"When I got my mare home from being backed, I was disappointed to find that, despite being beautifully schooled, the lovely floating paces that had won her so many accolades in the show ring as a youngster, had disappeared and become 'ordinary'.

I knew that it could only be the saddle, so I ordered my first Solution Saddle and the difference was immediate. Within 10 minutes my mare had her floating trot back...and my bad back had disappeared!

I have since had be saddle on every type of horse on my yard from family cobs to show hunter champions, and have yet to see a horse fail to improve its way of going in a very short time.

I believe the Solution saddle to be the best I have ever found for enhancing the comfort and communication of both horse and rider. I will never ride my horses in any other saddle again."

Thank you!

Susie Ford

The horse that was ridden yesterday was brought from me as a six year old stallion when I retired in 1999/2000. I sold him as he was difficult with his saddle and persistently twitched and scuttled violently from under it at every opportunity – you have just no idea.

I have broken all the horses I bred, and as my first husband was a dealer, I rode all the horses we sold – in excess of a thousand per year – I never had one as bad as this horse, which was depressing as I bred him and he never had anything bad or wrong happen to him – his brothers and sisters were all fine. His mother, a group winning racehorse, had a “twitchy” back however.

This young stallion was left entire as he was, in my opinion, a potential world class dressage horse – the big “but” has always been his resistance to his saddle. I was delighted to see him working with the freedom and extravagance he had shown in his early days – not a “twitch” in sight and he has now the confidence in his back to begin the career he should have had – he begins to look like his father. This is down to your work and your saddle – thank you.

Autism is the big thing – processing of information is the difficulty.
With autism, you have no imagination. If you teach someone, you often say “Imagine if…” But you can’t do that. And that is why horses are so good for people with autism because they only respond to a form of reality. People have their own reality but a horse imposes a reality on people.

I only work with one person with cerebral palsy, but I have found that they spasm away from constriction and that this constriction can be caused by metal’ cold, contact, tension, excitement, in fact almost anything.
Warmth is important; some centres only use a vaulting roller because the rider is kept warm from the closeness to the horse’s back.

In the UK, because of H&S regulations, we are prohibited from the use vaulting rollers, in spite of them being better for our riders than a traditional saddle by miles.

I first tried The Solution Saddle myself last July. Many years ago, I had been forced to give up riding after a horse fell on me, leaving me with a shattered hip. Actually, that’s a whole different story, because if I had been riding in a treeless saddle, it probably would not have crushed me like an axe.

It took thirty years for me to persuade the NHS that I was not too young to have a hip replacement. In the interim, I suffered a great deal of pain which I was told was just my pain threshold…but I was never x-rayed. When I was, it was apparent that that it was grossly arthritic and dislocating.

Replaced hip, brilliant, but arthritic spine as a result of uneven weight bearing for years, made riding more of a pain than a pleasure. So my mind went into overdrive after trying The Solution saddle for 15 min (the longest I could stay in a saddle at that time)
… Dismounting, and no pain!
Why?
…And if I felt like this, how would it benefit some of my more physically fragile riders, especially a young man with spinal curvature due to osteoporosis?

One of the benefits of riding as a therapy is the movement through the riders spine caused by the movement of the horse, and understanding that the horse could also move more freely and with increased activity in this saddle, I realised it would enhance the beneficial effects to the rider. A real concern I had was the discomfort being caused to our therapy horse, who loves to work. All those in our therapy group are adult riders who are very much more unbalanced and one sided than is normal. Although a well up to weight cob, our faithful chap would show his discomfort each year, towards the end of our season. And although he was never naughty, his expression and attitude to work said it all.

So we bought a saddle… quite an undertaking on a limited budget, but it has been so exciting to witness the results.

Confidence has improved with the more nervous people. Everyone, without exception, is able to find a more balanced position, by themselves, without having to understand concepts about straightness, balance etc. For some people I work with even simple concepts like “up” “back” “tall” are meaningless. They all now look safer as a result of finding their balance more securely, and this gives me peace of mind with current health and safety issues around disabled riding.

The young man with osteoporosis is able to straighten his spine to a degree not previously seen, with no effort on his part, except for enjoying his favourite activity. Another lady with learning difficulties just laughs – she’s so proud that she has now mastered rising trot in her second session in the new saddle.
Not a big deal you may think, but she has been riding since childhood and, now in her forties, she has never managed this before

Those riders who would go rigid or over compensate to movement in a sometimes quite bizarre way now do so much less. One in particular, no longer tries to brace her leg in front of the knee roll and sit behind the cantle. Another who could only do a rising trot with the most awful contortions of his back now does not keep the absolute physical rigidity that was present before. It is fascinating to see the improvement to being able to coordinate this naturally.

All of my riders have communication difficulties and so cannot express in their own words how they experience the difference of riding in The Solution Saddle, but, for the people on the ground, the difference is clear.

