FAQ
The information on this page applies to both the 'Freeform' and the 'Barefoot' saddles unless otherwise specified.
A saddle without a tree? How can this work?
The soft structure and flexibility of our Barefoot and Freeform saddles enables the horse to move without losing its natural grace, allowing full ‘range of movement’ while carrying the rider. The horses back can arch and thus enhances vertical and lateral movement of the thoracic vertebral column. The rider is placed right behind the wither therefore avoiding pressure on the loins while allowing full range of movement of the shoulder blades. This way the riders weight is carried without causing pain, discomfort and damage to the horse's body.
The horse should ideally not have any weight bearing beyond T14 but definitely no saddle should load the horses loin area behind the last rib (T 18) The area on the horse's back equipped to carry us the most comfortably is between the 9th and 14th thoracic vertebrae, this area is in fact a lot smaller than most of us think. This is particularly true if you own a horse that is short in the back. The further we move away from the horse's center of gravity the more likely it is that soundness problems will occur. The Barefoot and the Freeform saddle wraps the riders weight around the horses center of gravity. If you look at your buttocks and upper thighs and compare the size of that area with the panels of a treed saddle you might find that the treeless rider actually distributes her weight over a larger area than the rider in a conventional saddle.
Flexibility - stability – a secure hold on the horse’s back
The BAREFOOT and FREEFORM saddles can be flexed in all directions. They are an easy fit and it is likely that one saddle will fit all your horses. A saddle fitting questionnaire is available on request, just email me and I will be able to tell you if the saddle will fit you and your horses as is or if we need to make adjustments.
The Barefoot saddles are made from a vegetable-tanned nubuck leather which is open-pored and this leather molds properly to the shape of the horse’s back. The raised front and rear of the saddle are filled and stabilized with a piece of fiberglass for cantle and pommel. The pieces are removable in order to completely avoid undue pressure on any horses with extremely broad withers or with a overly sensitive loin area. Due to the fiberglass and the positioning of the rider close to the horse, the saddle achieves a very secure hold on the horse’s back.
The Freeform saddle is an anatomically shaped one piece foam mold covered by Italian leather and has a flexible aluminum arch in the front of the detachable seat to create wither clearance. These saddles also totally adjust to the shape of any given horse while providing good stability on the horses back.
Provided you have girthed up firmly as recommended the saddles don't slip on horses that tend to be rounded and without prominent withers. We find the HAF and Christ pad give the most lateral stability on round low withered horses under our saddles. Despite this, we still recommend that a mounting aid is used whenever possible.
Please note: mounting aids are just as important with a conventional saddle if not more so. The slower you mount and the heavier you are the more it hurts your horse when you mount from the ground. For more info on this topic have a look at Dr Ian Bistrup's article in the October 05 Hoofbeats magazine.
Doesn’t this mean that I end up sitting on the vertebrae (spine) of the horse?
The seat bones of the rider are naturally positioned to the left and right of the horse’s spinous processes and not on top. Additionally, the cushioned saddle sitting area plus the therapeutic saddlepad protect both horse and rider from pressure spots. Treeless saddles have been used by endurance riders for close to 20 years in Europe and the US. You can trust that it is in fact a myth that we need lots of clearance over the horses spine, as long as there is no direct pressure on the dorsal processes no harm is done. Thermal imaging studies of both saddlebrands have shown that there is no pressure directly on the spine provided they are used as recommended. The Barefoot saddles also give excellent wither clearance and are therefore also recommended for very high withered horses in combination with our Physiopads. Yes, some horses are very sensitive and / or have missing topline, therefore we provide a number of options where it comes to padding under the saddle. Please see the 'therapeutic saddle pads' pages for further info.
The treeless riding feel - who benefits from it?
The experience of sitting in a BAREFOOT saddle is similar to bareback riding, only more comfortable and safer in that the rider is supported by the front and rear raised parts of the saddle and fenders or stirrup leathers are usually attached, but they are removable.
The FREEFORM saddle feels more like a normal saddle to the rider but it provides a better contact and all the benefits of a treeless saddle. This saddle has a twist like any conventional English saddle and therefore the adjustment for the rider is minimal. In this saddle you will not sit as wide as in a Barefoot which makes it also suitable for riders with impaired hipjoints. The adjustable stirrup points enable the rider to set up the stirrups perfectly to suit their individual pelvic anatomy.
