Thorowgood vs Wintec

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AppyLover1996

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Hi Guys,

My friend and I were chatting at the yard this morning whilst mucking out and she was saying she is struggling to choose between a Thorowgood 17.5" T4 Cob MGX and a Wintec 17.5" 2000GP saddle for her horse.

She's had her saddler out and both of those saddles have been deemed a great fit for her and her horse so she is in the lucky position where she can choose which saddle she wishes to buy. She did ask her saddler if there was a particular one that fit her horse and her better, to which her saddler said that both are a great fit for her and for her horse, so it's a case of which one she prefers and wants to buy. The problem is, my dear friend is quite the indecisive type and when faced with too many options, it can overwhelm her and make seemingly easy things feel like a mountain (she has given me permission to post that she is indecisive and struggles with being overwhelmed when given choices - she's my best friend and I adore her, so would never post anything without her permission :) )

She doesn't have much experience with either brands as she was using a bareback pad for her horse as she struggled for a while to find the right saddle for him, and has asked me if I'd pop a post on here to get some opinions. She'll mainly be hacking, the occasional fun show and the odd jump here and there - but first and foremost she's a happy hacker through and through. She did toy with the idea of a treeless saddle but when she tried some (Barefoot Cheyenne, Barefoot London, Barefoot Cherokee, Ghost, TreeFree Exmoor, EDIX Django) she just couldn't get comfy in them and found them quite awkward to ride in.

So please hit me up with opinions on both saddles, pros and cons and general findings with each brand, and I'll be sure to pass them on to her :)
 
I’ve had and ridden in both, and I personally prefer Thorowgood - I like the leather billets, they last longer IME, and for me the shape of the TGood is more comfortable to ride in.

Did she like the feel of either better when she rode in them? If both fit well I’d be going based on which I felt more balanced and secure in.
 
I've also had both and prefer the Thorowgood. I bought it as a stop gap to tide me over until I was able to afford a better quality saddle but in all honesty I can't really fault it and the horse who had quite bad muscle wastage from a poorly fitting saddle now is a totally different shape so its doing something right and I'm not planning on switching.
 
I'm surprised they both fit well. I've found that Wintecs are more suited to the curvier back type whereas the Thorogood is better for a straighter back. Though I don't know the two designs that you mention, I'm just going on learnings from my own horse and wouldn't consider a Wintec for her, as she's not curvy. I've had a Thorogood, it was fine but obviously synthetic, not uncomfortable and I wasn't precious about it like I am with my Albions.
 
khalswitz said:
I’ve had and ridden in both, and I personally prefer Thorowgood - I like the leather billets, they last longer IME, and for me the shape of the TGood is more comfortable to ride in.

Did she like the feel of either better when she rode in them? If both fit well I’d be going based on which I felt more balanced and secure in.
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Hiya,

She said that she likes the suede type feel of the Thorowgood but that she also likes the synthetic feel of the Wintec, when I asked her which she preferred she said she felt slightly better in the Thorowgood and did like the fact that the leather billets on it would last longer. I then said to her that it seems that she quite likes the Thorowgood and she agreed, but then also said she felt alright in the Wintec.

Personally I prefer Thorowgood's to Wintec's and I've mentioned to her that Thorowgood's hold their value well, so if she ever had to sell it she wouldn't have any problems in doing so, which she seemed pleasantly surprised with, so I'm hoping she'll sway towards the Thorowgood aha x
 
Jellymoon said:
Could she trial them and see which one she prefers? Saddle Bank does a 5 day trial so she could have one after the other.
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Funnily enough, I suggested a trial of each saddle to her so that she can do a bit of everything and see what works best, but she is quite anxious about trialling a saddle and her funds don't stretch enough to get both to trial one after the other x I might gently suggest a trial again though to her - thank you :) x
 
9tails said:
I'm surprised they both fit well. I've found that Wintecs are more suited to the curvier back type whereas the Thorogood is better for a straighter back. Though I don't know the two designs that you mention, I'm just going on learnings from my own horse and wouldn't consider a Wintec for her, as she's not curvy. I've had a Thorogood, it was fine but obviously synthetic, not uncomfortable and I wasn't precious about it like I am with my Albions.
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I agree. they're both very different shapes, I would be inclined to get a second opinion before purchasing a saddle that might not fit!

I have a bates ap saddle, which is the same tree as a wintec and its a very comfortable ride!
 
9tails said:
I'm surprised they both fit well. I've found that Wintecs are more suited to the curvier back type whereas the Thorogood is better for a straighter back. Though I don't know the two designs that you mention, I'm just going on learnings from my own horse and wouldn't consider a Wintec for her, as she's not curvy. I've had a Thorogood, it was fine but obviously synthetic, not uncomfortable and I wasn't precious about it like I am with my Albions.
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Similar....except that my horse fitted the Wintec and not the TG. They are quite different. Although FWIW I hated the Wintec AP we had, I call it the "Wintec NO purpose" - it was neither one thing nor another! Not enough knee roll for my legs but not the right shape to ride with a long stirrup. I switched to an old Wintec Pro dressage a few years ago now and that's quite good. Wintecs have changed over the years so depending on the horse's shape you might find older or newer ones are more suited.

I would definitely do a proper trial of both before buying. It's still cheaper than buying a saddle that you realize after three months doesn't actually fit.
 
One thing I would say is the T4 is really straight cut at the front for a GP and lightweight with short panels for contact with the horse, so good for space for big shoulders, but doesnt give much knee roll for tall riders. I find the wintec awful personally, but make sure they walk trot canter on both reins on a trial and let the horse decide which they prefer

the fitter should be able to suggest one over the other as they are different shapes as the T4 is OK for mine and wintec absolutely wrong shape ..
 
