Freeform Treeless Saddle Giveaway - Winner

I love the freedom of movement given, the comfort of both horse & rider, and the balanced structure.
My mare Haas been impossible to fit! She needs a half size, in between gullets. I usually end up riding bareback as nothing seems to fit her correctly. I’d love to have her comfortable so we can do more together!
A freeform saddle would allow us to progress further under saddle. She wants to connect & move out, but we are somewhat limited bareback. I have both an English & western saddle (fitted by a reputable fitter), but consistent riding with either saddle and Cricket displays discomfort. I’d love to also be able to take her out on the trails, we recently moved to Tucson, AZ and board just a few minute’s ride from Saquaro East National park. Her western likes to ride up on her shoulders on any hills, and the English moves around too much. She loves exploring in hand, but with a saddle that conforms to her, we could do so much more! Goals were low level eventing, but I’m enjoying the bonding and adventure more than formal schooling. Cricket agrees!

Freeform saddles are designed to allow the horse to move.freely under the rider while also securing the rider in a comfortable connected seat. There are several fit options for saddle length, catering to those horses who have shorter or longer backs.
I personally have struggled to find a saddle that is comfortable for me and fits my horse well. He is a warmblood with a slightly shorter back, and wide withers. When I have found a saddle the fits me many time it is too long for his back, or slightly too narrow for his withers, or if it fits him many times the twist is too wide for my seat.
We love to take long sunset walks on the beach together, or spend a day hiking in fair weather (the perfect date!). Having a Freeform saddle would allow us to spend more time connecting with each other outside, without compensating comfort.

Freeforms have just the right balance between structure and comfort, for both horse and rider.
Just enough twist for the rider and allows me to place my leg wherever feels best for me personally. Just enough give that the horse can move freely while still keeping my body from hurting the horse’s back.
My first foray into treeless was for my short backed, no withered Arabian mare. She adored her short base Freeform classic, not too long, nice and stable. So of course my next mare had much higher withers, but with a cutback design, that issue was resolved.
Freeform is lighter weight, so as I age, it will remain easy to lift and carry. It places me in a comfortable seat and I feel confident knowing I am secure and my horse is comfortable, even as we both change over the years.

I’ve read that Freeform allows more shoulder movement which my 18 yr old Arab cross gelding needs. Rider wise I honestly don’t know as I’ve never ridden in one but the narrow twist that is mentioned will work best for me and the saddle descriptions sound supportive and secure.
2. The challenge I have with this gelding is his top line changes with work due to MIM Pssm2. He does not tolerate a saddle that interferes with his shoulder movement and needs one that will sit comfortably right behind the scapula. He has a treed western saddle that fits well but is a bit too long when in his happy spot. Perhaps a Freeform would fit him comfortably and me also.
3. Well if it fits him and he likes it we can begin to do our long trail rides together again. He is limited now to under 10 miles as he just is not totally comfortable in his current saddles. It would help me because I want him to be happy and not sore from working and I would not be worried about his back and shoulders all the time.
Thanks for offering this giveaway. Your saddles sound good and the reviews are great.
Sheri

I’m very excited to have found this website. My husband and I trail ride (and occasionally show!) with our five rescued Paso Fino horses. These horses have a great range of sizes and build, and we have had to compromise a bit with saddle fit for each of them, as we have only been able to afford three saddles between the horses. In reading about these Freeform Treeless Saddles, it sounds like we might actually be able to have one saddle that could fit all of our horses comfortably! And would fit us well, too! I love that your saddles can conform to each horse, even our high withered gelding. And I like that this saddle would allow free movement of the shoulders so they could gait easily. The customization of the saddle is great. I love that there are many ways to adjust the saddle, everything from the girth to the stirrups can be moved around to give the most comfort to both horse and rider. And I was excited to read about how these saddles distribute weight evenly, as that was a concern to me with any treeless saddle. I also loved that you have a version of the saddle with more support for the heavier rider (I had always read that treeless wasn’t a good option for a rider over 160 pounds and I am about ten pounds heavier than that).

I have experienced several challenges in the past with saddle fit. We have one very high withered horse that has a hard time being fitted for a saddle and I have another horse that is a tiny bit roach backed. I have also noticed that most Paso Fino horses (ours included!) seem to have a very narrow build, the angle of their shoulders just doesn’t seem to fit most saddles. It is a constant frustration in saddle fitting. Paso Finos also tend to be very short backed, so finding a saddle that isn’t too long can also be a challenge. With all of these difficulties, is it any wonder that none of our saddles are a perfect fit? As for myself, I begin to experience real pain and discomfort in my hips after an hour or two in the saddle on the trail. It means that I can never do an all day trail ride.

