I am thinking of buying a treeless saddle for my young sport horse,he is currently in a wintec with changeable gullet but I would like something that changes with him as he has gone from wide to medium to wide in the space of 2 months!as he is a little porky!(he is more like a cob in width/stature!),he now has a bit of tenderness on his back(a chiropractor is coming out)and he is not being ridden due to this to be on the safe side at the moment,I am hoping it is just muscle development/changes as he is only 4 in a couple of weeks.I have read good and bad reviews on treeless and like the traditional saddle but am worried it wont fit properly as he changes,I want to do the very best for him and make sure he is comfortale as he grows/matures.Any recommendations please!.thanks

hi jodi

I have two treeless saddles ( well techniclly one is treed but its a flexible foam one that behaves treeless) and have ridden in others. Advice depends really on what you want to do with your horse ... and as a welsh cob person I empathise with the wide changable back issue, we went through loads saddles before we got present one !!!! Mine are endurance style but if you are into showing or dressage you might want to look a heather moffats saddles for example. like everything ..... try loads.
I mist admit I would not ride in a traditional saddle after the comfort of mine

A friend of my daughter was recommended a treeless saddle for her new horse. The horse had previously a good jumping record, but after about a year with the treeless saddle and countless sessions of back treatment, they now hardly jump him now.
They tried the saddle on her mothers new horse and she developed back problems within a couple of months.
They then bought her a traditional jumping saddle and she has been fine.
I have heard , that a lot of endurance riders use treeless saddles and it seems to fine for that activity, but I can't think of any Showjumper,Dressage rider or Eventer using one.

Hi, lots of people use them at quite high level of competion for eventing,dressage etc. Look at solution saddles website there's loads of info on there. A treeless saddle will not fit ALL horses just as a treed one won't. If its a gulleted model then there still has to be a wide enough gullet to allow spinal clearance just as you would in a treed saddle. Obviously they are a lot more flexible and as there are no rigid parts they do offer a greater degree of comfort for the horse providing the basic fit is correct. They can also accommodate fluctuations in weight or muscle, within reason!

I have just looked on the solutions website and found the person who sold her the saddle on there.
This leaves me to believe, that perhaps her saddle was a Solution saddle.
Any way, it's down to induvidual choice.
I personally wouldn't have one.