# Barefoot vs Sensation



## kerimare (Aug 26, 2008)

Hello!

I've looking at buying a treeless saddle & I've narrowed it down to either a Barefoot or a Sensation. I was wondering if anyone here had ridding in one or other or both.

Of course they both put the other make down:
Barefoot dealer says:
The nylon stirrups suck, they get longer on their own, erratically. It is a nice saddle if it fits - but it doesn't fit every horse, you don't have that option of exchanging pommels like with a Barefoot, and the panels are a bit stiffer, so if its fits the curve of your horses' back, great, if not, it can bridge. It usually fits great for Arabs, but doesn't have quite the spine clearance that ours can provide.
Sensation Dealer says:
I know the Barefoot saddles and they also have a hard component in the pommel. Also, many of my clients that have tried out the Barefoot said they are just not comfortable, especially compared to the Sensation Ride. I prefer a deeper seat in a saddle, whether it is Western or English, and the Barefoot does not offer a deep seat.

So if anyone has any advice, can verify whether the comments are true or not, I'd be very grateful!

Thanks
Lisa


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## cloudy18 (Apr 29, 2008)

I have no experience with either, but have you tried www.horsetackreview.com? There are good reviews on almost everything, sometimes they are varied so you just get more confused. Can you demo each of them, I know it costs for shipping, but it might be worth it in the end. Also there is a treeless forum on yahoo, but I found it difficult to navigate for some reason, but you might not. You can ask opinions there. If I were to go treeless I had narrowed it down to Barefoot or Bob Marshall (whic isn't truly treeless). Barefoots seemed to get decent reviews for the price tag, and I never heard a bad thing about a Bob Marshall, and they sell VERY well on Ebay if you didn't like it and wanted to get rid of it. Sorry, not much help.


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## Bitless (Jan 11, 2008)

I have a barefoot cheyenne. I friggen love it!!!!  

I did find it slipped a little when i was first trying it out when mounting, but that was more of me needing the girth a little tighter before mounting, as i tend to mount from the ground...but have had no problems since.

I must say it felt a little odd at first also, mostly because it is quite different to normal tree'd saddles, but it didnt take long at all to mould myself into it...and boy i wouldnt want any other saddle now  

and as for the hard pomel and cantel those can be removed and you can put anything soft like a towl, jacket or whatever in there, as they have zips on them for you to do so. 

But yea, i love my barefoot


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## GallopingGrape (Jul 11, 2008)

I ride in the Barefoot Arizona, when I'm not in my Dakota and love it. Very close contact, only slippage if you don't have a steady seat and a round horse. Will fit most horses. Email me with any question you have. This is our best selling saddle and we haven't ever had one returned.


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## angie j (Jun 7, 2009)

I know this is an old thread, but, I recently got a Sensation Dressage Trail and it is SWEET! I ride in an Australian with a 'suspended' seat otherwise, it is a Lightweight Endurance model... made for comfort...and the Sensation is just as comfortable!

I got the Sensation for my new Tennessee Walker to allow full shoulder movement (it does) and am just floored by the comfort of the ride! If its adjusted properly there arent any issues with 'slip' and that's comming from a rider who has to 'dismount' to travers low lying brances...lol .. I'm a true 'hacker'. It is close contact and about as close to riding bareback as your gonna get, IMO.

I have 2 horses I will put it on, both with low withers and lots of girth. It's not recommended for horses with an Aline back and that only makes sence, as they need added spin clearance.

It's not suprising these saddles are hard to come by second hand, and I'm so glad my saddles last owner used his western more and decided to 'clean house'..  I'd get another any day!!

Angie J


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

You need to demo each saddle and see which one works best for you and your horse. Barefoot now has a soft pommel option for really wide or sensitive horses. Plus they're a lot cheaper then Sensation. If you're not showing, I'd probably start with a Barefoot. 

Black Forrest is a direct copy of Barefoot, and a good one. The people who own Black Forrest used to be the US distributor for Barefoot, but they decided to start their own saddle company. Their prices are a tad cheaper than Barefoot, and from what I've heard, just as nice in quality.
Welcome to Black Forest Treeless Saddles - THIS is riding!

And don't forget your Treeless accessories, like a Treeless Skito saddle pad or Treeless Half pad ;-).

I have a Bob Marshall treeless and LOVE it! If I ever get back into showing English, I'll be looking at Sensation, Freeform, and Ansur saddles.


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