The BAREFOOT and FREEFORM saddles are suitable for most types of riding. A definite advantage of these saddle is that no specialist input is required for a fitting because the saddle fits almost every horse’s back, resulting in no pressure areas. We have worked out a questionnaire which gives sufficient information to fit a saddle perfectly to you and your horse. We often ask for two additional photo's: one side on straight showing the whole horse close up and one photo taken from behind the horses rump showing the withers, shoulders and back from above.
Treeless riding is the most comfortable way to be on a horse, more comfy than riding bareback and once you have ridden in one for a while you will be surprised how uncomfortable, hard and rigid your former favourite traditional saddle now feels.
Are there restrictions to the use of the saddles and accessories?
1. A treeless saddle should only be used with a special additional pressure-absorbing underlay at all times. This underlay needs to have top quality shock absorption, a contoured shape allowing for the horses wither, it needs to create a channel over the spine and it has to be made from a breathing skin friendly material. Generally the policy is that we will not sell a saddle on its own unless you already own such a pad. The harder you work your horse the better the padding needs to be, therefore we offer top of the range therapeutic saddle pads and a variety of inserts for different applications. If other dealers claim you do not need one of those pads with a treeless saddle they prove via that statement that they have no clue about treeless saddles and that they are not quailified to advise you on this matter.
2. Riders weighing over 75 kg and all endurance riders will require an additional layer of padding in the Grandeur pads. The use of the Barefoot Physio pad or a double-padded HAF or Skito pad are also recommended for heavier riders or people who spend long hours in the saddle. Pleasure riders up to 90 kg's can ride in the Barefoot saddles with the correct pad, the weight limit for the Freeform is 100kg. We recommend the Cheyenne and Cherokee saddle for light & middleweight weight endurance riders only, the Freeform is recommended for endurance riders up to 90kg.
3. The Barefoot saddles are not suitable for show jumping or cross country, occasional jumping up to a meter is fine, please beware of the pommel or horn when you do. In the Freeform you can jump higher and it is due to its shape and the adjustable stirrup attachment the more suitable saddle for people who do want to jump regularly.
4. We do not have a narrow twist with the Barefoot saddles therefore you are sitting as wide as your horse really is. Rule of thumb is, if you are comfortable on your horse riding bareback you will be comfortable in the saddle. This does not apply to the Freeform which does have a narrower twist.
5. Stocksaddle riders can find the different stirrup positioning of the Barefoot saddles an adjustment, the saddle does not encourage you to have your legs in front of you. It promotes a balanced upright seat. Once you adjust to this different way of riding you never look back and your horse will thank you for it.
6. Beginner riders would be well advised to take riding lessons with a good instructor, it is simply fairer on the horse and a lot safer for the rider. Dressage is the foundation to any style of riding, so it is the best place to start. The treeless saddles can be a wonderful training aid in learning a very good seat and to teach you sensitivity to your horses movement. You will have a definite advantage in these saddles due to the close contact and you will therefore learn faster than in a treed saddle. You are not held in a position but will learn to carry your own bodyweight in a balanced way which your present and future horses will appreciate.
7. We recommend the use of a well fitting breastplate with all of our saddles and in fact believe they should be used with any saddle especially for hill work. A breastplate will stop your saddle slipping sideways or back in hilly terrain and works like a safety belt in case you are riding with a loose girth. Terrible accidents with all sorts of saddles could have been prevented if only the rider had remembered to put that breastplate on. To ride endurance without breastplate means asking for trouble and there are discussions going on to make the use of them compulsory.
I ride endurance / go on long trail rides / spend long hours mustering - is there anything I need to know? A must read for the endurance rider
The Barefoot Cheyenne, Barefoot Cherokee and the Freeform saddles are widely used for long hours in the saddle over tough terrain. Both brands of saddles have proven themselves amongst competitive endurance riders here and overseas. Both brands of saddles have been used by riders in the Tom Quilty Cup, the Shazadah, the NSW, Vic, W.A., Tassie and Qld State Championships, the US Tevis Cup and many other rides. The Freeform was used by the 2007 heavyweight winner of the US Tevis Cup and 5 riders amongst the first 10 over the line in 2009 were also riding in a Freeform. Yes here in Australia we had winners of rides and numerous 'best conditioned horse' too.
