Freeform Treeless Saddle Giveaway - Winner

Why are Freeform treeless saddles beneficial for horses and riders? I have looked for a treeless saddle that is comfortable for both horse and rider on long rides, lightweight, allows for freedom of movement and close contact, and is a flexible design for use in all disciplines. I have not ridden in the Freeform Trail saddle but reviews say that this saddle meets all those needs.

What challenges have you and your horse had with saddles and saddle fit? I ride a Canadian Horse primarily and this breed tends to be hard to fit. I have not found a saddle that fits quite the way I would like. I lost my long-time partner last fall at the age of 29. We were riding together up until a month before he passed and he was always very patient with saddle fit. As he aged I hired a professional saddle fitter to make sure that I was not causing any extra discomfort or restriction of movement for him. While I think it was okay, I think it could have been even better with a Freeform Saddle. My new Canadian Horse is build a little different than he was and I would like to ensure that our partnership, and her comfort, lasts at least as long as my last horse. It is such a privilege to ride her. I think this saddle, with it’s flexible design, may be the key.
How will a Freeform saddle specifically help you and your horse? Like a good pair of shoes, when it fits just right, everyone will be happy. The versatility and flexibility of this saddle may be just what we need. Customizable features like adjustable stirrup attachments and Y girthing can also help ensure comfort and stability.

I have been riding for over 50 yrs but have never tried a treeless saddle. I would like to find a saddle that would be more comfortable for both me & my mare. After reviewing the information on your Web site I believe the benefits of the rider weight distribution of your saddles & it’s conforming nature for both horse & rider might be the answer.
I have had challenges fitting my mare because she has a short back, substantial withers & requires a wide tree in a standard saddle. As I’ve gotten older I am finding the twist of her current saddle more and more uncomfortable for me & as she has gotten older & has starting lossing topline my saddle fitting challenges have increased.
I love my mare who is now 24 yrs old. We have spent countless hours out on the trails together just she & I, and I feel finding a saddle that is more comfortable for both of us is key to us being able to continue enjoying time out in the trails together for years to come

Freeform saddles are beneficial to both horse and rider as they allow us to get back to a more natural means of communication. The horse can pick up on more subtle body language as we tense or position, etc, which in turn allows us as riders to need less reliance on intrusive methods to ask for things from our horse. I believe less “stuff” getting in the way physically, leads to a much more intimate and intuitive connection with your horse no matter the discipline you ride.
I’ve personally struggled greatly with saddle fit throughout the years, with different horses throughout their lifetimes, and finding a saddle for each horse that will fit them throughout their entire riding careers. We keep our horses basically from cradle to grave. Of course body conditions change depending on many different factors over time and with a traditional treed saddle it’s a pretty common thing to have to settle with it fitting “good enough”, and just accept that some discomfort is inevitable, for either myself or the horse. As someone who rides mostly just for the pure enjoyment, I don’t want to worry constantly if my enjoyment is causing them discomfort.
If I can do better for my horse, I always try to! And while I do my best with what I currently have, a Freeform Treeless would definitely up the ante for me as far as my relationship with my horse goes. I’ve been riding my whole life and have found that as I turn towards a more holistic, simple approach to gear, my relationship with my horse, as well as my actual riding improves. I’ve researched quite a few saddles in my journey to better my horse’s experience and Freeform saddles look to be top tier construction while maintaining that simplicity and they appear to be comfortable and light for the rider as well. Just the ease of putting it on is incentive enough to get out and ride more and I know if I had one I’d be making a lot more time to get in the saddle! Thanks!

Why are Freeform treeless saddles beneficial for horses and riders? since I’m new to the product, I checked out the treelesssaddle.com FAQ which says " The Freeform Saddles, designed without a tree, are designed to be extremely flexible, comfortable and secure. The flexibility of the Freeform Saddles minimizes interference with the horse’s natural gaits and allows full freedom of movement without restriction." and that “The seat bones of the rider are positioned left and right of the horse’s vertebrae, so your weight is well distributed.” This seems like an innovative intermediate between a bareback pad where there is no restriction but the rider’s weight is on the spine of the mount and a traditional tree-based saddle that has a hard structure on top of the animal but distributes the weight along the length. A best-of-both alternative. What challenges have you and your horse had with saddles and saddle fit?

