Wintecs - Good/bad buy

bad,bad,bad,bad,bad,bad
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I liked my wintec 2000, it was comfortable and seemed to fit the horse well..... but it was too small for me. Only a 17 inch seat and i have long legs from the thigh to the knee so was unable to put the stirrups up for jumping.

I liked it till I got my Ideal Event saddle and now the wintec is in the garage awaiting an ebay fate (or for if my saddle ever needs to go to hospital)!!
 
They are...hm...interesting to say the least. I have a Thoroughgood now, (hang on, are they made by the same people first)!! I find my one now is the best, my Wintec was uncomfy and wasn't comfy for henry at all. He never seemed happy. He loves his newbie!
 
I just had one fitted by a well respected saddler (recommended by people on here) who likes them. Mine is ok; its the only saddle we could find to fit my horse, who came to me with a very badly fitted saddle that was causing him discomfort. Im using mine as a stop-gap til his muscles develop and I can get a decent leather saddle. I don't love mine, but I don't hate it either. It does the job and wasn't expensive. Not sure that helps at all actually!
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I'm with ER - I don't love or hate mine. It's ok for hacking out my old girl as it is nice and light. Plus, I got fed up with my leather saddle getting wet!
 
I've just bought the close contact and it's very restricting on the shoulder
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In my opinion, nothing beats a good english leather saddle. I think if fitted they could be ok, but most people just measure their horse's width with the gauge, stick the right gullet in the saddle and don't bother checking it once it's on their horse - and then they wonder why the horse is having back problems!

My saddler wont touch wintec with a barge pole, we wondered why until we bought one. I wouldn't recommend them.
 
Hate them. They rarely fit the horse correctly, and you cannot sit correctly in them and be comfortable at the same time.

For the same money you pick up a well-made 2nd leather saddle, or a Saddle Company saddle for instance
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i've had a couple and they are handy if you have a young horse thats changing shape a lot,i have one for my older mare that just hacks out and my youngster has just totally outgrown her wintec wide so she has a leather one now.
 
OK for tb types but nothing else.. perhaps you might want to have a look on New Rider, theres a poster who has done a lot of research on wintecs which you might find interesting.

xxx
 
I love my wintec as they allow me to put my leg in the proper position, fit my narrow high withered arab and are light! I HATE the thorowgoods as I found they were uncomfy and forced my leg jutting forward like in one of those old hunting prints. Sen refused to go forward in it due to the horribleness of it!
I couldn't afford a new leather saddle and the tack shops around me are a poor selection of used leather ones so went with the Wintec and have been pleased!

I think it's best try either one first as it really boils down to your and your horses's comformation.
 
hmmm... I think the whole changable gullet thing is a great idea - but your horse has to be the right shape first of all or else its pointless...! I had my Wintec on my Welsh D for about 4 years, only ever used thin numnah and changed between med and med-wide gullets without any hassle, however when I lost him I tried using my saddle on my TB, baaaaaad idea...!! If I altered the gullet to fit over his wither it was too tight at his shoulder, if I widened it to fit his shoulder it was too low on his back... horse eventually went lame because of saddle. I found the Cair filled one fitted him better but I save up some money bought a second hand Saddle Co and havnt looked back as that is a perfect fit, adjustable and much more comfy for me.

I tried my Wintec on my other horses too. It fitted the ISHxCob type that I had for a while reasonably well but not perfectly and my other TB wore it for a while, again it was ok but not ideal. I liked the saddle but couldnt live with it not fitting perfectly so I sold it and now have Saddle Cos. Id really like a Wintec dressage for schooling in but not sure I could live with the chance of it not fitting 100% again so saving for a Saddle Co one of them too....

If your horse is the right shape for one then they are great - if its not then I wouldnt bother... or save yourself the hassle and get a Saddle Co instead....
 
Wintec are horrible saddles and no, they are not made by the same people as Thorowgood!!
 
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