesn't budge as long as I avoid using too bulky pads (it slips backwards if I use the Libra pad I bought as a spare) but stays put perfectly with a thin half sheepskin pad. I use a humane girth also, but the Airnet girths sold by Goldfinch are meant to be really good and I might try one when I have a bit of spare cash. Same goes for their HAF pads.

I'd personally avoid really nice quality sheepskin as a girth sleeve, I find that the top of the range Stephens or Bartl sheepskin is a bit too slippery for my peace of mind. I use a prolite girth sleeve with a humane girth and don't have any problems at all (used it on 3 different treeless saddles over the last 6/7 years).

Whether the saddle is going to slip or not seems to depend on the individual horse. My Fitform is very stable, as was the Freeform I had for a while (didn't suit my mare for various reasons) but my SBS was an absolute nightmare and it really knocked my confidence. I ride another horse in a GP SBS which is a lot better than mine was but it still slips on occasion and I hit the deck a couple of weeks back thanks to it not staying put when I had a moment's wobble during a spook. If the saddle hadn't spun I'd have managed to stay on board. It's used with a recommended pad and girth, just doesn't seem as secure as it should be.