The proof of the pudding is how the horse responds. A beginner rider that is very off-balance can be hard on the horse’s back. The more skilled a rider is, the better balanced, the less important the tree becomes.
For very arduous sports like cutting and roping, the horse needs a rigid tree for his own protection. A treeless saddle would provide no weight distribution for the horse.Īlso you must consider the type of riding that will be done and the rider’s skill level. First, the size of the rider: a horse that carries a heavy rider will need more weight distribution–a larger seat size will help with this. In addition to the fit issues of the horses, there are several other considerations in determining what is the right type of saddle for you and your horse. The flexible tree gives good weight distribution and because of the slight flex, it will fit a greater variety of horses. The rigid tree would give the greatest distribution of weight but may be more difficult to fit. In general, you have three choices when it comes to a saddle: a rigid tree (usually wood), a flexible tree (synthetic) or treeless. This is often because the tree of the western saddle covers a larger area and distributes weight more evenly. In my experience starting young horses under saddle, horses will buck more with an English saddle than with a western one. A simple way to understand this distribution of pressure is to poke someone in the arm with the point of one finger versus pushing on their arm with the flat of your hand. The purpose of the saddle tree is to distribute the weight of the rider over a larger area of the horse’s back.
Here, I’ll help you understand the types of saddle trees (the tree is the inner structure of the saddle and what balances the rider’s weight over the horse’s back), understand how a saddle should fit, then help you know how to cinch up your saddle to make sure your horse is comfortable as you ride. Once you purchase a saddle, you’ll need to know which rigging (many new saddles have more than one way to “cinch up” your saddle) to use to keep the saddle safely in place and comfortable for your horse’s conformation. It’s a big job to find out what will fit your horse well. The variety of trees and saddles on the market can be overwhelming.
I’m often asked about saddle fit and tack- what’s the best type of saddle tree for my horse? How do I know if my saddle fits? And how should I rig the saddle so that my horse is comfortable? Julie Goodnight on Saddle Trees Fit And Riggings While the entire saddle industry has tried to imitate the original Flex-Lite® tree design, Circle Y has taken it to another level with the Flex2®, featuring the Precision Flex2® tree design. The flexible bars provided a level of conformity and support that maximized comfort and performance for both horse and rider. When Circle Y introduced the Original Flex-Lite® saddle in 1998, its design and performance revolutionized the saddle world. For almost 50 years, Circle Y has led the industry with the latest in design and innovation in quality saddles and tack. Whether for roping, showing, barrels, cutting, reining, ranch work or trail riding, Circle Y has a saddle for you. Some scrapes from storage, but leather is very soft.Circle Y Saddles, America’s Leading Saddle Brand, crafts saddles for all western disciplines. A naughty mouse has chewed the front of the seat (behind the pommel) and the skirt lacing behind the cantle. This one has been well cared for…but wasn’t always well stored. 3.5″ cantle, 3″ horn, double rigged and strings for your packs. Faux double skirt to keep this saddle lightweight, measuring 27.5″. On Circle Y’s regular tree, fitting on the wide side of Semi Bars, measuring 6.5″ with nice shoulder flare and rock to the bars. Truly long legged/plus size rider friendly! Fenders have a ton of adjustment, nice padded seat that is quite deep.
Per serial number, this one is a 17″, fitting about a quarter inch smaller like a 16.75″. A 2005 model, while older, this one is in good condition with nice soft leather. The model number is 1551, which is a Topeka, but is marked Park and Trail on the serial plate. This is an early Topeka, made on a Flex Lite Tree. In fact Topeka Trail Saddles are one of most popular saddles. If you have been around Brassy for a while, you would see how much we love dark oil Circle Y’s! This Topeka trail saddle is just nice.