Wintecs - what do you think?

[Yummymummy]

It saddle time for my youngster he is 3 and is going to do a lot of shape changing. I need something that will change shape with him. I was thinking wintec VSD (big shoulders)

Any comment gratefully received for and against these saddles??

[heartofrainbow]

I had a wintec for my four year old welsh cob for the exact same reason!

They are quite good, if you have a standard shaped horse!!! If your horse is slightly odd shaped (i know that sounds weird, my current horse has a wider 12th rib therefore i had to have a saddle made for her!) then you might have to look at getting something else!

However, if you have the saddle checked regularly and reflocked etc then i don't see why it would be a problem, until he has filled out and developed a pretty constant body shape! But you will have to keep an eye on any pinching etc!

You could look at buying second hand, would be cheaper and then if you need to buy another one in 6 months time, it won't cost a fortune!

Hope this helps x

[eventerbabe]

Brace yourself for a barage of comments about how cr*p they are ;) it seems to be a contentious issue on NR!!

I have a wintec 500 GP. Was my first pony's but i've now adjusted it to fit my rising 4 year old welsh cob. It is useful to be able to change the gullet but do remember you are only widening the front and not the whole gullet. I like mine, and i like the fact i can change it as my cob gets older and more muscled. But they don't seem to come up very wide even on the XW plate so i can see it only being a temporary measure. But so long as you keep getting it checked (and check the gullet plate screws once a month ;)) I think they are nice saddles :)

[xox stace xox]

i think they are lovely saddles, and fit my yard owners horse nicely (DW/TB)
however i also have a wintec, the WINTEC COB the wintec wide didnt fit honey so had to go bigger it is really ideal as you can change gullets as they change shape but with honey have VERY broad shoulder it rubs her and no matter how much i change the gullet its not going to change, all though i ave a saddle fitter coming tomorrow to check it and see if therses any thing i can do.
but oon a whole i think they are very nice saddles if they are fitted for your horse when you buy it.

[No_Angel]

I had one on my idxtb and it was nice. It wasn't fitted to her properly tho and caused quite bad muscle wastage.
Wintecs don't go near my wider horses at all.
I have opted for treeless so that it changed shape with the horses and so I can use it on my Tb and my cob:)

[amandal]

I've got one and it fits my horse better than any other non made to measure saddle does, I think we tried all of them. :rolleyes:

I ride in it with a seatsaver which helps but I didn't actually find it that uncomfortable anyway.

[BeachRiding]

I think the wintec 2000 is the most comfortable saddle I have ever sat in. I found it fit my TB like horse, but not my Quarter Horse so well.

[KT C]

They can be quite nice, BUT they're not right for all horses; my friend got one, and no matter what gullet she tried, it could not be adjusted to fit her horse.

[Sticky's GF]

I got one for my horse for the same reason - youngster going to change shape etc. He soon outgrew it completely (grew some withers!) so I got saddler out to get it re-flocked and whilst it was away she lent me a second hand cliff barnsby - she never got it back!! As soon as I sat on it I realised how rubbish my wintec was and sold it in the freeads. :)

[wildponies]

I had one. No use if you have a high withered horse. Never even got to ride in it.. had to sell it straight on! If it fits then great, go for it.

[MelanieD]

I've got two and think they are nice saddles, as long as you get them fitted to the horse like any other saddle and don't believe anyone telling you you can just adjust the front to the right width and nevermind about the rest of the saddle..

[noumenon]

I had one but even after much adjusting with the various width gullets it still didn't fit, slipped badly and I personally just didn't like the feel of it compared to a leather saddle. I don't think there's anything wrong with them if they happen to fit your horse, but I would never have another one.

[angelfben]

I agree, they are good if you have a horse with a 'normal' shaped back - Alps has a very flat and unusually wide in places back so it didn't work out for him. Get one with flocking though, not CAIR, as you can have the flocking adjusted to better fit your horse. It's like anything though, certain saddles fit certain horses - the saddle I have for Alps now probably wouldn't fit a Thoroughbred for example.. the reason Wintecs got such bad press is just because of the interchangable gullet system led people to think the saddle itself would fit any horse which is never the case alas :)

[chickflick1066]

I find my friend Wintec saddle the most comfy saddle I've ever sat on :D

[joey_olop]

I hate my Wintec & cant wait for my saddler to come after Xmas & get me another make.

My boy is in a wintec-it has the wide gullet in & its just such a crappy fit, fits round the front & flaps around at the back.

My girl is in a Throwgood & its lovely & comfortable & fits her fat a**e like a treat!!

Unless your horse is a of Thoroughbredy build I wouldnt recommend them.

[connieD]

i backed my youngster with a wintec. its ideal as can be easily changed as they muscle up. its nice and light and flexible for a young inexperienced horse.

the downside for mr was i find the stirrup bars are set quite far forward and the seat is quite flat (i prefer a deep seat, personal preference). i also found that since i have lost weight and found i have bones in my bottom its not that comfy!!

so, for me, excellent and did its job whilst my youngster was progressing but we have now gone onto a leather saddle, mainly for my comfort

[Lora]

I recently sold my wintec 2000 a/p (sort of regretting I did) for a dressage saddle. It was less comfortable than dressage but a/p generally is.

It weight literally half of dressage saddle. I could not believe how light it is. Also my horse did not have any discomfort but every other stinkin saddle (even fitted by saddler) seems to cause him some discomfort (yes, vet is coming out next tuesday so i can show her what I'm seeing)

Changeable gullets are nice so you can keep it even with weight gain or loss. It cleans well, never shows wear, doesn't need reflocked and never needs oiled!

I'm stooooo-pid. :p