If you work in this field I would urge you to try one, for the welfare of your ponies, and the well-beingwell being of your riders.

As for me, after years of believing it was impossible, I have begun pain free riding again.

"Yes, I had to buy TWO saddles in the end, but it is worth it to see not being only Peter, but every other horse that Alice and I ride enjoying their work, without constriction and discomfort.

I am now busy trying to persaude the Scottish Highlands to become a 'tree free' zone. Peter is a good ambassador, as the photograph shows."

"I Just love the jumping saddle, it is so comfortable. That you for your help, it has been a pleasure dealing with you."

Suzanne Duff and her very happy horse!

"Thank you for sending the saddle cover. Much appreciated and please give my thanks to Anne also for remembering to send it - she must have a lot to do always so it was a further example of your good customer service that Ireceived it so quickly.
Still love the saddle too - and so does my horse!"

Ruth Baillie

I have had my older mare, Chiquita, for 8 years and due to her shape I found it difficult to get a saddle to fit her properly. Despite a number of visits and advice from professional saddle fitters and numerous saddles, we failed to find one that really worked. I have always felt they have not been quite comfortable for her and Chiquita always walked a couple of paces away from me when I got on her and was generally quite stiff at a slow canter.

After purchasing the Solution GP on my first long ride, I had a very long collected canter and Chiquita felt so rounded and comfortable - the difference was incredible. Since starting to ride in The Solution Chiquita doesn’t walk away from me when I mount her and she feels far softer. I am looking forward to riding more, in the knowledge that my horses are comfortable and feel good.

Kadiya Qasem, the Solution Saddles Technical Advisor who visited me, has a wealth of experience and knowledge and I am so pleased with the information she gave me. The saddle has been worth every penny; it hasn’t slipped and is extremely comfortable for both horse and me.

My vet saw my saddle yesterday and was extremely impressed with it. He has seen other treeless which he wasn't so keen on but thought your saddle was perfect. Many thanks once again and I will continue to spread the good news about how wonderful my saddle is.

I own a very nice, kind, sweet cob mare. She has always been a well horse, and is seen by the McTimoney practitioner twice a year as a matter of course. In the past a small amount of re-adjustment was necessary at each visit. However, since I started using The Solution treeless saddle, she has not needed any work at all on her back.

In fact the chiro commented on how very well and evenly muscled she is throughout and she is fully in favour of The Solution Saddle.

To top it all we took 1st place last summer in Best Condition, 2nd Best Cob and 3rd in Veteran at a large show in Dorset. Not bad for a 20 year old competing against horses half her age!!

The judge wanted to know what saddle I used and I was able to tell her how delighted I was with my Solution treeless investment. I also ride my young Morgan in the same saddle and would find it very difficult to fit her with a conventional saddle.

I also take part in many fun rides during the summer months, entailing about 3-4 hour's riding covering anything up to 20 miles.

Since using my Solution Saddle, these rides have become so much easier, both the horse and I return to the venue in fine form and with plenty of energy left. Previously, with my conventional treed saddle I used to feel pretty whacked after a long ride and suffering with a very stiff back. At 60 this is a blessing as I plan to ride into my 80s!

I own the dressage model saddle and am now saving for a jumping saddle to complete my tack collection.
I would never go back to a treed saddle and I have my horses' good health and soundness to reaffirm this decision.

Thank you for my extremely smart saddle cloth, it fits beautifully and I have received several compliments on it! Well, questions actually, as riders want to know just what a saddle solution is!! So I then spend several minutes extolling the virtues of my saddle, which often results in my untacking the horse half way round a ride to show someone the underside of the saddle and explain its benefits!! I feel very lucky and look forward to using it for years to come.

I can honestly say that the Solution Saddle has kept me ‘in the saddle’ and not on the floor! It is the most comfortable and secure saddle I have ever sat in. I love it!

I am hugely relieved to feel that secure on a young horse who throws quite the most incredible tantrums – it means I can just sit there and let her get on with it. Of course she, herself, has never worried about having her saddle on and her muscle tone is developing beautifully.

She is the kind of horse who lets you know immediately if she isn’t happy with something and she has never once objected to being tacked up.

It has caused a stir on an otherwise traditional yard but people are slowly coming round to the idea and seeing how well she goes!

I am still amazed at how reluctant people are when I tell them I have a treeless saddle. So many people on my yard constantly have to get the saddler out because a saddle that fitted last week seems to be causing trouble this week and I say to all of them that they should think about treeless.

And the support you offer afterwards is also fantastic. Thank you all.

