| Treeless saddles
are gaining appreciation by riders and their horses worldwide
and are now found in international competitions of most equestrian
disciplines. Treeless saddles were officially approved for EFA
competitions in Australia in February 06.
Our ‘Barefoot’
and 'Freeform' saddles are taking Europe, the US and Australia
by storm because of the great design, versatility and the affordable
price.
German equine physiotherapist Sabine Ullmann developed the ‘Barefoot’treeless
saddles with scientific knowledge and the horse’s welfare
in mind. Sabine studied the horses ‘anatomy in motion’
and spent many years fixing saddle related back problems, aches
and pains and resulting behavior problems. Eight years ago Sabine
became inspired by Italian treeless designs and decided to use
her knowledge to create her own models. Ever since she has been
manufacturing very affordable quality saddles that are therapeutic
for the horse and comfortable for the rider. The Barefoot saddles
are unbeatable value for money and they are the most horse friendly
and best-selling treeless saddles in Australia and the rest of
the world. Special conditions for endurance rider apply, please
see the FAQ page for further info. There is more info about the
different models on the individual Cheyenne,Cherokee, London and
Barefoot Western saddle pages.

Wendy, the draught horse
in a Barefoot Cheyenne
The Freeform saddles are hand-
made in Italy by a long established Italian family business that
has been manufacturing treeless saddles for 15 years in the competitive
European market. Their first treeless was the Fitform which was
similar in structure to the Barefoot saddles, they discontinued
this line when they had a unique idea for a totally new and different
treeless saddle design 5 years ago. The 'Freeform' was born, an
English style and more conventional looking saddle and it really
is a new generation of treeless saddle in look and in structure.
These saddles are superbly made, they are flexible with superior
adjustability and weight distribution but like the Barefoot saddles
they are an 'Easy fit' and suitable for most shapes of horses.
The saddles have made a proud name for themselves in the endurance
circles around the globe but are also used for Dressage competitions,
Pleasure, Natural Horsemanship, Trail and for jumping up to 1.2
meters. We are very proud to offer this excellent saddle to the
Australian horse riding community. The Freeform has an ever growing
fan club of VIP riders in Australia, amongst them the Western
Australian police force, medal winning endurance riders and Grand
prix level dressage riders. For more info please go to the Freeform
Classic, Freeform Liberty and the Freeform SB pages.
NEWS:
Since September 08 we have a more affordable
Freeform model in the shop. These new Freeform
Classic's are made of a mix of black Nubuck leather and Velour,
please note they are not fully synthetic. These
saddles have a grippy seat, large kneerolls and a seat with small
Poleys at the front for maximum rider security. They are available
in black with orange / brown contrast stitching with or without
brown trims (Nutmeg) on the base. The saddles look
upmarket and retail for $1450.00 unmounted. They are available
in two base sizes and 4 seat sizes and have the same adjustability
and features as the calfskin leather Freeform line.
General introduction
to the treeless principle:
Treeless saddles are constructed
of several layers of leather, foam, synthetic fur and other shock
absorbing materials. The saddle moulds softly around your horses
body and follows every move, without restriction. The horse’s
stride lengthens and the movement of the shoulders and back is
free and more powerful as the horse moves forward with more relaxation
and ease.
The rider sits nicely 'on' and not above the horse, gaining a
very close contact and intimate connection with the animal. Balance,
harmony and improved comfort for horse and rider, are the most
obvious advantages for the rider choosing a Barefoot or Freeform
treeless saddle.
Why is there a need
for a new design when there are so many saddles on the market?
The main reason for this is that any saddle with a traditional
rigid tree is usually fitted to the ‘not moving horse’.
This is highly deceptive and often does not allow for a moving
back and shoulders. Horses also change shape a lot during their
lifetime and to be fair a traditional saddle would need to be
adjusted whenever this takes place. The most common saddle fit
problems that our treeless range address are: bridging, squashed
shoulders from a gullet that is too tight, damage to the loin
area by saddles too long in the panels, pressure points on top
of the scapula from saddles that center the riders incorrectly,
damage to the withers from saddles that sit down on prominent
withers, damage to the base of the withers of atrophied horses,
pressure from saddles that roll on flatbacked horses...we really
offer the solution for 99% of saddle fitting problems that horse
owners commonly encounter with a 'normal' saddle.
If we create pain while riding
we make our horses numb and uncomfortable meaning less responsive,
or listless and lacking forward motion. Sometimes they even react
aggressively trying to get away from the pain and who could really
blame them. With the availability of our treeless saddle range
there is simply no good reason to put your horse through saddle
pain any longer.
HorseConnection chose the
Barefoot and Freeform brands after massive and ongoing reseach,
we offer the best treeless saddles on the world market and part
of our service is to make sure you get the exact products you
need for yourself, your horse(s) and the discipline you ride.
To get our recommendation please email Horse Connection to request
our saddle fitting questionnaire. Please note that a treeless
saddle when set up incorrectly, when it is badly designed or lacking
the right type of underlay can create numerous problems for your
horses backs.'Treeless is not Treeless'! and the right underlay
is extremely important.
It is our aim to make the
riding experience as comfortable and enjoyable for horse and rider
as physically possible. Our saddles are suitable for most disciplines
including endurance and they fit all shapes of horses. Hard to
fit horses are our speciality. No withers? High withers? Short
back? Long back? Wide horse? Atrophied spine? Sway Back? left
/right Asymmetry? The Barefoot and Freeform saddles conform to
practically all, some models are more suitable than others for
a certain conformations and we will help you to make the right
choices. Please read the FAQ page for more
specific information and visit the testimonials page to see what
Australian riders are saying about our saddles.
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