Treeless saddle myth #1: Treeless saddles do not distribute pressure evenly

 

A common misconception is that treeless saddles are not capable of evenly distributing the weight of the rider because it is commonly believed that this is the role of the tree. There are many different designs of treeless saddles and they vary hugely in standards of manufacture and performance. The market-leading, Queen’s Award-winning SMART Saddle range’s innovative, patented designs are rigorously tested and proven to perform well over time and in all disciplines. The unique design features ensure that the SMART saddle will effectively support and distribute the rider’s weight, thus promoting healthy back development and long-term good back health.

This video clip is an example of pressure mat readings taken at a recent research day, when the latest SMART saddle designs were tested with multiple horse and rider combinations:

Saddles provide the interface between two living, moving beings. The pressure under the saddle changes throughout the stride cycle, which reflects the changing dynamic forces exerted both from underneath the saddle by the horse and on top of the saddle  by the rider. This recording shows clearly how well the design and materials of the fully flexible SMART saddle range perform:

·        Consistency

 The different shades of blue represent consistent low pressure values across the whole of the surface area of the saddle base panels without any evidence of peak pressures under the stirrup bar area.

·        Balance from the left-hand side to right-hand saddle

The overall values are similar from left to right throughout the recording. There is a slight bias to the rear of the right-hand panel; however, the rider center of mass trajectory (image 3), shows that this rider had a tendency to sit slightly to the right-hand side during this data capture.

·        Clearly defined gullet area

The weight-bearing base panels allow for a clear gullet space to accommodate the horse’s spinous processes. Fleeting flashes of blue in this area, and at the front of the gullet, typically represent contact from the pressure sensor cover or the saddle cloth and do not indicate downward pressure from the saddle itself.

 

Although there are limitations to the use of pressure maps in this application (sheer forces cannot yet be measured), there is great value in their use to observe patterns and make direct comparisons. Existing literature serves to give guidance on acceptable pressures underneath the saddle, which is a helpful reference when looking beyond the visuals to process the data. The average pressure value in this clip was 4.8kPa, which is less than a third of Werner et al’s 2002 study which identified average pressure values > 15kPa as potentially harmful.

SMART saddles have been routinely tested throughout the design and development of the saddle range. We have developed and practiced a set protocol for the many data collection days that we have carried out over the years, ensuring that our results are meaningful. We are pleased that these objective results consistently reflect our subjective findings; a fully flexible SMART saddle can effectively support horse and rider, distributing rider weight without creating peak pressures and offering a viable and beneficial alternative to traditional treed saddle designs.

Although processing the data can be time consuming, we look forward to sharing more of these results in due course!