By: Debbie O’Brien
Stunni’s craftsmen have combined a flexible polyurethane tree with quality synthetic materials to produce a light-weight saddle which is less restrictive and more comfortable for horse and rider. Hitting the trail with a saddle that doesn’t move with your horse or fit his shape is unpleasant for both of you.
Another plus, besides being very budget-friendly, is the medium-sized adjustable gullet. If ever the term “one size fits most” were applicable, this is it. The gullet can be adjusted to fit a variety of horses, anywhere from low withers to narrow, high withers, and the saddle will fit most mounts from large ponies to semi-draft horses.
The man-made materials are easy to clean and very forgiving of the elements. Brass fittings for the riggings, buckles and D-rings are just the right size to be functional and give a nice, understated look — not too big, not too small. Four D-rings; two at the front and two at the back secure coats, saddle bags, water bottles and treats! A synthetic girth is included .
The stirrups and stirrup straps that come with this saddle are top of my list. The straps can be adjusted for the individual rider’s leg position. The e-shaped stirrup bars are designed with safety in mind; their off-set shape diminishes the potential of being dragged in the event of a fall.
The padded seat is removable for ease of maintenance, then easily and securely reattached. If something unpleasant happens to the seat, it can be replaced. Its cushiony comfort makes a long day in the saddle just what it should be: play. Stunni designed this saddle with a moderately deep seat, more along the lines of a Western saddle. That feature and the saddle’s center of gravity encourage your body to naturally seek the posture and form that brings better balance and a more secure seat.
Lastly, it weighs in at only 4.4 pounds! This model is available for $199.00. Stunni has several styles to choose from including Western saddles.
There are other synthetic saddles on the market, but the difference in price is around $100.00 more, then climbs to over $1,000.00; their weights begin at just over nine pounds and go up to as heavy as thirty five pounds. For my money, the comfort, weight and quality of the Stunni Synthetic Flex-Tree Saddle make it my first choice.
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I really wanted to like this saddle. When I received a Stunni treeless saddle for Christmas, I was instantly disappointed. DO not purchase this “saddle”. I have NEVER been so unhappy. It is more like a bareback pad with a seat velcroed to the top. Instead of a gullet system, the pommel has a weird bent piece of metal with double velcro piece that sits under the front of the seat. The saddle forces weight onto the front which cuts into my Belgian’s withers, the billets are sewn into the bottom of the skirt where my knee is and it rubs, The girth is so uncomfortable for my horse, I don’t even use it. The outside of the girth is very hard webbing and it has a harder piece where the webbing was melted together. This ‘saddle’ has absolutely NO weight distribution. If the purchase wasn’t so awful, I would’ve returned it, I can’t give it away it is such low quality. I guess the lesson is “you get what you pay for”. Splurge, and get a really great saddle for a pretty penny instead of buying something that will not make you happy.
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Go to ebay and search “stunni saddle”, and it is $120 after shipping ($75 without!). I’m about to buy this saddle to see how it is. I need a new saddle soon, so i figured this one is cheep, so i can always upgrade when i have more money. I don’t expect it to be that great, but i at least want one good year out of it. And though it says it doesn’t need a saddle pad because of the padding, I’m gonna get one anyways. The other review said it cut into the horses withers, so a saddle pad should have enough preotection to sheild that potential injury.
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Yes, even with the space, a pad that lifts the saddle off the spine should be used because there really isn’t that much clearance. We use a half inch pad with a cutout, and put that between a double weave, doubled blanket, and have had no trouble with bruising or irritation. Some treeless saddles are not suitable for the very high withered. It seems to depend on construction, placement, and how much the saddle bends perpendicular to the spine (some don’t).
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I purchased the red & black Stunni synthetic saddle from Amazon.com. It is comfortable, lightweight and attractive, though I do feel moved to the front. Unlike most treeless saddle is padded underneath so that there is clearance on the horse’s backbone.
However, on the first use the stitching on the leathers came free, leaving me cantering down trail with a single stirrup.
I replaced the leathers with a pair on Wyntec webbers and tried again. On the FOURTH use the metal clip that the leathers attach to broke in half, leaving my husband at a wild gallop on a fresh Arab and a single stirrup. No one died.
This is my third synthetic treeless knockoff, and the other two were great for the price. They only lasted 3 years of endurance training, but the Bob Marshall needed repair at four years too, and I use it much less.
I don’t think a Stunni can be trusted as the quality is dangerously poor.
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Hi Tamsen, you mentioned that you did endurance training. I was just wondering what saddles you use, because I’m hoping to get into it, and wondering what would be worth it.
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Stunni did replace the broken stirrup bar right away. The original was mounted on a band of steel and covered with velcro, fitting between the saddle base and seat. With some effort the bar could be bent to fit the horse, and there was no problem mounting, though we always use a black, especially with a treeless saddle.
The new stirrup bars were twice the weight and mounted on a much wider piece of velcro, and I trust them not to break. However, they are only held with a doubled nylon strap, that was too narrow for the bar. Thus, the bar tips, and the stirrup falls off, regardless of which way the opening faces.
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I have just taken delivery of a stunni saddle and I am quite happy at how it is put together but I’m not convinced I have put the stirrup leathers on correct ? – can anyone help
thanks
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Anne Marie,
I just got mine as well. I got the one with western fenders. Let me start by saying, I’m very happy with the saddle, it is very comfortable for me and my horse but like you mentioned, the stirrup leathers seem to not be on properly. I finally figured out that the buckles are put on the wrong direction. When I use the saddle the straps unbuckle because the weight is pulling down on a upside-down buckle. With the western fender it is riveted on so I can’t just flip it over so it looks like I’ll be sending the fenders back for a replacement. Other then that little mistake this saddle is built very well and for the price I payed on ebay with free shipping, only 109.00 US dollars, total…it is more then worth it.
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I purchased a synthetic black & orange saddle 2 months ago. I ride endurance and have since completed 2 x 80 km plus a 160km ride in this saddle along with another couple of 100km’s training. I love this saddle! My horse moves very freely in it & I find it extremely comfortable.
The only issue was the stirrups falling of and I fixed this by threading the stirrup strap through the smaller metal hole, the double fold (which is supposed to be used over the hook) is too fat to pull through the small hole and it folds flat, I secured it with a band and have had no issues since.