Cob Dressage Saddle - Wintec Isabel or Pro (or something else?!)

[TotalMadgeness]

I'm looking for a dressage saddle for my 16.1hh irish draught X who is currently in a Wintec Pro 2000 GP. This saddle fits the horse fine, although because he's a little croup high I tend to get pitched forward onto the pommel especially going down from canter to trot (he has a big bouncy bum that horse!).

I've found a Wintec Pro Dressage and a Wintec Isabel Worth dressage saddle on sale on ebay and both are the same price. Which one should I try? He has a wither and a although his back is short its reasonably curved. However he has huge shoulders and is barrel shaped. He takes a wide gullet at the moment but in the summer this generally goes up to a white XW.


Any advice gratefully received...

 

[Tapir]

Given the choice between those two, I would definitely go for the Isabel. It's a much nicer (and more expensive new) saddle.

 

[Annagain]

He sounds a bit similar to my boy. He had and Ideal Jessica which fitted him very well but the seat was too small for me so I sold it to a friend with a Sec D - 2hh smaller but a very similar shape and it fits him beautifully too. It might be another option.

 

[MrsNorris]

Mine is a similar shape, but smaller, and the only thing that really fits him is a soft tree HM flexEE dressage. Because it flexes in the middle, I've found you don't get moved around like you do with a conventional saddle, and it puts you in a very correct position, I love mine. Might be worth looking at, I've got the older synthetic with interchangeable gullets, you can get them secondhand for a couple of hundred now, give or take.

 

[Notimetoride]

My Sec D has an Ideal Jessica - fits perfectly. We discovered that Kent and Masters and Wintec/thorogood type saddles totally didn't fit as the panels underneath were too long to basically dug into her back. Ouch !

 

[sbloom]

The trouble is the current saddle tipping you forwards means your weight is on the front of the saddle at last some of the time, if you can go down in seat size to get the saddle off the croup. Not a great fan of Wintecs especially on wider backs so I'll butt out at this point! I prefer a flat tree with a very short upswept panel on croup high shapes.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

The trouble is the current saddle tipping you forwards means your weight is on the front of the saddle at last some of the time, if you can go down in seat size to get the saddle off the croup. Not a great fan of Wintecs especially on wider backs so I'll butt out at this point! I prefer a flat tree with a very short upswept panel on croup high shapes.

Thank you! I've got him on a 17.5" Wintec GP at the moment which looks like its off the croup from the ground but when you're in the saddle there is a definite bounce the rider forward effect. Not just with me but with other riders too (so its not just my rubbish riding lol). Its not a great feeling I have to say! I'm looking at other options like AH and Ideal too. Finding a fitter of AH and Ideal saddles in this area appears to be a bit of a challenge though (South Lanarkshire).

 

[booandellie]

Mine is a similar shape, but smaller, and the only thing that really fits him is a soft tree HM flexEE dressage. Because it flexes in the middle, I've found you don't get moved around like you do with a conventional saddle, and it puts you in a very correct position, I love mine. Might be worth looking at, I've got the older synthetic with interchangeable gullets, you can get them secondhand for a couple of hundred now, give or take.

Yes a also have the HM flexEE, the older version dressage saddle and it is the only saddle i've found that fits correctly and doesn't slip. My horse/pony is similar shaped to yours only a a 4xwide!

 

[MissTyc]

The Isabelle is a nice saddle and tends to sit cobs well. I had one for years and coblet went well in it, never had any problems. Then treated myself to a thorowgood cob dressage and he transmorphed into a dressage genius!

 

[peanut]

I don't have a cob so can't comment on fit, but I am sure you will find that the Isabelle is a much more comfortable saddle for you than the Pro as it puts you in a better position.