No, on two conditions: that it is designed to spread the weight clear of the spine — as the Freeform is, with the rider's seat bones either side of the vertebrae and Y-shaped billets — and that it is used with a treeless pad that has a spine channel and inserts. A plain felt blanket is not enough, because it concentrates the load on the spine. With the right pad, impression-pad testing puts the Freeform among the treeless saddles that spread pressure best.

No. The rider sits just behind the withers, between the 9th and 13th thoracic vertebra, and the seat bones rest either side of the vertebrae, not on top of them. The moulded foam and the pad's channel hold the load clear of the spine: the weight is wrapped around the horse's centre of gravity rather than dropped onto his back.

You need a treeless pad with a central spine channel and removable high-density foam inserts. It is the piece that makes or breaks a treeless set-up: it creates the clearance over the spine and lets you correct muscular asymmetry with shims, under the weaker side, until the horse evens out. We recommend the Freeform pad, or a made-to-measure pad for high withers.

Yes. The flexible base moulds to each horse rather than imposing a fixed shape, so with a dedicated pad the same saddle can follow several horses. It is also why it goes on fitting the same horse as his muscle changes with age and work, with no reflocking.

The seat follows the rider's size (15" to 19", in half sizes: the standard base takes them all, the short bases stop sooner; 40 to 46 cm on the western seats); the length of the base follows the horse's back (22" standard, 20" or 18.5" for short backs). Wither clearance comes as a 9 or 13 cm cutback; on the western line the fork provides it. We always recommend a check with an impression pad, or a fitting consultation, rather than an estimate by eye.

The limit is set by the horse, not by the saddle — and it applies to a treeless saddle exactly as it does to a treed one. The figure most often quoted in the literature is 20% of the horse's bodyweight for trail riding and 17% for endurance, where the hours in the saddle weigh more than the kilos; the sum is (rider + saddle and tack) ÷ the horse's bodyweight, and tack means all of it: bridle, saddlebags, water. These are orientation thresholds drawn from the literature, not Freeform specifications. On the saddle side, heavier riders call for a thicker, denser pad: it is the pad-and-panel system that spreads the pressure clear of the spine. The Freeform has been ridden over 50 and 100 mile endurance courses by substantial riders.

Contact is far closer: you feel the muscles of the back working, as you would bareback but with a better position and more comfort. The Freeform still sits like a real saddle, not like a cushion. In the first few rides many riders notice their leg and seat working harder, and that settles quickly.

Trail and working riding, endurance, classical dressage and natural horsemanship. It has a strong endurance tradition — chosen by most Tevis Cup winners since 2007 — thanks to how it keeps fitting a horse whose shape changes over a long ride. The adjustable stirrup attachment takes you from a trail position to dressage to jumping.

Routine cleaning after every ride and, three or four times a year, a full treatment: wash with a neutral soap, let it air-dry, then a thin coat of balm on leather that is dry to the touch, left to soak in. Every Freeform is built to order by hand in Italy, in roughly 6–8 weeks.