Close contact Dressage saddle without gullet - Energist
RRP... £1620
Tester Vicky Armitage

Is it lightweight or heavy?
Very lightweight and easy to carry around and put on

Do you like the design? Why?
I like the design very much as it looks like a traditional saddle; it is very smart too

Does it have any particular/special features you like/dislike?
I like how the saddle is designed with the horse and rider in mind. The stirrups are set so that there is minimal pressure on the horse and the rider is put in the correct place making it easier on both horse and rider.

Did you like the material? Why?
The material is very smart soft and pliable.

Was it comfortable to ride in?
It is very comfy for both horse and rider, although it may take people used to rigid saddles a little while to get used to feeling extra movement from their horse!

Did the sizing come up correctly?
Sizing is fine and well thought out.

Is it good value for money?
Very good value for money especially as only ever need one saddle for evermore!!

Was it easy to keep clean?
Very easy to keep clean.

If you could change anything about it, what would you change and why?
No changes to saddle but maybe some dressage blocks to help some people feel more secure.

Would you buy it again? Why?
Would definitely buy again

What type for horse would you recommend this saddle for?
Recommend for absolutely any horse. Particularly ones that have been restricted and shortened by conventional ill fitting saddles and those with back problems and lost confidence

Any other comments?
My horse has never been as comfortable in his back with a saddle. He has had an operation for kissing spines and this saddle has given him back the confidence to move freely. His physio says he never has any back pain in the saddle area at all and is amazed. The only complaint is I cannot get on from the ground on hacks if I have to get off as the whole thing slips. However, the benefits of the saddle far out weigh this problem.

Amanda had a Solution Saddle for her own horse, and let me try that. It was like magic - he was more comfortable, and was moving more freely. After a lot of persuading, my mum finally said we could have a Solution saddle, and we have never looked back.

At the beginning of June 08 we finally entered our first ever show - we didn’t get placed, but it was so good to be able to jump him without him refusing or bolting off.

In August we went to a local show and he won his class. I have also had a couple of jumping lessons and am doing cross country jumping most weekends with a couple of friends at the stable yard.

I can’t tell you how pleased I am with his improvement and its all down to the great Solution Saddle. I can’t thank you enough. It’s taken a year for him to forget the pain his old saddle caused him, but we are now looking forward to entering many more shows.

However, I was really taken by a friend’s horse that was progressing beautifully in his Solution Saddle. Intrigued, I would ride in it as often as I could and to all on the ground Molly moved much better and seemed to be happier with it.

When I decided to purchase a dressage saddle I was willing to give The Solution treeless Energist a try. It is an understatement to say that I have never looked back!

I initially went with the idea that I was doing this for the good of my horse as I really did think that the less metal on a horses back the better! But I was thrilled when I realised that I was also riding so much better in it.

Recently I joined some jumping lessons, and I think that I had become so accustomed to the feel you get with the treeless saddle I was surprised at how uncomfortable and "perched" my GP treed saddle felt. I feel like a passenger on the horse and not a part of the movement the horse is creating.

I also have to confess that the very next evening after our initial jumping lesson when tacking up, the hollowing had returned after months without it.... I think Molly has spoken!!

“I bought my Solution Saddle about 8 months ago, after spending a lot of time and money on treed saddles. Jojo is a 14.3hh Highland X TB which doesn't sound like she would be difficult to fit a saddle to…

Saddle 1
- I bought when she was 5 and round with no withers. After a year of work it no longer fitted.

Saddle 2
-fitted very nicely for a while, but then we felt she wasn't moving very freely and was getting a bit stuffy especially in canter. It also made people sit like they were in an arm chair.

Saddle 3
- Beautiful saddle! (Cost a fortune!) I thought it was going to solve all our problems, but Jo really started going backwards.

In between all these saddles we also had her back checked.

One day, Jo just refused point blank to move; she stood in the middle of the school with me kicking and smacking her and my friend walking in front but she wouldn’t move. That’s when I decided enough was enough.

Another friend had just bought a Solution Saddle so I tried it. What a difference it made! Jo was thinking forward and going10 times better than she had in any of the treed saddles.

My daughter Janie refused to ride her in anything but my friend’s Solution Saddle, so I bought one.

Since then Jo has being getting better and better. She will always be a mareish little madam but she is working so much better and is now a pleasure to school

We were out for a lesson yesterday and we got on just fine with it.

Thank you again. If I ever need more advice or equipment I shall certainly turn to your firm first in the future.
Sheila Wright

Harvey disagreed. His behaviour varied from a series of small hops to full-on bucking bronco.

Then I attended a demonstration where a horse without any known problems became even freer and better to ride in a Solution Saddle. As soon as I could, I took Harvey to try one. Instantly he told me that it was right. Several years later we haven’t looked back and I have both a Solution dressage saddle and a Solution Jumper.

I never thought I would be able to ride him properly when he was having such problems, but now that he is 18 years old we’re enjoying more jumping and dressage than we ever before.

Recently a BD judge and trainer commented that he doesn’t move like an 18 year old horse.

