sports saddle/treeless saddle thing

["Mary Moore" <mmoore@imcnet.net>]

i have a question regarding this discussion ...  how people out there are
USING (read:  not attempting to sell them commercially;  i dont want to
hear a sales pitch) these treeless sports saddles?  After examining
several, i wondered about horses and back problems.  specifically,
essentially the leathers are suspended over a much smaller area of pressure
on a horse's back.  (is this making sense?)  by putting an increased amount
of pressure there, wouldn't it make for increased pressure on those
muscles, therefore causing back problems after, say, a strenuous ride
(read:  attempting to top ten at a 50 or better)?

has anyone done any scientific research in this area? ive been looking into
new saddles for about a year now, and havent been overly thrilled with the
engineering of these treeless sports saddles for this reason.  maybe my
observations are incorrecct, but i'm just considering the logic here.

Mary H. Moore
Northern New York