I have a saddle steer and because of the placement of his shoulders, lack of withers, and extreme flexibility of his back, traditional saddles are hard to fit so we’ve been riding mostly in a bareback pad. However, I don’t like to ride for too long on that since it puts all my weight on a small area of his back.

How will a Freeform saddle specifically help you and your horse?

I’m keen to try an alternative to to what I have now (tree based saddle and bareback pad) to see if that would allow my mount to have greater stamina and comfort. Especially around his extra flexibility – the natural gate of oxen includes a bending of the spine that might be more comfortable with a FreeForm Treeless saddle but with the the support and better distribution of my weight along it instead of atop his spine.

Why are Freeform treeless saddles beneficial for horses and riders?

There are so many reasons that Freeform treeless saddles are beneficial for both horses and riders. Having a treeless saddle allows for immediate flexibility in all directions meaning that the saddle will fit even the most hard to fit horse and will remain a good fit as the horse’s body changes shape over time. This means that you can work with your horse uninterrupted both mentally and physically over a long period of time since the focus will be on building the relationship between the two and learning things together rather than on managing ill-fitting tack issues. They also allow for closer contact between horse and rider than a treed saddle would, resulting in a deeper connection between the two as the horse is able to move it’s shoulders in a full extension freely, moving unrestricted, and the rider is able to learn how to really ride the horse rather than just relying on the saddle. This will result in both the rider and the horse becoming stronger, as the horse will be able to build a stronger topline and the rider will be able to improve her seat and overall balance further freeing the horse from having to compensate for rider error. It will also make both parties much happier! Also, for individuals such as myself who are still recovering from an injury, having a saddle that is on the lighter side certainly helps when trying to avoid becoming re-injured when tacking up. All of these reasons combined mean both horse and rider are more motivated to get together and enjoy their love and life!

Freeform treeless saddles specifically boast a design that assists with even weight distribution across the horse’s back, a common concern when considering treeless saddles. This, along with other innovative design characteristics such as the foam injected molding, adjustable stirrup attachments, a flexible aluminum arch to provide appropriate wither clearance, and Y girthing, allow for an overall approach that protects both horse and rider from direct pressure points and helps promote healthy horse backs, something we can all agree is a crucial concern when choosing the right saddle for our horses.

In short, as stated on the Freeform website, the Freeform treeless saddle allows for “unparalleled freedom of movement”, and to me this goes beyond the physical aspects that the statement is referring to and instead means that because of the benefits that Freeform treeless saddles and the technologies they encompass provides, my horse and I will have unparalleled freedom to move forward in our growth together and will be going on overall adventures for many years to come. It is the right saddle to allow for the happiest horse and rider

What challenges have you and your horse had with saddles and saddle fit? How will a Freeform saddle specifically help you and your horse?

My horse is larger width wise, more round barreled, than an average horse, even a larger quarter horse, but she is not quite draft. I am unsure of her breed, but she has primitive markings and feathers, so guesses have been mostly part draft, part foundation QH, and possibly even mustang. This has made it very difficult to find a saddle that fits her well, and I refuse to ride her in ill-fitting tack. Even synthetic saddles tend to dig into her a bit (Wintec FQHB). I finally found her a western saddle that fit her like a glove, a beautiful used Crates, and I would alternate between that and an old treeless endurance saddle I had. The treeless saddle was my favorite when it came to her because I knew it was always the best fitting option for her, and the contact we were able to have sans tree really made me feel like we were moving as one. Unfortunately in March of last year, a “friend” who I paid to help me move ranches while I was laid up with an injury ended up stealing nearly all of my tack. I had 7 horses at one point, so it was A LOT of tack. That injury had me laid up, so between hospital bills and not being able to work, on top of keeping up with my responsibilities of paying for both my life and my horse’s life, I have been and still cannot afford to replace the tack at the level my horse deserves, namely a new saddle so she can be as comfortable as possible. I still have the synthetic Wintec, but with it being a poor fit for both her and I, I never feel totally in tune with her, and I just don’t feel as though I am doing her the justice she deserves. And so, without properly fitting tack, as I stated, I refuse to ride her with tack on, and this greatly limits our ability to work both our bodies and minds and also limits our ability to adventure. We both need to get back in shape and work on reestablishing our bond, and to do that we need proper gear. A Freeform saddle will help both me and my horse get back out into the world and do so properly and comfortably. We are trail warriors and used to spend hours wandering around in nature; we both miss this life we shared very much. For me specifically, the higher back on this saddle will help me get back into riding shape while providing additional protection after my injury. For my horse, it will allow her the freedom and range of motion she deserves to have a comfortable and enjoyable riding experience. The Freeform saddle, being treeless, will also allow my horse to build back much needed muscle and topline and will alleviate the need to go through the saddle fitting struggle again when she builds this muscle back. We will be able to have an uninterrupted period of growth together, as a Freeform saddle is a saddle that will last her for the rest of her life, and that gives me a peace of mind that I don’t even have the words to explain.

