The saddle needs to fit one and one's horse.
Most important, one must feel safe and comfortable in the saddle of
choice. As for treeless saddles, I have seen folks do 50s and do quite
well with them. Endurance saddles do well too. Most important other
than fit to the horse, is how balanced the rider is. Don't care what the
saddle is or how well it fits the horse, if the rider feels insecure, or not
comfortable, then the rider won't ride correctly.
All types work, so whatever works for rider and
horse is the way to go. To get started, maybe an abetta saddle would be
fine just to start with. I must admit though, that I sold my ortho flex
caliente and bought the new abetta trail saddle. It fits all the arabs in
the barn, I can LIFT it with no pain to me, it puts my feet and legs in the
correct position, it has a horn which I love since I am a BIG horn grabber, and
it had the test of 38 miles on Sat and 25 on Sunday at the toughest ride in MI,
lots of sand and hills. Horse and I finished just fine, no saddle sores,
no girth rubbing, and I hurt less than I have in the past couple years.
Bottom line, if it works, stick with it. Jeanie
