Articulating saddle and methods of making same

A saddle tree having a longitudinal axis, a proximal end and a distal end, the saddle tree comprising:

• a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments including a medial portion and a pair of wings that extend beyond the medial portion in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the plurality of segments including a proximal-most segment, a distal-most segment, and at least one intermediate segment disposed between the proximal-most segment and the distal-most segment, each of the pair of wings extending from the medial portion to an outermost bound farthest from the medial portion and each of the pair of wings of the plurality of segments overlapping with wings of a neighboring segment at respective outermost bounds;
• first articulation mechanisms coupling each of the at least one intermediate segment to a more proximal segment;
• and
• second articulation mechanisms coupling each of the at least one intermediate segment to a more distal segment;
• wherein each of the first articulation mechanisms and the second articulation mechanisms comprises a pair of contralateral articulating hinges that couple respective wings of one of the proximal-most segment, the distal-most segment and the at least one intermediate segment to respective wings of an adjacent segment.