TREELESS SADDLES

 

Treeless saddles have been around in some form or another for almost as long as horses have been ridden. They most certainly are not new. There are a great many treeless saddles on the market, made of a variety of materials and in a wide variety of styles.

 

Sol in the Dr Cook Bitless Bridle & Total Contact Saddle

There is one important fact that I think it is important to remember, the best saddle for your horse is the one that fits him, in every aspect.

 

Quite often when fitting a saddle, people neglect to fit the saddle to the dynamic horse , the body of the static horse varies greatly to that of the dynamic horse, and the dynamic horse, once warmed up and working well, will vary a great deal from the same horse just beginning his work.

 

It is also important that the saddle fits the rider. If the saddle does not fit the rider, it can throw them out of balance, putting them behind the movement, or tipping them forward, again causing the rider to be unbalanced. An unbalanced rider = an unbalanced horse.

 

The treed saddle causes restriction for the horse. Imagine the ridged tree; the points of the saddle tree restrict the movement of the shoulder. Lateral flexion is suppressed in a treed saddle, and the horse will find it difficult to lift his back and engage his hind quarters.

 

The treeless saddle has evolved, and there are many designs available to suit all horses, all riders and all pockets.

 

The wonderful thing about the treeless saddle is that when your horse changes shape, for whatever reason, you need not worry about his saddle hurting him. Depending on the treeless saddle you use, you may not need to do anything when your horses shape changes, or you may need to change the fit (width/length) of your saddle or add or change pads and / or shims. Definitely not buy a new expensive saddle, only to have him change shape again.

 

I have tried a variety of treeless saddles, including the Dream, Wintec, Barefoot, Torsion, Heather Moffet Phoenix and Vogue, the Trekker, and the Total contact.  All of these saddles were very

comfortable.

 

The saddle I now prefer is the Total Contact, We use this saddle on all the horses, this includes a 13:2 Welsh , a light weight 15:2 Anglo Arab, a 15:2 heavy Cob, and 2 Welsh X Thoroughbred’s standing at 14:2 and 14:3 . This saddle is the most liberating saddle I have ever ridden in. It is like riding bareback with the advantage of stirrups.

The Total Contact Saddle

Some people have voiced concern about pressure on the horses back, however we have never seen so much as a mark from the saddle, and we find we ride much more ' with' the horse, sitting trot and sitting to the canter, although light seat is great to. It is so easy to stay with your horse and to 'feel' them; you really do feel 'at one'. The horse can 'feel' you and react to your requests with ease.

 

I appreciate these saddles may not be for everyone, but I strongly recommend anyone who loves the liberating freedom of bareback, to try one. Oh, and another great advantage, how many brand new saddles that will fit every and any horse you have, are under £200 ( March 2011 ) and yes you can jump in them! In fact, I understand that the original Total Contact was designed by a show jumper.

 

So the next time you need to change your saddle, seriously consider trying a treeless, your horse will benefit, and therefore, so will you.

 

Pat Voisey, ABRS Instructor, BBI (Bitless Bridle Instructor) Tel: 01457 869612.

 

Email patvoisey@hotmail.co.uk

NERVOUSNESS

 

There are many differing reasons for a horse becoming nervous or unmanageable. It is usually because the horse is afraid; or uneducated; or is suffering from pain; or is suffering from some type of deficiently, or over feeding etc, or that the person is inexperienced.

 

Mares suffering from hormone imbalance are much stressed and can become extremely difficult. They need professional handling. It is vital to have problem mares checked over by a vet and a behaviourist to find the true problem. Sometimes this problem can swiftly be corrected by a tiny simple operation. In other cases it can be controlled by adding or taking away certain ingredients to the feed. Not all cases are the same. A correct diagnosis is essential before any treatment is chosen.

 

Horses are highly motivated by their sense of smell. If we make ourselves smell peaceful like a prey animal; then the horse will be much more calm and cooperative. It should be remembered that treating fear through the olfactory sense is totally harmless and is always worth a try.

 

I have found that the most common reasons for a horse becoming nervous are that it is being; or it has been; – albeit unwittingly; - misunderstood or misused. Horses copy persona. If the person is excitable then the horse will eventually become excitable. If the person is calm; the horse will eventually become calm.

 

When the horse’s brain is excited or fearful it is INCAPABLE of absorbing knowledge. It is automatically programmed by nature to “flee”. It is fruitless to try to school or teach the horse when it is excited or fearful. Teaching and schooling should be done in a safe calm place at home. Composure must be restored before schooling can possibly be absorbed by the horse’s brain. Teaching the horse to stretch out at a loose walk to relax both mentally and physically should be an important part of daily routine or training. It can cure nervousness in the horse and can promote calmness. 

Not all horses become nervous when they don’t understand. Some horses just mentally “switch off”. Then the person thinks their horse is unintelligent. When this happens it can take much gentle and persuasive work from an expert to regain communication.

 

Stallions’, colts, rigs and matriarchal mares can be dangerous; they should only be handled by highly experienced persons who have training with breeding horses. Experts will know that if you alter your persona by wearing a perfume of any description when dealing with stallions, rigs or brood mares; then the horse may well no longer recognise who you are and as a consequence may take exception to your presence! But like any other horse; when they smell peace; they too eventually become more cooperative. When using Pax aromatic (the peace perfume) with these types of horses one must reintroduce ones self to the horse to give it time to realise that you are the same person.

 

Irene French (MRPCH) Ex-Racing Stable & Stud Newmarket.