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General purpose, horse-friendly Barefoot Flexible Saddle Model, The Barefoot 'Cherokee' is ideal for Trekking & Endurance Riding.
Barefoot Saddle System : Anatomically shaped to the horse's back without rigid tree and flexible in all directions. Barefoot Treeless Saddles adjust to any shaped horse, leaving withers & spine free, distributing the riders weight to an optimum without causing pressure points.
- sturdy & easy care due to a dirt repellent treatment applied to the leather.
- colour matched, dense fleece underside with leather edging.
- The cushioned kneerolls on the saddle are now equipped with a 'Air System' - air can circulate inside the pouches and therefore adjust even better to the riders leg (underlying blocks can be freely posititioned for riders comfort)
- With flexible V-Shaped Girthing System! Flexible and V-shaped. The 'Cherokee' is even suitable for difficult girthing positions and adjusts accordingly.
- Stirrup bars that can be be freely positioned
- 8 D-Rings, leather conchas & strings to attach saddle pad,saddle bags or breastplates.
- exchangeable / removable fibreglass pommel insert (saddles come as standard with a medium sized insert). Different width inserts are available for purchase separately
- flexible in all 3 dimensions
- Barefoot 'Cherokee' has excellent wither clearance
- with VPS - System (Vertebrae Protection System) - absorbs pressure even better and ensures spinal clearance
- high cantle made of semi-elastic material which is anatomically shaped to the horse & rider and therefore enhances the horse's freedom of movement. It encourages engagement of the hindquarters and vertical flexion of the back
- deep, softly cushioned and very secure seat
- the Barefoot 'Cherokee' Treeless Saddle allows the rider to sit in close contact, freely & comfortable at the horse's center of gravity
- weight only approx 6KG
- Saddle style not so well suited for riders with short legs due to longer skirts (Barefoot 'Cheyenne' tends to be the better choice). Also due to overall size not suited for smaller, slight build ponies.
Leather Colour : Combination brown/black or black with blue stitching around horsehead
Seat Sizes : 1,2
CLICK HERE TO WATCH BAREFOOT SADDLE ANIMATION
CLICK HERE FOR POMMEL INSERT MEASURING TEMPLATE
A = length of saddle
B = length of seat
C = length of skirt / saddle flap
Barefoot saddles are hand made. This makes every saddle unique. The measurements are therefore just reference points and can vary slightly.
Size 1: recommended for clothes sizes :
Ladies 10-12 Gents 28-32
A = approx. 52 cm B = approx. 35 cm C = approx 53cm
Size 2 : recommended for clothes size :
Ladies 14-18 Gents : 34-38
A = approx. 58 cm B = approx. 40 cm C = approx. 55cm
Please note: The lenght of the saddle (A) is the overall length. As there is no pressure at all in the rear part, the horse can move freely. Even if the saddle looks a little too long on your horse, choose the size according to your measurements. It is very important that the saddle fits the rider well, so he has enough space between thighs and pommel and does not sit on the pommel or cantle, which would limit the saddles adaptability. The horse's back is free of any pressure at the rear - the Barefoot can even be lifted slightly at the cantle with a rider on board.
A Thousand Miles in a Barefoot Saddle
I used the Barefoot Cherokee on a thousand mile ride around the hill tracks of Scotland. Some of the time I rode in it, and some of the time it carried packs and panniers.The saddle survived some very tough handling: being constantly wet due to poor weather and river crossings, as well as going up hill and down dale, scraped against gateposts and trees, but still looks as good as new. Even better, Doogs survived the whole trip without so much as a mark on him: the saddle was obviously comfortable for him and he was always eager to be tacked up. It stayed in place well, even with panniers which is a tough test for a saddle, as it means carrying dead weight and it is easy for a saddle to slip in these conditions. It was immensely comfortable to ride in, too. Some days he had it on for about twelve hours, with just a short break for unsaddling at lunchtime. He never once indicated that he was not happy to be saddled up again. This is a very robust saddle which suited my broad Highland with no withers admirably. Because we were covering such steep terrain, I did also use a breastplate and crupper for safety, but for less intrepid riding this would not be necessary. The horses' backs were checked by Catriona Goulding, equine physio, who was heard murmuring "I wish all the backs I looked like were in as good shape as this!"I also wholeheartedly recommend the fenders which came with the saddle - so comfortable and I experienced no rubbing or pinching on my legs, even after riding for many hours - I didn't wear chaps.
Thank you Barefoot and Horse and Harmony for the perfect saddle for this trip: I would imagine that three months of this punishment would be equivalent to about five years of 'ordinary' riding!
All I have to do now is think where we're going to take our Cherokee next...
Kate Godfrey
| Please select your 'Cherokee' size | |
| Please select your 'Cherokee' colour | |
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Customer Reviews
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other shoppers!
Reviewer: Gillian Brown from Nottinghamshire 
hi,what super fast delivery,recieved the next day.Can i just say that your photo of this saddle does not do this saddle justice,it is absolutley stunning,even my husband is impressed and he doesn't do horses.Not tried it out yet but im sure i won't be disappointed(cant wait).will keep you posted.
Thankyou horse and harmony.
