Wintec or Thorowgood saddles?????

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littlenordic

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Hi, I am looking at buying a synthetic dressage saddle for my old TB. I have just sold my Ideal Suzannah (gutted) as it no longer fitted my 22 year old boy. He has changed shape quite alot recently due to old age and being out of work. Therfore I am now looking for a new saddle but am not sure what would best suite him. I think now that he is older and keeps on changing shape an adjustable synthetic is the way forward as it can be changed as he muscles up etc. I have already tried a really lovely treless saddle from a fellow H&H member but this did not suite him. So what can people recommend for a TB with high'ish withers and big shoulders? A Wintec or Thorowgood? I have had a Isabell Wintec before which I loved but it no longer fitted as the panels did not offer enough weight distribution on his back and the front of the panels dug in behind his shouldres. The Ideal was great for a while but as soon as he lost muscle it was no good as cannot be adjusted. I have ready good things about the Thorowgood T4. What are peoples thoughts??????

Thanks!
 
On the whole I way prefer thorrowgood. That counts for zilch though if the shape doesn't suit your horse (although they offer a high wither version which might be a good bet)! Best way forward is to get a saddle fitter out and see what suits him.
 
Wintec completely redesigned their saddles last year. The panels are much wider and flatter. Generally the saddle now is really well thought out.

Personally dislike Thorowgood saddles. I have clients who have them and they do not help their position at all.
 
I've always had and like thorowgoods in the past but had the saddle fitter out last week and literally the only one that would fit was a Wintec - as he's got older and his back has dropped he now needs the slightly curvier tree of the wintec
 
Thanks for your comments so far peeps! I am tying to find a decent saddler that sells both so I can try both! Can anyone recommend me a saddler in the Bedforshire area that will have access to both makes???
 
i bought w basic wintec saddle and had that cairr system fitted so you can change the size IT WAS AMAZING! i let it go with one of the horses i sold years ago wish i had kept it you stuck to it like glue brilliant saddle!
 
Having just been in an an almost identical situation myself I can offer my experience - my mare is 22 and has lost muscle, but has a wide arab shoulder and a high wither and now a slightly dippy back. I tried an old style Wintec with cair on her and it didn't fit, and I don't like the forward stirrup position on the older Wintec 500s - I used to ride her in one a few years back. I have had a Thorowgood Pony Club on her before and liked it, but needed a bigger seat that 16.5".

I am now riding her in a T4 cob, on a med gullet. The main problem we had was that although it was wide enough, and fitted her wither, it sat down too low at the back.

With the Thorowgoods you can fit 'Shimz' in the back of the panels to push them down and make them deeper, which helped to balance it when fitting it for the high wither. (we needed a straight cut one for her big shoulder. I tried the GPD version and it was wierdly too long for her even in the same size).

My saddler added a bit of flocking in the middle to give more contact for her dipped back, and we are also using a thin Prolite adjustable Tri Pad which gradually lifts it up at the back. We've also swapped around the girth straps. I haven't tried meddling with the Fish as yet, but haven't needed to use it. So far, touch wood, no problems.

So to answer your question, I like Thorowgoods because of the amount of adjustment with the shimz, fish, girth straps and flocking (advised by saddler of course), not just the changeable gullets.
 
I haven't ever liked thorowgood saddles, I find them really uncomfortable. I had my saddler out and tried two of them think it was the t4 and t3? And both made me feel like I was perched on the horse and I felt so insecure in them.
That might just be me tho as a couple of my horsey friends like them but I just didn't like them at all. I chose the winged as felt like I could sit deeper and just so much more comfortable. The thorogoods I have seen do seam to have quite a flat seat bit like an event saddle seat to them.
 
I have a Thorowgood T8 and its great. Wintecs are made in Vietnam so you can imagine that the quality is not amazing. At least Thorowgoods are made in this country!
 
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