Saddle tree assembly having multiple progressively loaded adjustments

A saddle tree assembly comprising:

• a pair of laterally spaced apart flexible skirts adapted to overlie a horse's back;
• a tree frame supported by said skirts and positioned in overlying, spanning relationship thereon;
• and
• means operably coupling said frame to said skirts, including adjustment structure for selectively shifting at least certain portions of said tree frame toward and away from at least one of said skirts, in order to adjust said tree frame to accommodate the physical characteristics of a specific horse.
• each of said skins presenting, adjacent the fore and aft ends thereof a mounting plate of lesser surface area than the corresponding skirt end, there being means for securing each of the said mounting plates to a respective skirt end for permitting limited flexure of the mounting plate relative to the skin end, said securing means including at least one securement member for fastening said mounting plate to a corresponding one of said skirt ends in face-to-face relationship with a substantial portion of the opposing surfaces of said mounting plate and said skin end being free of connection for permitting limited spring-like flexure of the skirts and said mounting plates, said skirts and said mounting plates being formed of resilient, flexible synthetic resin material, said tree frame being secured to said skirts at the regions of said mounting plates.

A saddle tree assembly comprising:

• a pair of laterally spaced apart skins adapted to overlie a horse's back, each of said skins presenting fore and aft ends;
• a tree frame supported by said skins and positioned in overlying, spanning relationship thereon;
• and
• means operably coupling said frame to said skirts, including, adjacent the fore and aft ends of each of said skins, a pair of mounting plates stacked one atop the other and each of progressively smaller surface area to present an inner mounting plate and an outboard mounting plate, there being means for securing each of the mounting plate pairs to a respective skirt end for permitting limited, progressive flexure of each of the mounting plates relative to the skirt end and each other, said tree frame being secured to said skirts at the regions of said mounting plates, said mounting plates being formed of resilient, flexible synthetic resin material, said mounting plate pairs being positioned intermediate said tree frame and a respective skirt.

A saddle tree assembly comprising:

• a pair of laterally spaced apart skirts for engaging a horse's back;
• a tree frame oriented above and supported by said skirts in overlying, spanning relationship thereto;
• and
• means operatively coupling said frame to said skirts for permitting independent translational movement of said skirts along and relative to said tree frame and for conforming the skirts to the horse's back during movement of the horse,
• said coupling means including structure for transferring the weight borne by said tree frame to said skirts for spreading of such weight by said skirts engaging the horse's back.