I would hope that the Freeform Treeless Saddles could solve several problems with saddle fit. I would like to have a saddle that could fit our horses well and be able to be used for more than one horse and rider. With all the customization available, I think we could make our horses (and riders!) more comfortable out on the trail. I want our horses to feel comfortable and be able to move optimally in a way that doesn’t negatively affect their ability to gait smoothly. I would be so excited to see how this could help our horses in the show ring, too!

Freeform Treeless saddles have so many ways to be adjusted so it can fit you and your horse unique conformation. I like that not only does the gullet adjust, but I like that you can also adjust the seat, stirrup bars and girth positions. That it is designed to fit female anatomy is huge. I do long trail rides 10-15 miles at a time and would like to find a comfortable saddle.

My heart horse, Taz and I have gone through so many saddle. They either fit me and hurt him or vice versa. Taz is a cob x Tennessee Walker cross that is 14.1 wide short back mutten withered, downward built, long shoulder. I don’t think if you can make it any more complex! Me, I am 5’2" with long legs, more specifically, a long femur. If I get a saddle that fits him my hips do not spread that wide and I have to ride with me knees towards his ears in a jump saddle position or have my hips suffer because of his width. If the saddle fits me it pinches his shoulders and rolls on him . Note: I have learned to become a very balanced rider, many experienced riders have fallen off him just because the saddle rolling while they ride. I have been told many of times I should just get another horse with “proper” confirmation. But I refuse to believe there is not a saddle out there that can work for the both of us!

I think with the Freeform saddle I will be able to position the stirrup bar and seat to allow for my long femur and put my leg is a comfortable position. The narrow twist will help alleviate my hip pain and keep my public bones from bruising from rocking on the seat or being splayed out . The adjustable gullet will fit his ever changing back through the seasons and the multiple cinch positions can be adjusted to the type of trails we ride to keep the saddle from slipping.

i have been looking for the perfect saddle of which both horse and i can tolerate for long distances and all day long rides. my horses go from being draft type shoulders to arab skinny shoulders. i have found it hard to keep up and find something that works for either one. i have managed to accumulate several saddles and it just keeps getting frustrating. when i think that i have found the right one it may fit right but then the movement of the horse does not feel right or i do not like how it feels. i have done several different pads , padding ways only to fail. both of us seem to get frustrated. then there is the weight issue. yes i am getting older so my heavy westerns are getting hard to throw up decent without banging the horse or me. now if i use my english saddles then i am back with the putting the different bars in or taking out or tightening or loosing and they still are frustrating. i am finding that things are not holding up on them and are becoming a stress on some of the parts of the saddles. it has become just easier to go bare back rather than deal with some of the saddles, but then you cannot enter different shows , trials or competitions. just being able to go on a relaxing ride where both are enjoying the ride without the fight and maybe cut down on the no. of saddles in possession.

Freeform treeless saddles have multiple benefits for horse and rider. They are light weight and adjustable for both horse and rider to ensure the most comfortable ride for both. Freeform saddles allow for whither relief and the ability to adjust foam inserts and or panels to allow for spine relief and accommodate a heavier rider.
Freeform saddles can also be adjusted to fit multiple horses. I have read a lot about freeform saddles and have watched the vidoes by Whitney and Paulita about their fit, care, and accessories. I recently found a good used one on ebay and bought it. I haven’t ridden in it yet, but did sit in it while checking first fit on my Kentucky Mountain guelding. It felt secure on his back and the seat made me feel secure. I can’t wait to ride in it. By the way, treeless saddles are also much warmer to ride in during colder temperatures.

I currently ride in a treeless saddle on my Tennessee Walking mare.
She is mutten whithered and wide. I was having issues with saddle fit for her that was causing her to rear up unprovoked. Once I switched to a tressless saddle she was much happier and I love the close contact feel. My Kentucky Mountain guelding is having issues with bridging, despite inserts on my pad, with the treed, flex panel saddle I have been using on him, so you can only imagine my excitement when I found a freeform treeless saddle on ebay to try out on him. The saddle also come with a Skito pad with inserts. Both were well cared for and in good condition.

