Barefoot Treeless Saddles, Riding Naturally as it was Meant to be.

I got it!!! I love it, I took it right out and used it on my morgan for a trail ride. Thank you so so so much.--Tim in Ohio

My Barefoot arrived. Of course I immediately unpacked it, stripped it apart, poked and prodded and pulled at seams. Everything was tight and square and the leather is fairly thick and has great grip.

Took it out and tried it on my beloved "Wide-Load" - Ok, now, I have ridden in them all -Rebeccas, Ansurs, Torsions, Bob Marshall's - but the little built up twist on the Barefoot is a VERY nice feature. We rode about 3 hours in the desert, up and down rock hills, through washes and a gravel pit. I kept up a pretty good pace, mostly trotting. The saddle stayed in place and was very comfortable. Even sweat marks and no soreness.

And everyone has to love a saddle that you can lift over your head with one hand!

I LOVE this saddle!!!! My mare was SO wonderful in it! Her trot is so much better, she doesn't buck her way into a canter and she no longer stumbles going downhill! AND IT STAYS PUT! It's a miracle! I had SO MUCH FUN riding today!

I recently got my Barefoot saddle and my mare LOVES it - as do I - it is extremely comfortable for BOTH OF US...I don't ride endurance but my mare and I do log 5 - 7 mile trail rides and she is as happy at the end of the ride as the beginning. So far so good! And I think it's a great price for the quality!

Hi Lori! The saddle came today and it is GREAT. I LOVE it. Little Arab loves it. We're all happy. It exceeded my expectations on how well made it is.

This is a very overdue email to you about the skito pad and the Cheyenne Barefoot Saddle that I bought from you.

I like them both very much! I ended up taking out the fiberglass piece from the front of the saddle, as it was pinching my Icelandic a bit too much. (Note from Lori's Tack..Barefoot now offers a narrow and wide insert for horse's that need a different pommel option) And I need to put SOMETHING back in there for a bit of support. But I'm so glad that that option was there. The saddle is comfortable for both of us and I really like the way it looks. I'm including a photo so you can see it. I REALLY like how light it is. I find it hard to understand why people use 30 and 40 and 50 pound saddles, but I suppose they need them for roping and such. I also like the skito pad. It is so pretty. And protective of my horse's spine.

Anyways, I am so glad that I found you on the web and that this nice saddle was available at a good price. I don't see that I could ever use a tree saddle. They just pinch too much. Also, I needed a saddle that I could use on several different horses. Well, have good holidays, and I will check your website again when I need something else!

I purchased the barefoot saddle b/c it was the more affordable of the treeless saddles. I love my parelli bareback pad, and wanted something cushy with stirrups for the more lengthy trail rides. The barefoot has an extremely cushy seat, and that is wonderful. You can also feel every movement the horse makes- also great. I ride in mine with a supracor pad. I have 2 friends who have barefoots and they use a skito pad. I prefer the supracor, but that is me.

Why did I think about selling the barefoot saddle after using it for less than a month? I have gotten very used to riding on my balance point, and having my legs a little more forward than I was taught in all those years of "normal" equitation/dressage lessons. The barefoot saddle has the stirrup attachment points right under the hip, so when using the stirrups, there's the perfect shoulder, hip, heel alignment. It is hard to sit in any position other than the perfect dressage position in the barefoot saddle. I thought I wanted my legs more in front of me than the barefoot was allowing. I also prefer to sit back, the barefoot prefers to put the rider a little more vertical.

However, last night I rode in my old stubben a/p saddle, just as a "am I sure I want to sell the barefoot and go back to the stubben until I can afford a parelli fusion saddle?" move. I have decided that I would much rather experience the knee pain I get from having my legs under me than the back pain I get from riding in a treed saddle.

My 2 friends who have barefoots love the leg position. I would too if I had ridden in it 2 years ago before I developed my chair seat.

So, bottom line about the barefoot saddle: I've decided to keep mine and use it. if you are looking for a saddle that's perfect for dressage, the barefoot is your answer. It's also great for trail riding if you like having your legs under you. I recommend the stirrup leathers with the buckles a the bottom, but get the smallest leathers you can get. I got the "normal" adult length, and I had to punch holes b/c the shortest hole was still too long.

