Ansur Carlton 2010 Treeless Dressage Saddle a Review

I bought my first Ansur Classic treeless saddle a couple of years ago and loved it from the get go.  See my original post with details HERE.  I knew when I bought it though, that it was a size too big, so I have kept an eye out for the correct size at a good price.  Finally a really nice saddle came up on the Friends of Ansur Facebook page, it was at a decent price point used, it was an upgrade from a plain Ansur Classic, so I took the plunge.

The Carlton is a treeless with the FlexCore technology just like the Classic but it has a built in gullet with a twist that can be converted back to a no gullet Classic with the addition of a filler pillow.  I’ve heard it described as closer to a traditional dressage saddle but still with the feel and closeness to the horse’s back of a Classic.  And if you or your horse don’t like the gullet you can always add in the pillow.

So far, I love this saddle.  First of all, it is the right size, so it positions me a bit better and it is much easier to keep my alignment.  Second,  the feeling of a twist seems to make it easier for me to be more precise with my seat and changes my leg position just a smidge on Jet who is borderline too small for me.  Third, my posting mechanic is different and, I think, more effective.  Jet seems to like the saddle as well, with it seeming to have all the comforts of a treeless saddle for him, with a touch more support for me.  Time will tell of course, but so far I am very impressed with Ansur Saddlery yet again.