Knowing that so many endurance riders use freeform treeless saddles speaks volumes about the quality and comfort of freeform saddles for the rider and the horse. Although I only trail ride, it is not uncommon to ride 15-20 miles in a days trail loop. Winning a new freeform ultimate trail saddle would be absolutely awesome. It would benefit me and my horse because it has a more secure seat and greater adjustability for my horse and me for the best ride we could ever have.

Freeform saddles are lighter and flexible than traditional saddles, and they can fit horses with many conformations, including as horses’ backs change. Their flexible design helps to minimize interference with the horse’s movement, contributing to both horse and rider comfort. They are highly adjustable to ensure an optimal fit for both horse and rider, going beyond what you can achieve with many other saddles. At the same time, the saddle protects the horse’s back while offering an unrestricted freedom of movement and creating a close-contact feel. The result is a saddle that is comfortable and that works well for both horses and riders.

I have faced significant saddle fit issues with my two mares. My Quarter Horse, Cricket, is currently in rehab due to the effects of a poorly fitting Western saddle. When I bought Cricket three years ago, I immediately had a saddle fitter out to ensure that my saddle fit her. Unfortunately, I was given some very poor advice, which caused a poorly fitting saddle to fit even worse, damaging Cricket’s back and causing significant atrophy. I have been working with her since August to rehab her from these effects, and in the summer I will need a saddle so that I can continue her rehab under saddle. However, I’m likely to go through several traditional saddles as her back recovers and changes. I’m also facing challenges with my Thoroughbred mare, Lyric. I adopted Lyric as a five-year-old, and she immediately went lame. It took seven vets four years to identify a partially healed fracture sustained while racing, and after sending her to surgery to repair the fracture, I discovered that Lyric had a secondary mystery hind end lameness. After a seven-year lameness journey involving 12 vets, Lyric is (somewhat miraculously) starting back in under saddle work. However, she’s been out of work so long that yet again, I am likely going to have to buy multiple saddles to fit her as her back changes.

A Freeform saddle could greatly help me, Cricket, and Lyric. After Lyric’s extensive veterinary costs, I don’t have large budgets for either her or Cricket’s saddle, let alone to purchase and repeatedly fit multiple saddles to each horse. Since Freeform saddles are so versatile and can accommodate changing backs and different conformations, a Freeform saddle is an ideal solution as I bring both Cricket and Lyric back into work. The fact that Freeform saddles don’t collapse down onto the withers is so important, since Cricket has scapular and wither damage and Lyric has moderate Thoroughbred withers. Despite thinking I was doing everything right, I’ve seen the damage that a poorly fitting saddle can do to a horse, and I don’t want to risk either of my horses’ health or comfort. A Freeform saddle would be a fantastic asset during the rehab process and beyond.

Freeform saddles benefits horses and riders in a multitude of ways. Several years back, when I bought my first Freeform saddle (Freeform Classic Trail), I told Paulita that it was great to finally find a saddle that causes no harm. I think possibly I have the hardest to fit horses, ever and the classic trail has fit every one of my horses. I have tried many, many saddles over 5 decades of riding. The Freeform saddles not only address staying in place, shoulder freedom and comfort for the horse, as well, rider comfort cannot be match. Despite this truth, Paulita and Whitney continue to come up with awesome improvements and new models, that would be soooo cool to try. Freeform saddles are exceptional in their adjustability. Individualized balance is achieved through the ability to tweak the seat and leather positions where a fraction of an inch backwards or forward makes all the difference to the rider. When I finish a ride, I am never sore in my lower back, which is my telltale for correct rider/saddle position. The base of the saddle is perfect, because it’s treeless, but also it doesn’t have a contour that doesn’t match the horse’s back or so much flexibility it collapses. A good pad is an asset for sure and the skito pad is perfect, offering options for shimming and wither relief, plus it really keeps that saddle in place. I have to say, though, that recently I added panels to my base and have found the feel and comfort for my horses, significantly improved.

My horses are all short backed which Freeform saddle’s address with special options for base size. Honestly, when I found Freeform saddles, I had given up hope that anything would work on 3 different horses!!! Two of which are gaited and one just a nightmare of a back. Paulita worked with me so patiently and she got it right: The exact package I needed.

Specifically, the Freeform saddle makes riding a pleasure. Not having to fight a saddle or a hard tree or look for dry spots when removing the saddle is delightful. I feel like I am sitting in the middle of the horse and the horse is moving from back to front through their body. Comfort for the horse and comfort for me, I’m all in.