Spirit and I thank you so much for the opportunity to win one of your beautiful saddles!!

1. I like treeless saddles. My horse is very hard to fit and I believe that treeless saddles are a good fit for him. They don’t impede his movements and allow for his shoulders to move better.
2. I have a Tennessee Walking Horse and he is very hard to fit with a traditional treed saddle. He has practically no withers, very short back and he is round like a barrel, though we have been working on him losing weight. He still feels better in a treeless saddle even after losing extra weight. I believe that he is happier in a treeless saddles.
3. I believe that Freeform can meet his and my needs and make us both very comfortable and happy on our trail rides together.

These beautiful Freeform treeless saddles are designed for the ultimate comfort for both horse and rider benefecial for both backs of equine and human.

My arab just turned 16 I have YET to find anything that will fit him and I. Its either too wide for me or slides forward on him or something pinches and puts pressure in the wrong places I have a hip replacement a recent broken back so a narrow twist and/ or good padding is a must.
This Freeform treeless saddle would be the utmost freedom for me to be riding and enjoying my boy again in comfort and feeling secure that he would be happy and not worrying something is hurting .

Freeform saddles are made with comfort of horse and rider in mind. They are treeless with structure. They are made to be lightweight and fit a multitude of horse shapes.

I ride drafts and my main mare is very sensitive for a big girl. Too narrow a saddle in the gullet and she wont move forward. Too wide and I get back pain. Too narrow in the bars or bridging and she gets choppy strides. Too long a saddle and she turns into a bucking bronc (yes I broke my back that way). We also cant use neoprene girths as she will bite them.

Treeless is the best option in my opinion. Comfort for horse and rider with protection of the back and bum.

Freeform saddles are beneficial due to the treeless build making it fit a horse through each stage of it’s life. From a scrawny baby to the aged senior plodding along. Another benefit is that the rider has the freedom to customize the placement, stirrups, and girth to make for a custom ride for both horse and rider.

I have a 17 year old mutton withered gelding that loves to work bareback at any level of difficulty but when a treed saddles is placed on his back he gets sore. Between his mutton withers, broad but curved back, and his honesty, finding a well fitted or even decent fit saddle has been impossible for our 11 years together. We’ve resigned to riding bareback a majority of the time and I have realized our showing career may be over.

I believe a freeform saddle will help by allowing the saddle to comfortably form to his unique shape and allow myself more stability than us resorting to just a bareback pad for my horses comfort. I would love to have a saddle that can make him feel comfortable and we can still enjoy our years together. We may even attend a few dressage shows again, he really puffs up for some attention.

Why are Freeform treeless saddles beneficial for horses and riders? These saddles sit the rider in a better anatomical position, and they have a nice narrow twist which many treeless saddles do not have. The short base option is paramount for horses with short backs and the cutback is PERFECT for those with high withers.

What challenges have you and your horse had with saddles and saddle fit? I have a short backed, high withered, big free moving shouldered horse and most saddles are too long for him, he tends to get grumpy when he can’t move those shoulders.
How will a Freeform saddle specifically help you and your horse? I think a Freeform will make us both happy and that’s what we’re all about – making and keeping both horse and rider comfortable and happy out there putting the miles in.