The concept of going Treeless has intrigued me for some time. I like the idea of having a saddle that will fit multiple horses and I liked the idea of finding a saddle that gave me the close feel of bareback riding with some additional support. I first tried a Barefoot Cheyenne, but it just didn’t do it for me.
I didn’t like the Nubuck leather (which showed wear almost immediately) and I found that the stirrup position put me in a chair seat so I was always slightly behind the motion of my horse. In many regards it was a glorified bareback pad — the seat has very little structure and if you have a wide horse it can cause some discomfort in your hips.
I have really enjoyed my Freeform. It is more traditional in appearance (mine is black calfskin) and its seat has a narrower twist, which makes it quite comfortable. But the two outstanding features are:
- That it has an interchangeable seat, which allows you to use the saddle for several riders and
- You can adjust the placement of the stirrups. I bought the saddle at a time when my daughter (aged 9) wanted to ride a friend’s pony. This pony was extremely wide, and even my wide tree saddle didn’t fit her. Plus my daughter is so small that I didn’t want her swimming in an adult-sized seat.
I found the saddle used on the yahoo treeless site ($700) and then bought a smaller sized seat for my daughter. I can’t believe that more saddle manufacturers have not gone the modular route because it makes so much sense from a consumer perspective.
The Freeform features an interchangeable seat and allows you to adjust the placement of the stirrups.
I’ve had the saddle now for about a year and I’ve still very pleased with it. It’s comfortable on both of my horses (which are very different shape) and the leather has held up well. In this regard, I much prefer the calfskin leather used on the Freeform over the Nubuck. The saddle is easy to clean and still shows little wear. The model I have has wool underneath.
I’ve been using this saddle with a Skito pad and have had no problems with my horses’ backs. I find the saddle to be quite stable on my horses’ backs, although I never mount from the ground.
My only complaint is that the saddle does not have as much of a close contact feel as some of the other treeless saddles, but I think the feeling of a twist is worth the tradeoff. Some people say they use this saddle for jumping, but at least for me, the flaps are too straight. It’s much more similar to a dressage saddle.
