I just got my new Treeless Saddle from www.dreamteamproducts.com/ For those of you who are not familiar with this company they are the main re-sellers of the Torsion Treeless saddles - very similar to the Barefoot Saddles only in my opinion slightly better quality. Having said this Barefoot have added some excellent features to their saddles in particular the wedge shaped VPS-System (Vertebrae Protecting System)
VPS enables spreading of the rider's weight exactly where the horse can best carry it: between the withers and the 15th/16 vertebrae. Pressure points are eliminated and the panel construction to the right and left of the spine enables a distinct channel above the spine and thus grants a constant latitude for the horse's withers and spine.
Even when standing in the stirrup (posting trot), the pressure is evenly spread among the entire saddling area - therefore there is no limitation regarding the rider's weight.
Being a very light rider i was not too concerned about having a saddle with this feature but if i was an endurance rider or on the heavy side i probably would have considered this to be more important.
Instead i opted for the new DreamTeam Saddle priced at just £349.00...
On first impressions i must say i am very impressed. I like the look, love the feel and really appreciate the quality... I haven't actually sat on it yet because i need to buy a dressage girth to go with it but i have put it on Spices back. Whilst with no one sat on it it looks rather 'high' i think once it has moulded to the shaped of her back and has some weight on it this effect will be reduced.
Overall value for money wise i think this saddle is fantastic and i wouldn't be surprised or blame them if they raised the price of it.
I will let you all know what i think if the girth when it arrives (which should be tomorrow).
O.k so the dressage girth from DreamTeamProducts arrived and i have to say i am once again impressed, the quality is excellent and once you see it you realize why it's quite a bit more than the other dressage girths on the market. My only reservation is that its huge! Very bulky for my fine horse. If you have a cob 15hh or above i would definitely recommend it. you can see that every thing
DreamTeamProducts have created has been designed with the horses comfort in mind - I just think for a fine horse like spice the girth will be too bulky.
O.k, so today i finally got to ride Spice in her new saddle and just as i thought it is the most comfortable saddle i have ever ridden her in, the only reservation i have is with regards the thickness of the equitex pad. I purchased the recommended 3.5cm thick pad but in my opinion it is way too thick, because of the material being quite spongy it made me bounce out of the saddle every time i did the rising trot which i wasn't keen on and i also felt rather 'perched' which made me feel a little insecure but the biggest problem with the equitex pad was that because it squidgies down as you sit doing the rising trot it seems to effect the tightness of the girth which then caused the saddle to slip - something i have never had a problem with before. So, if you are thinking about buying this saddle personally i would not recommend the 3.5cm equitex pads. As far as i am aware they do sell a thinner version of the equitex pad which i would be interested in trying. For the moment though i am using a Griffin Nuumed Gullet Free Treeless Numnah bought for £90.15 from better saddles which both myself and spice seem to like.
Just a quick update, i did manage to try the thinner version of the equitex pad out and have to say i really liked it. From a horses point of view i'd probably say that the thicker equitex pad is more comfortable as i would guess that it offers more shock absorption but as a rider i definitely preferred the thinner version as i found i did not feel perched and did not bounce out of the saddle when doing the rising trot. I would therefore definitely recommend this pad above the thicker pad unless you have a high withered horse and are advised by DreamTeamProducts that the thicker pad would be more suitable
If i am rating this saddle out of 10 I would give it around a 8/9. Comfort wise this saddle scores top marks and price wise i think this saddle beats all of it's competitors hands down. I was recently asked by DreamTeamProducts why i did not give the saddle a 10/10 and quite simply it is because i would have preferred the underside of the girth billets to be leather rather than synthetic as i find that synthetic can be quite abrasive.
What i would really like to see is DreamTeamProducts creating a girth with a sheepskin lining for horses with sensitive skin and a slightly smaller one for finer bred horses. Something like the frank baines girth (which i have just purchased) would be great and would match the saddle beautifully although i have to say the frank baines one is twice the price! But in my opinion you can't put a price on your horses comfort.
For those of you who are unsure about whether or not to go for a treeless saddle i cannot recommend this saddle highly enough.
Well done DreamTeamProducts you have impressed me.
I also have bought Two Dreamteam saddles for my horses. One 16.2 Polish warmblood aged 4 and a Pony with bad conformation 14.2 and a very hard shape to fit a saddle to. I was so impressed for most by the look of the saddles. Most Treeless I have looked out just look so ugly but this was actually stunning to look at and feel. My 16.2 had had problems with her back and was wearing a Throwgood Inter-changable saddle due to her ever changing shape but when I rode her felt her being uncomfortable and tight. She had some back treatment and time out and now bringing her back into work using the Dreamteam saddle. She is relaxed and happy now and I have never sat on such a comfortable saddle and if I am relaxed then so is she. The Back lady will come back to treat her on Monday and I would be interested to what she has to say about her now I have ridden in the new saddle for a couple of weeks. My Pony also is a very hard shape to fit a saddle too and was becoming increasingly irritated when saddled up. ( chewing her lead rope and ears well back, even turning around to try and nip). She also will have her back looked at on Monday and we will see how she has improved. At the moment I would highly recommend this beautiful, comfortible saddle
ReplyDeleteWell after using the Dreamteam saddle on roughly five rides and then having her back checked by Helen Jacks Hewett I was delighted to be told my mares back is in excellent condition, and should not have to be seen for another six months!! Helen told me if everyone used Saddled like this then she would be basically out of a job as back problems caused by poorly fitted saddles would be eliminated . The 14.2 pony with a huge flat back and ( large belly) is very happy with her saddle and hopefully this will help with her total dislike for saddles. I have never recommended or been so excited about a saddle before but feel I shuld just tell as many people as I can because at the end of the day we are Considering the Horse and this matters! Dreamteam THANK YOU A+++++
ReplyDelete