Gillian
Date Added: 10/01/2008
Reviewer: Victoria Fernott from Devon
This is the best saddle I've ever had my arab mare has very up right shoulders and found that my englih saddle was hitting her shoulders on landing after a jump, so I thouht I would try a barefoot saddle it's worked wonders we do xc and showjumping like harmony, she jumps perfect and moves so freely that we have qualified for the winter sj finals.I feel very safe jumping in this saddle it was a little tricky to start with but keep trying it's so worth it! THANK YOU SO MUCH HORSE AND HARMONY xx
Date Added: 17/11/2007
Reviewer: Louise Windham from Northumberland
I have had the saddle for about a month now and its the best £470 I have ever spent. My cob loves the saddle he feels so free and relaxed with the saddle, the first time I tried it on him he was felt so different able to move with ease. Jumping in the saddle was tricky to start as im not use to the design of the saddle but gettin the hang of it and its lush. Think I might get another one :)
Date Added:16/07/2007
Reviewer: Kate Thomson from Cornwall
I was recently fortunate enough to get one of these wonderful saddles second hand,as the previous owner didn't get on with it....lucky for me! It looks stunning,and is so comfortable to ride in...the cantle is really supportive.Both my horses felt free and relaxed in this saddle,and even though they are both wide and flat backed the saddle didn't move.I already have a 'cheyenne' saddle which i love,but really wanted a saddle with knee rolls to enable me to do some XC with my younger cob.....and this saddle does the job brilliantly!Its taken ages to find the right saddles for my lovely girls,neither of them are easy to fit,but this saddle and my Cheyenne are perfect for them...i'm sticking to Barefoots fromnow on.Thanks guys...my horses appreciate it!
Date Added: 06/07/2007
Reviewer: Laurie G from Wombourne
Just been out for my second ride on my new Cherokee today and I just want to say, as many already have, that I would never go back to a treed saddle ever again. Between us me and my mom and sister own fifteen horses, 10 Arabs and 5 native ponies, all of whom are ridden, so with so many it's handy to have one saddle to fit many, lol. For seven years I rode my beloved older Arab mare, Perky, in a made to fit saddle but actually brought a Heather Moffit treeless as a second saddle when I backed my then 3yo mare, Cameo. That was my first treeless saddle and that was also very good, although it did feel a bit unstable every now and then. Unfortunately both saddles were stolen when our tack room was broken into. Unable to afford another decent saddle, for the last 6 years I have had to make do with an ill-fitting second-hand treed saddle. It has got me through but I was never happy with the fit. Too wide, especially for Cam who is not as broad as Perk and has high withers. Neither horse has ever gone noticeably badly in it, and I had a riser pad to help it fit better, but Cam has always started to buck or threatened to buck whenever she set off into the faster paces. The only fault in an otherwise laid back mare. I did feel it was probably the saddle causing such a problem rather than any behaviour fault of hers, she is 10 now, so it is definitely not young friskiness. Having loved my Heather Moffit saddle I browsed the net looking for another treeless saddle but one which was more affordable. I discovered Horse and Harmony and never looked away. I would sit on the computer and drool over these beautiful saddles. I loved the design of them and dreamed of the time when I would be able to get the money together to buy one. With 15 horses I'm sure many of you appreciate how difficult that is, lol. Well a couple of months back I finally managed to order my new Cherokee in a saddle package. It did take a long time to arrive, 6 weeks, but that was mainly due to the adverse weather conditions and I was kept well informed the whole time. The saddle and accessories arrived a week ago, all are beautiful and very well made. I took Cameo out in it a couple of days later and loved it. It did not budge an inch when I mounted and I felt extremely secure in walk and trot the whole time. I did feel quite off balance in the one short canter we did on that first ride but today on just the second trip out I feel completely at home in all paces :)
As for Cameo everyone has commented on how much happier and more relaxed she looks. As she is a very laid back mare, that is saying a lot, lol. In trot she now strides out with her head still and low and her ears pricked, whereas before her trot strides were quite choppy, despite being very long and low in other paces, and her ears would be turned back and her head would shake and come up. Not now. And the biggest change of all - no bucking. Always before I would be tense going into canter, knowing that 6/10 times Cam may very well bounce into the air instead of going forward, not today. We cantered and galloped 5 separate times on our ride today, and at first did I wait for the possible buck but there wasn't even a sense of Cameo even thinking about bouncing. We shot off the mark walk to gallop twice, which is usually a big trigger. Nothing. By the end of the ride I was confidently racing Cam up our usual gallop track in the woods towards home without a second thought. We were both so relaxed and happy I didn't want the ride to end. Another passing rider even stopped me to admire the saddle at one point and ask about it. It got a roaring review from me!
Another big sign of how wonderful these saddles are was when I tried it on my old mare, Perk, late one evening for just a quick walk about the yard, unable to wait until I could take her out on a proper ride. Now, Perk has -always- turned to bite when I have done up the girth with every saddle she has worn at the start of every ride that I have ever taken her on and Perk has been with me now for 15 years. She is an extremely sweet natured horse with the manners of a queen, the only time I have ever known her to lay her ears back at a person is when her girth is being fastened, even when she had her made to fit saddle. But the night I did up the girth of my new Cherokee she didn't even turn her head, she just kept looking out of her stable door with her ears pricked as if nothing was happening.
Thank you so much Barefoot for making my two girls happy. We have tried it briefly with a few of our others so far and they have also given it their hooves up. My sister has tried it on her two main riding boys and is now thinking of getting one for herself to go along with her Heather Moffit treeless that survived the burglary when mine got taken. I simply cannot wait until my Perk's son, Hassan, is old enough to back and he can be ridden Barefoot, too. Because one thing is for certain - he will never be ridden in anything else!
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