I ordered a Barefoot Cheyenne saddle from you several months ago. I teach and perform French/Portuguese dressage, Spanish Doma Vaquera, and Garrocha (a bullfight dance with a 12 foot pole). The Barefoot saddle has truly become my favorite to ride - it puts me in perfect communication with the horse and allows me to feel exactly what is happening underneath me. I sit "in" the horse, rather than on the horse! I have also found that horses move more freely and with a happy attitude. Thank you so much!

Addition: 11/12/05: I just wanted you to know that I am increasingly impressed by this saddle. For dressage high school work, it is always my saddle of choice. I am attaching some photos that show the level of training which can be achieved when a horse is comfortable and confident in the tack.

Lori,
I cannot express how I feel about my new Barefoot Cheyenne saddle. The only way I can put it in words is, "I LOVE IT!" I have rode in my Balance International treeless saddle for years and I thought it was great. Well, the Balance Saddle is now my back up saddle!!! The Barefoot saddle fits all of my Friesians, my Peruvian Paso and my Clydesdale. I do use the wide pommel that I purchased with some of the horses. Having the option to "change out" the pommel to different sizes is a major bonus and was a deciding factor for me when I compared all of the treeless saddles. I just love my new saddle! I have always ridden bareback and this saddle is the only saddle that can come close to that! You still have the security of a saddle, but can also feel the horse under you. Now all I need is another Barefoot saddle for my husband, because he is not going to use mine!!! I just love my saddle. It is great. I raise and train my Friesians and I have always loved the treeless saddles because the horses are always different sizes. I think the Barefoot saddle is wonderful because you have such close contact with the horse. I just cannot talk about it enough. I have told everyone about it!!

June 9, 2006: I have finally ridden in my Barefoot London Dressage saddle enough to make some sort of judgement about it.

I love it! At first sitting it doesn’t feel as stable as a treed saddle, but once I realized it wasn’t going anywhere I found my balance and felt secure.

It is very cushy and I feel like I am sitting on a mattress. With each riding I have been molding the saddle to me and the horse. Consequently I don’t feel quite so much as though I am riding on a mattress and my legs are stretching down and flexing around my horse.

My horse is very large and round and I have been using a standard dressage pad which seems to be working fine. Is it necessary to use a Grandeur pad (or similar)? It seems like that would just ad to the puffy feeling.

Overall, I am very happy with my new Barefoot London.

D.T.

Lori's Tack note: On wider horses with a flat, broad back, you can sometimes get away with a standard saddle pad on shorter rides. We always recommend the use of some sort of insert pad with all treeless saddles.

May 30, 2007: Hi, Lori! I just wanted to let you know how well my Barefoot Saddle fits both of my horses! My little Arab is all of 14 hands and my Appaloosa is pushing 16 hands. My saddle works so well for both of them! Thank you so much for helping me with my saddle and Skito pad purchase. I am more than thrilled
S.M., California

March 27, 2007: OMG.... All I can say is that saddle is more comfortable than I imagined it would be. Now I remember I told you I tried the London, and the Cheyenne is soooo much better.. For me at least!! I love the new panels, I didn't use the inserts I wanted to see if I needed them or not.. I had nice sweat patterns on either side, and from the looks of it, there was a line down his back with out sweat!! So I guess that is good Huh?

I am going to add in the inserts to see if horsy likes it any better. But in the 6 years that I have been searching for a saddle, this one has been my FAVORITE to date. I got beautiful lead changes from a normally cranky lead changer.. His canter was soft, and comfortable.. He was in a very pleasant
mood..

I am going to remove the fiber glass pommel, and put the soft one in, again to see if the horsy is any happier with that too. He doesn't like his shoulders constricted, and I felt very balanced in the saddle, so am not worried about it moving about!! My girth was even too loose when I got off.
Bob does a great rendition of a puffer fish!!

Thanks for your wonderful service.. Even when you were a way on Vacation!!