Wintec 500 Dressage saddle v's Wintec Isabell saddle.

[banny]

Just wondering is there much difference between the two saddles as one is twice as expensive as the other. Is it twice as good?

Thanks

[MelanieD]

Isabelle is fake suede stuff rather than the plasticy fake leather, the equisuede is very nice and grippy. Seat on Isabelle is deaper and stirrup bars are further back, girth straps are different on Isabelle as well, 500 has normal girth straps and Isabelle has Y-girthing system which has point and balance straps. Think Wintec like to sell the Isabelle as more of a proper Dressage Queen saddle than the wintec 500 dressage but which is better depends on what you prefer in a saddle.

[bspa05]

I have had both. I do not think that the Isabelle is worth twice the price. Yes it is nice to have the grippier seat on the Isablelle, but a seat saver on the 500 would work just as well. I found that I had to struggle to keep to the middle of the saddle on the isabelle, i kept beeing pushed to the back as it has a high front end. I feel that my position was better in the 500, as it allowed you to adopt a natural position instead of being forced into the 'correct' position in the isabelle. I found the seat much more roomier in the isabelle than the 500 (both were 17 inch), and the isabelle was just too big for me I think. At the end of the day, the isabell does not make you a better rider compared to the 500. It does look better with the equisuede, the Y-girthing did not really have any major benefits to me or my horse, the set back strirrups seamed to push me into the back of the saddle, making my legs go forward to compensate (much better position in 500, no set back stirrups), but it was comfier and I felt more secure. One more thing, its makes you feel 'perched' on the horse as there is a lot of room between the horse and you. The 500 made me feel closer to the horse, a feeling which I prefer. Makes balancing much easier.

I think if you have a bigger bum, the Isabelle may suit you better than it did me. I am only 7.5 stone and 5ft4! I think you need to be bigger (size 12+) to suit the 17 inch Isabelle.

Personally, I would rather become a better rider through my own hard work, that 'look' like a better rider (and this will only be tempory) because I am being forced into it by a saddle.

I have neither now. I tried a leather working hunter, and this puts me into a better position and is easier to ride n than either of the dressage saddles!

[banny]

Thanks for your replies. I have the Thorowgood Richard Davison dressage saddle at the moment and love it, it is so comfortable but is now too narrow for my horse and they dont have a wider fit. My saddle fitter is coming this week and is going to bring a selection of new wintec and second hand dressage saddles.

[Cochise]

I've ridden in both and found that the Isabell "locked" me into a position that hurt my back and I couldn't follow through with my hips in the way that felt natural to me. I also go for long long rides through the forest (like 4-5 hours) and need a saddle that I can really move in.
So I settled on the 500, which is very comfortable. It also fit my horse the best.

[Emz]

I know this is old, but thought i'd ask my questions here rather than another saddle thread!

What did you decide on Banny?

I'm swayign towards the 500 because its cheaper. My only 'concern' as it was is the 500 hasn't got the Y-girth strap system to balance it - does that really matter??

[galadriel]

The panel design on the Wintec 500 is also not nearly as good as that on the Isabel. It's more likely to make your horse's back sore.

The panels themselves are not as wide, so pressure overall is greater. Th gullet channel also narrows towards the back, which pinches the horse's spine towards the back of the saddle.

[Scarlett 001]

Originally Posted by galadriel

The panels themselves are not as wide, so pressure overall is greater. Th gullet channel also narrows towards the back, which pinches the horse's spine towards the back of the saddle.

How wide should panels he - let's say at the midpoint of the saddle in front of the cantle but behind the front panels? The Regal I might order claims to have a wide panel, but how wide should wide be? I guess with a custom, it will depend on a few other things so not standard...

(ignore question here if you want, I have a new thread with that question...)

[galadriel]

Panel width changes throughout the panel; it often narrows toward the center (under the twist, to make the twist more narrow). In some saddles, the panels continue to narrow or stay the same width; in some they widen again.

This can also be hard to gauge, since what you're looking at is the bearing surface of the panel, just just the width side-to-side. Depending how round the panel is, the bearing surface might be a lot smaller than the overall width of the panel. (But then, if you have a flat edge--like a badly done gusset--then it bites into the horse as the horse moves. There's tradeoffs everywhere.) So you have to look at the bottom of the panel and figure out how much might actually be touching.

Something else that affects the way a panel fits is that the center of the panel ought to be about 4" away from the spine. So if you find the exact middle of the saddle, then measure out 4", you should be at the middle of the panel. So a saddle with even only slightly smaller panels AND a slightly smaller gullet channel actually ends up pinching a lot more than you'd think, in comparison.

At the back, at least 3" is preferable for the gullet channel width, and about 4" of panel width is really good. In some saddles you're less likely to get either of those; it's hard to find any jumping saddle with wider panels, for example. But dressage saddles do typically have at least wider panels, if not also wider gullet channels.

[Scarlett 001]

Can a gullet channel be too wide, or is this just not likely to happen? (sorry to keep on this track, but it seems to somewhat follow the train of thought in this thread, and I am interested...)