FAQ

Will a GHOST fit every horse?

While the Ghost has a design and adjustability to allow it to be properly fitted to almost any conformation, no saddle will fit every horse and rider. Some horses' movement and/or conformation may be better suited to another style saddle or a treed saddle.

A GHOST saddle can very often be used on several horses. However, since small adjustments are usually made to get a custom fit for each individual horse, you may need to make a small adjustment or two when switching between horses.

Will a GHOST clear my horse's spine?

Yes! The GHOST has several design features to maintain wither and spine clearance.

The underside has panels for cushioning, support, and stability. These maintain a true spine-channel typical of treed English saddles
Stirrups and girthing attach to the sides of the saddle-base, and do NOT lay across the horse's spine.
The steel-interior pommel-arch ensures that the pommel keeps its shape over your horse's wither. An option for high-withered horses has thicker steel to ensure shape stability over a high, narrow wither.

Do I need any special pads, girths, stirrups?

Pad: unlike most treeless saddles that rely on a thick, shock-absorbing pad to create spine-clearance and cushioning, the design of the panels on the underside of the saddle-base allow you to use a regular English-style pad with the GHOST, as long as it has foam inserts, and is not just a thin fabric pad. GHOST makes some very nice pads that are shaped specifically to your GHOST saddle. They have a pocket that allows you to ride with the padding of your choice inserted into the pad.

Girth: All GHOST saddles have long billets and use any standard English dressage-girth. Western rigging is optional.

The GHOST rigging is designed to take a standard 1" English stirrup leather. GHOST 's Biothane stirrups are thin, lay flat, and have low-profile buckles. Or you can use your own. A Western fender is available as an option on short-flapped saddles, and will hold a Western stirrup.

Will the GHOST distribute my weight effectively?

It will do a very good job of distributing your weight! The base is reinforced to provide a weight-distributing structure that still is flexible. The V-rigging effectively distributes the forces from girths and stirrups across the entire base. The panels contain several layers of material. One of those layers is fairly rigid, and helps further distribute the rider's weight along the entire length of the panels.

For demanding terrain and long hours in the saddle (endurance-riding), we as a rule-of-thumb recommend a max rider weight of about 185 pounds. For lighter riding and a balanced rider, I typically place an upper limit of 200 pounds. these are not absolute limits. There is no simple hard and fast number or weight limit, as rider shape, balance, and horse conformation all come into play. for heavier riders, we can choose the right panels and optimize the pad insert material to still be successful.

Don't treeless saddles slip and slide on the horse?

Some certainly can. As a result of the design of the structural base used in the GHOST saddle, the saddle is typically very stable side-to-side as well as front-to-back on most horses. I ride both mine with fairly loose girths, and neither slips at all - even over rough terrain. There can always be exceptions. I recommend riding with a breast-collar for added security, especially on steep hills. Some horses with low withers and small shoulders can have issues with slipping forward down steep hills, but this is rare.

Can I choose the materials and colors I want?

Absolutely. Just be aware that custom saddles cannot be returned. Be as conservative or bold as you want.