This year we narrowly missed qualifying for the BD regionals at Elementary and we have just returned from the BRC National championships in Lincoln where we were placed 6th in Medium, 9th in Elementary and 4th as a member of our Riding Club open dressage team.

So I knew her history and I knew she had no issues or hang ups. Great - just what I wanted and I couldn't wait to start with her. Then the problems and my worst nightmare of potentially ruining this wonderful little horse began. I needed a saddle.

Should be simple, I thought. Horse is symmetrical as possible, nice and round and had no signs of the damage a badly fitting saddle can do so I was starting with a clean slate.

I knew nothing of Solution Saddles at this time but I really wish I had, because despite my best efforts, Georgia still ended up suffering.

It was a nightmare to find any saddle due to Georgia being a very wide fit, but I eventually found a new GP saddle which seemed at the time to fit us both well.

Not long after fitting my new saddle, it was slipping to one side and my old back injury flared up.
After many sessions of physio, I wasn't getting any better and Georgia had gone from pleasant and perfect to grumpy and flawed.

I had the equine physio out and she diagnosed Georgia with a very sore back and when she asked to look at my saddle, she felt that the panels were out of line. After a few attempts with the manufacturer they finally admitted that the saddle was indeed out of line.

I had tried all in my power to prevent my beautiful little horse from going through this but despite my efforts she still had.

I started to search the internet and came across Solution Saddles. Although I didn't fully understand the concept I thought I had nothing to lose now so I gave them a try.

Anne came out, explained how the saddle worked and spent a lot of time studying me and the horse. She noted straight away that I ride heavy in the right stirrup. She put a shim under the saddle and what a revelation! I now sat straight and - another surprise - my horse went straight. I needed no more proof and 5 days later I picked up my new Energist saddle.

Since then, I have changed to the Jumper and Georgia continues to go from strength to strength.
The after sales service on my saddle has been brilliant and in January this year Amanda came out to check the fit and was also very helpful.

I can not thank you enough and can honestly say that if it wasn't for Solution Saddles, Georgia would probably have been sold on as not the right horse and I may well have given up riding by now due to my back injury.

My Solution saddle is comfortable both for me and my perfect horse Georgia.

Having gone treeless with my cob 4 years ago, it was inevitable that when I bought Tom, he would be in a Solution Saddle from the word go – however, the first problem was confidence and trust. He was frightened, stressed, and dangerous.

I am convinced that without the Solution Saddle (and 7 months of long hours and patience) no-one would be riding him now! As an experiment we tried him in a treed saddle (no rider) and he left no prisoners explaining how he felt about that!

He will never be easy, but I can now ride him safely, calmly and willing; he is now a happy, relaxed and affectionate friend.

I had a very posh new saddle made by Solution Saddles just for him and we went out in it for the first time yesterday and won our first red dressage rosette!

Thank you to Solution Saddles - without your saddles it would never have been possible.

I recently won the local 2ft 6 jumping competition using this fantastic saddle, which helps me attain the correct jumping position and fits Jack really well.

Jack and I have also competed in BHS Trec competitions and came second as a pair in a two day, Level II competition. The first day involved riding for about three hours. On the second day we completed a complicated course of 16 obstacles, including ditches, jumps, rein back, bending poles, wooden bridges and canter corridors and I always felt comfortable and secure.

The saddle looks great on Jack and the quality finish is excellent; I would recommend it as a jumping saddle and also a general riding saddle for BHS Trec competitions or just general hacking.

Sandy had become increasingly reluctant to hack out (napping), stopped jumping and got to the point where he would not even go over a trotting pole.

He also did not like to bend right and would nap back onto the left rein during right rein 20 m circles. In the end Sandy would put his ears flat back, hunch his back and refuse point blank to trot.

Looking back, it is all so clear now (what a wonderful thing knowledge and hindsight is).

It all started with a new treed saddle I bought him and his ridden work really went backwards over a 9 month period.

We have been riding in The Solution Saddle for a year now and it has been tough work building up his confidence again - it really did take a battering. We had to teach him to unlearn the ‘bad’ behaviours that he associated with the pain of a badly fitting saddle, (whilst also dealing with normal 6 year old cheeky pony behaviour)!

Progress has been steady, his back feels soft, he doesn’t pin his ears back and he is trotting circles with no problems on both reins. We have even managed walk to canter transitions! He is also back to jumping small fences and trotting poles are a piece of cake again!

This saddle has not slipped in any direction. His old saddle moved up his neck especially during canter and would always slip forwards or backwards on hills out hacking. The Solution Saddle just stays put!
Thank you for the opportunity of buying this saddle over your long term finance plan as it has allowed Sandy P to have the saddle straight away (I am but a poor student!) I would also like to thank you on behalf of my bottom and lower back which hasn’t been sore once since riding in The Solution!