I have a new Wintec lite gp. This was the last saddle brand that I would have thought to have purchased but what fits, fits. I find any saddle uncomfortable now and always use an acavallo seat saver.
The pony is a Connemara, previously round and wide shouldered but now, with age, developing some wither so still wide shouldered but not so round. He told us in no uncertain terms that the gullet which 'should ' fit was no good. He is happy in the next wider size plus appropriate Wintec shims.
 
Wintec is more comfy for the rider in my experience, and they are extremely affordable second hand.

I would add to the comment above though - I have never known a horse or pony fit both Wintec and Thorowgood…
 
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Trying to find a saddle for a wide cob is a horrible lottery and you have to be very determined to find a solution for the sake of your horse’s back and your own riding position …

Myself and a friend both own lovely cobs and have each been on a ridiculous saddle fitting journey in the last 2.5 years …

She has tried 2 fitters and I have stuck with the one but we have both had problems with saddles slipping sideways. We have invested in multiple saddle fitting visits, everyone on the yard thinks we are fussing over nothing and we now own an impressive range of special numnahs prolite pads, shims and specialised girths.

We have each bought 4 saddles… so far !

Thankfully the girls seem comfortable at the moment !

All I can suggest is to be determined and don’t think it’s just you ..
 
Fire sign said:
Trying to find a saddle for a wide cob is a horrible lottery and you have to be very determined to find a solution for the sake of your horse’s back and your own riding position …

Myself and a friend both own lovely cobs and have each been on a ridiculous saddle fitting journey in the last 2.5 years …

She has tried 2 fitters and I have stuck with the one but we have both had problems with saddles slipping sideways. We have invested in multiple saddle fitting visits, everyone on the yard thinks we are fussing over nothing and we now own an impressive range of special numnahs prolite pads, shims and specialised girths.

We have each bought 4 saddles… so far !

Thankfully the girls seem comfortable at the moment !

All I can suggest is to be determined and don’t think it’s just you ..
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Oops replied to wrong thread ! sorry !
 
kerrieberry2 said:
I agree. they're both very different shapes, I would be inclined to get a second opinion before purchasing a saddle that might not fit!

I have a bates ap saddle, which is the same tree as a wintec and its a very comfortable ride!
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I did mention everything that you guys said about the Wintec and Thorowgood being different shapes to my friend this morning and she has decided to get a second opinion before going any further, although I do think she is leaning towards the Thorowgood so we might be closer to a decision :)

I have suggested a Bates AP to her and she has said that she likes the look of it but would have to save up a bit more to be able to get one :)

I'll update the thread once her new saddler has been and done a saddle check x
 
starbucker said:
One thing I would say is the T4 is really straight cut at the front for a GP and lightweight with short panels for contact with the horse, so good for space for big shoulders, but doesnt give much knee roll for tall riders. I find the wintec awful personally, but make sure they walk trot canter on both reins on a trial and let the horse decide which they prefer

the fitter should be able to suggest one over the other as they are different shapes as the T4 is OK for mine and wintec absolutely wrong shape ..
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Hiya,

My friend's horse did walk, trot and canter on both reins and a small jump when she was at her saddle fitting - but my friend is getting a second opinion and I'll update the thread once that has happened :)
 
Hey guys,

Just popping on here to say thanks on behalf of my friend. She managed to get a hold of a different saddler who happened to have a cancellation, so she had her saddle fitting appointment today and has just let me know the results :

Surprisingly the Wintec would fit with a half pad shimmed up appropriately and the Thorowgood fits fine without any need for shimming etc. She's decided to go for the Thorowgood as doesn't like the idea of having to shim something up to fit and she gets it delivered in a week's time.

Thanks for all your advice and help :)
 
So the Wintec doesn't fit. Or at least according to fitter number 2. Then fitter number 3 may suggest that neither fit and a Devoucoux is the only option. Saddle fitting can be a nightmare. Fingers crossed she has many years of happy riding. The Thorowgoods seem to hold value better than most synthetic saddles.
 
AppyLover1996 said:
Hey guys,

Just popping on here to say thanks on behalf of my friend. She managed to get a hold of a different saddler who happened to have a cancellation, so she had her saddle fitting appointment today and has just let me know the results :

Surprisingly the Wintec would fit with a half pad shimmed up appropriately and the Thorowgood fits fine without any need for shimming etc. She's decided to go for the Thorowgood as doesn't like the idea of having to shim something up to fit and she gets it delivered in a week's time.

Thanks for all your advice and help :)
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Thats random! As with the ability to fit risers in the Wintec you shouldn't need a half pad shimmed. Also the new Wintec 2000's come with leather girth points. Has your friend used a properly trained Wintec fitter?x
 
9tails said:
So the Wintec doesn't fit. Or at least according to fitter number 2. Then fitter number 3 may suggest that neither fit and a Devoucoux is the only option. Saddle fitting can be a nightmare. Fingers crossed she has many years of happy riding. The Thorowgoods seem to hold value better than most synthetic saddles.
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You hit the nail on the head my lovely - my friend is slowly beginning to hate saddle fittings bless her, but she's finally decided on a Thorowgood and the one that she picked fits her horse like a glove :)
 
Aleka81 said:
Thats random! As with the ability to fit risers in the Wintec you shouldn't need a half pad shimmed. Also the new Wintec 2000's come with leather girth points. Has your friend used a properly trained Wintec fitter?x
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The second saddle fitter gave my friend the option of using risers in the Wintec or a half pad shimmed if she were to go down the route of getting a Wintec, but she's decided on a Thorowgood which fits her horse like a glove :) x

Yep - the second saddler has been fitting saddles for over 20 years and specialises in Wintecs, Thorowgoods, Bates and Kent and Masters saddles x
 
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