For endurance and CTR riders we recommend to invest in our Physio or Skito pad for high withered horses or the double padded Haf pad for broader horses with low to medium size withers. Yes you can also use the standard Grandeur pad but it would be best to use a D Lua Park pad underneath. The foam inserts of the Grandeur pads will need to be checked for compression regularly and replacements need to be ordered if the foam is visibly squashed anywhere, see 'saddle pads' page. Most competitive riders own more than one therapeutic saddle pad and alternate those between legs on the rides. Many endurance riders use D Lua Park woolpad or a sheepskin under our therapeutic pads with great results. Besides needing additional layers of padding or a superior saddle pad, the endurance rider using a Barefoot saddle needs to give the horse intervals with very little or no weight in the stirrups for at least 10 minutes of every hour. This can be done in a walk or canter with your buttocks in the saddle or while you lead your horse. The weightshift of the rider allows circulation to return to areas on the horse's back under potential stress from two pointing. These changes of rider position are beneficial to your horse no matter what saddle you are using, think of shifting a backpack while hiking, yep that feels good. Endurance riders who stick to these few rules have a wonderful and trouble free time and usually go with straight A's for back condition through the vetchecks, yes also on 160km rides.
If you are a novice to horse riding please make sure you ride with enough padding and that you work on your balance. An unbalanced riding position due to untrained rider muscles or if you ride with more weight in one stirrup than the other can make horses very sore no matter what saddle you use. It is the opinion of the author that riders need to be extremely 'riding fit' and have a very good and balanced seat before they attempt any endurance rides. It is just not fair on the horses to ask top athletic performance if you can not assist the horse to achieve and maintain it. Schooling of the endurance horse to get off the forehand and to relax the back muscles while under saddle is essential to keeping your horse sound - no matter what saddle you use. You can tell who is riding their horse properly by the end of the endurance season, the horses who loose all topline instead of building it while doing massive amounts of work are not ridden in a competent way. Those riders would be well advised to get some help regarding proper training of horses under saddle and on the ground. No saddle will be able to prevent damage to the horses back if an endurance horse is not ridden properly, you create less damage with a treeless saddle but we still strongly encourage you to work on your own riding and training skills.
The Freeform saddle has superior shockabsorbtion and weight distribution, breaks from two pointing are still recommended. The Freeform is suitable for light, middle and heavy weight riders. Generally we recommend the Cheyenne and Cherokee saddle for light weight and middleweight endurance riders only, the Freeform is recommended for endurance riders up to 90kg.
Everything is carried on my back!
(By horse physiology specialist S. Ullmann)Good riding technique as well as sound training of the horse is extremely important for the horse’s back. Here, the actual type of riding involved is irrelevant while the anatomical and physiological requirements of the horse are much more significant. In this context, the importance of using the correct equipment, especially choosing the right kind of saddle, cannot be emphasized enough.
The thoracic section of the horse’s vertebral column is not created naturally for carrying the weight of the rider. The aim of schooling must therefore be to build up the horse’s muscles so that it is able to carry our weight without suffering injury.
A horse only becomes a true riding horse when it has learnt to lift its back under saddle. If this motion sequence is hindered by a saddle that sits wrongly and is rigid or by the rider sitting too far back in the saddle (beyond T14), the horse cannot move its back properly. A rider leaning forward will discourage engagement of the hindquarters while rider's leaning behind the vertical, riding in a 'chair seat' create a 'dead weight' on their horses backs. The BAREFOOT saddles encourage the rider to sit straight which makes it easier for the horse to engage the abdominal muscles and to bring the hindquarters under. This is the best possible scenario to build and maintain the muscles needed to carry the riders weight without compromising soundness.
The BAREFOOT and Freeform saddles positions the rider over the horse’s center of gravity, thoracic vertebrae 9-13. This creates the optimum horse welfare conditions for riding. However, the BAREFOOT and FREEFORM saddles cannot replace correct riding technique and schooling!
