Hidalgo leather tree saddles
SUPERIOR VERSATILITY
Hidalgo leather tree saddles are super versatile. Since there are no traditional rigid fitting elements in the saddle, they can be fitted to almost any horse.
SADDLES THAT YOUR HORSE WILL LOVE
Horses who have sore backs, kissing spine, atrophy or other damage from previous saddles can breathe a sigh of relief with a leather tree saddle.
If your horse has a sore back, kissing spine or other spinal dysfunction, please first engage your vet chiropractor to work with you and treat the horse, as well as upgrading to a comfortable saddle. Also ensure the horse’s hooves and teeth are in good health, and the training practices are not prohibitive to correct biomechanics under saddle.
Below photo shows a dysfunctional spine and atrophied topline.
NO PINCH AT THE WITHERS
Even horses who seem to go “well” in a treed saddle can change their way of going remarkably in a leather tree saddle, because they are not being restricted by rigid elements in a traditional saddle.
Pinching of the withers is so common in treed saddles. Tree points are made of steel, and tree points digging into the trapezius muscle is an everyday cause of pain and muscle atrophy - a leather tree saddle eliminates these problems since there is nothing rigid at the front of the saddle. When the trapezius muscle atrophies, people often think the horse has big shoulders when in fact the shoulders stick out because the muscle behind it is gone.
CORRECT SIZE FOR THE HORSE AND THE RIDER
Another common issue is the saddle not fitting both horse and rider in size or construction, and the rigid tree not fitting the horse’s back shape. If the saddle is too small for the rider, you have a problem. A leather tree saddle can help here too! The leather tree saddle can be fitted to suit the rider AND the horse due to its flexible construction.
CORRECT FIT EVEN WHEN YOUR HORSE CHANGES SHAPE
Bridging is also an issue that you will not have with a leather tree saddle, because the saddle will adjust along its length to follow the horse’s back shape.
Horses can change shape often, and fast. A leather tree saddle will not cause pain since the saddle will adapt on its own. It will not become an ill fit; if your horse changes shape, all you have to do is adjust the panel placement (and sometimes the saddle pad), both of which you can learn to do on your own!
SUPERIOR COMFORT FOR THE HORSE AND THE RIDER
Entirely treeless saddles may require excessive amounts of extra padding to create spinal clearance. This can cause instability and dampening of communication through the rider’s seat. They are also rarely suitable for horses with very high withers (who usually also have atrophy from tree points).
The transfer of aids in a leather tree saddle is incredible. This really enables fine riding with subtle aids.
A leather tree saddle offers excellent spinal clearance all on its own, and the saddle will form to a very close contact feel over 20-30 hours of riding. We do recommend a Grandeur pad or our Pocket Pad to be used under the saddle in many cases.
Another advantage of the leather tree saddle for the rider is the twist. No need to get a hip dislocation from sitting as wide as the horse! Hidalgo saddles have excellent twist; if you are used to the narrower feel of a treed dressage saddle, you will feel right at home in a Hidalgo leather tree saddle too.
The seats are so comfortable, it's hard to describe it!
TEST RIDE A HIDALGO SADDLE NOW
We have several saddles in stock and ready for you to test and purchase.