Enjoy trail riding? Endurance riding? Looking for comfort for both you and your horse in your trail riding saddle or your endurance saddle on those long and sometimes rugged trails? Welcome to Saddle Up, LLC. Our innovative treeless saddles by Freeform and Barefoot provide unsurpassed comfort and freedom for many disciplines of riding including trail, endurance, competitive distance trail, dressage, and jumping.
Why Treeless Saddles?
Riding your horse in a treeless saddle is like a dream come true for you both – finally, a saddle that maximizes your connection for balance, freedom and comfort.
Both Barefoot and Freeform saddles provide extraordinary comfort for you and your horse. The experience of sitting in a treeless saddle is similar to bareback riding, only much more comfortable and safer. You have very close contact with your horse. You immediately experience the wonderful feeling of your horse’s free, muscular movement and rhythm beneath you. You feel comfortable and secure in your seat, not to mention your improved balance. You feel relief from back, knee and neck pain.
Another definite advantage to these saddles is that no specialist is required for fitting: one saddle fits almost every horse’s back, period. As a result, your horse experiences unparalleled freedom of movement.
These light weight saddles are easy to handle when tacking up. They are suitable for most types of riding with distinctive characteristics that appeal to rider and horse preferences. We pride ourselves on our customer service to help you make the initial small adjustments available to you to have the perfect fit for you and your horse.
Fundamental Technical Features of
FreeForm Saddles and Barefoot Saddles
The Freeform treeless saddles and Barefoot treeless saddles are flexible in all directions, allowing the saddle to adjust immediately to the movements of the horse. The construction of both saddles allows for free and full extension of the horse’s shoulders, unencumbered by the rigidity of a tree. The pommel area is not weight-bearing and the horse can move forward without restriction or pain. This helps to build or rebuild the horse’s topline.
Our saddles are designed to give the best possible weight distribution. During a rising trot and two pointing, the rider’s weight is distributed over the entire footprint of the saddle.
Treeless saddles promote a healthy back for your horse with unique systems for keeping the saddle off the horse’s spine. Adjustable stirrup attachments on most models allow you to place your stirrup where you need for better balance (and allows you to save your knees). Y girthing spreads the pressure of the girth across the entire saddle for your horse’s comfort. High-withered horses now have a cutback option or interchangeable pommel inserts available.
For more details about the technical features of these saddles, go to:
• Freeform Saddles
• Barefoot Saddles
Differences between Freeform Saddles and Barefoot Saddles
The Freeform saddle looks and feels more like a normal saddle to the rider but provides improved contact and all the other benefits of a treeless saddle. It is an anatomically shaped one piece foam mold covered by Italian leather. A flexible aluminum arch in the front part of the detachable seat provides wither clearance. These saddles totally adjust to the shape of any given horse while providing good stability on the horse’s back. Freeform saddles appeal to those who plan to show or compete with their horse.
The Barefoot saddle feels closer to riding bareback than the Freeform: the rider has a wider seat on most horses. These saddles are made from open-pored, vegetable-tanned nubuck leather which molds readily to the shape of the horse’s back. The raised front and rear of the saddle are filled and stabilized with a piece of fiberglass in each, for cantle distribution of weight and pommel wither clearance. In contrast to the Freeform, these pieces are replaceable with optional inserts tailored to eliminate undue pressure on extremely broad withers or with an overly sensitive loin area. Due to the fiberglass and the positioning of the rider close to the horse, the saddle achieves a secure hold on the horse’s back. Barefoot saddles appeal to the dedicated trail rider.
For more details about specific features of each saddle, go to Freeform Saddles Information or Barefoot Saddles Information. We are happy to talk with you about which saddle is best for you. Just email or give us a call: 1 540 830 2713.
Accessories
Choice of pads is more important with treeless saddles than conventional saddles, to provide stability, cooling, and full protection of the horse’s spine and loin area. We offer a full line of the best pads in the industry. We also offer custom-designed accessories for each saddle: girths, stirrups, seats, leathers, panels, etc. You can explore these in our store.
