Treeless Saddle Controversy
Treeless and flexible tree saddles in both English and Western styles are becoming popular today, though there are controversies surrounding their use. Proponents argue that treeless and flex-tree saddles move more easily with a horse's dynamic motion and add shock absorbency between horse and rider. Treeless saddles are also easier to fit the horse, particularly in the area of the horse's scapula (shoulder blade). Opponents of treeless saddles argue that they create abnormal pressure points and over time can cause as many problems as an ill-fitting treed saddle.
Flexible trees may be a compromise between the two camps, but manufacturing quality and design varies greatly. While flexible, adjustable trees are an alternate choice to traditional wooden trees, they carry limitations inherent in both solid tree and treeless designs.
Controversy arises in part because, while treeless and flexible tree saddles have benefits for horses with injuries related to poorly-fitted treed saddles, only a solid tree or very well constructed treeless saddle with correct padding can keep the rider off the horse’s spine and distribute weight evenly across the horse's back without creating localized pressure points. Pressure should never be put directly on the spinuous processes of the horse nor on the ligament system that runs alongside the spine, and many treeless designs do result in rider-related pressure in this area. Furthermore, bareback pads, which are often confused with treeless saddles, provide grip but no structural support to protect the horse's spine. However, a growing number of treeless saddle designs are composed of a system of panels with a wide channel for the spine, thus keeping pressure off the spinuous processes.
Some treeless saddle designs may present problems for riders as well. Without a supportive tree over the horse's withers, a treeless saddle may place the rider behind the movement of the horse, creating pressure on the horse's loin and the rider's low back. Inadequate support may also lead to the rider's seat bones digging into the horse's back. Additionally, a solid tree supports the curvature of the rider's spine which is essential for communication between horse and rider. On the other hand, many riders with preexisting back or hip problems are more comfortable in a treeless saddle due to the extra padding, adjustability and shock absorption. Treeless saddles have started to become popular in horse therapy and hippotherapy. for this reason.
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Famous quotes containing the words treeless, saddle and/or controversy:
“Show me two villages, one embowered in trees and blazing with all the glories of October, the other a merely trivial and treeless waste, or with only a single tree or two for suicides, and I shall be sure that in the latter will be found the most starved and bigoted religionists and the most desperate drinkers.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“As the saddle makes the horse, so the tailor makes the man.”
—Chinese proverb.
“And therefore, as when there is a controversy in an account, the parties must by their own accord, set up for right Reason, the Reason of some Arbitrator, or Judge, to whose sentence, they will both stand, or their controversy must either come to blows, or be undecided, for want of a right Reason constituted by Nature; so is it also in all debates of what kind soever.”
—Thomas Hobbes (1579–1688)