[Skyedragon]

What can anybody tell me about them? Particularly interested in the Pro or Isabel. Do they hold up pretty well over time? I have had two wintec close contacts that I really like, and like that the wintec dressage saddles seem to have a lot of the features of a more expensive saddle at half the price and care.

[paulaedwina]

I had the cheaper 500. I needed longer flaps.

Paula

[mjmvet]

I have a Wintec pro - it's still in great condition after about 10 years. I think it's SO comfortable. It has the CAIR panels which have held up very well. I'm lucky that the saddle fits my horse pretty well. I have not sat in the others to compare them.

I LOVED the Wintec Close Contact, but it didn't fit my horse at all, so I had to sell it. It's now owned and loved by an avid eventer, and she's really happy with it.

[BastiantheWonderDragon]

I have the Isabel and love it. I bought mine used close to 6 years ago and it is only in this past year that it has started to show signs of serious wear. I ride 5-6 times a week. It was probably at least 3 years old when I bought it used.
Really like it and find it quite comfy.

[blairasb]

I rode in a friend's wintec 500 for a while. It was reasonably comfortable. That soft sueded fabric they use collects dust like crazy. But it was ultimately not good for me (or her either) as the stirrup bar position in it put me in a chair seat. Maybe these other models offer better balance?

[Nike13]

I ride in a Wintec Pro and love it. I'm having some saddle-fit issues with my round pony mare right now, but it's still a great saddle. I've ridden thousands of miles in mine on multiple horses and couldn't be happier. It wears like iron.

[Skyedragon]

What type of horse do these saddles typically fit? My mare has a little wither but is mostly flat front to back. We have an issue with most saddles getting pushed back by her shoulders.

[Petstorejunkie]

They are for horses like you describe. Is she downhill too? If so, that explains the sliding, and an anatomical girth or a crupper will help.
If she's not down hill, she may just need her saddle positioned further back
(Or she may need a wider saddle)

I hate wintecs, but my list for why doesn't really apply if you've sat in it and liked it

[Skyedragon]

This is her: https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...99388908_n.jpg

Edit to add: it slides back, not forward. Breast collars don't seem to help and just end up being pulled as tight as they will go as the saddle slips back.

[paulaedwina]

My saddle sliding back problem was solved effectively with a centerfire girth. I don't even use a breastplates any more and we're hacking up hills.

Paula

[lwk]

I have a Wintec Pro with Cair that I use as a backup saddle. It's not nearly as nice as my Custom Saddlery Wolfgang Expression but it is a very usable saddle at a very reasonable price and it is wearing like iron. I have two wide horses with flattish backs and low withers and the Wintec works fine for them. And it is OK for me, although I would prefer longer flaps.
I used to have a Hanoverian with huge shoulders and withers - all saddles slid back. Except the Ansur treeless which worked really well. Stayed in place perfectly uphill and down, jumping too.

[Petstorejunkie]

This is her: https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...99388908_n.jpg

Edit to add: it slides back, not forward. Breast collars don't seem to help and just end up being pulled as tight as they will go as the saddle slips back.

first off, she's adorable, like, santa hat wearin' adorable!
second, that's not a flat back. THIS is a flat back, and what would work best with a wintec. For your girl it will most likely bridge.
Do you have any more pictures of her back? I can't tell for sure what her musculature around her withers is like because of the lighting.

[Bethe Mounce]

I have a Pro and an Isabel....love them both! Love it for the young horses who are constantly changing musculature. However....do not wear full seat breeches. ;-) Just breeches with knee patches. I have the complete gullet change system too. One saddle is 15 plus years in age, has held up beautifully under daily use on several horses.

[Beentheredonethat]

I have been riding in a Pro forever. It was the only thing that fit those TB backs with high withers. I've used it on all shapes of horses and ridden and shown from Training though GP in them. They are very versatile and seem to be the best about fitting and not bothering most horses. I'm sure there are others out there like that out of my price range, but I like these.

I have two now. My first one I still have, but has worn through in the sides. I repair it with black gasket glue--like shoe goo. It's probably 25 years old. I have a newer one about five years old.

I wear full seated breeches every day and have no issues. I like the Pro over the Isabel because I learned the hard way that to stay in the saddle, it's better to have a flatter, more open seat, not something that holds you in.

[Bethe Mounce]

Maybe it depends on the material of the full seat? I just know if I ride in either of mine, not to wear the Conrad Schumacher full seat breeches, I stick like glue way too much. Now, mine are old Schumacher full seats. ;-) I prefer my Pro over the Isabel too. And...if it is raining and seat of saddle gets wet....you can slide around...just been my experience....

[Skyedragon]

first off, she's adorable, like, santa hat wearin' adorable!
second, that's not a flat back. THIS is a flat back, and what would work best with a wintec. For your girl it will most likely bridge.
Do you have any more pictures of her back? I can't tell for sure what her musculature around her withers is like because of the lighting.

Kind of like this? https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphot...49768938_n.jpg

She's a sweetie, and very tolerant. I guess by flat backed I meant that brands like stubben, courbette, and county tend to have too much rock to them.

I don't know if I have any more pictures of her back, let me dig around. Here is what she looks like when fit: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-U...0/P5020060.JPG

We tried treeless and it was AWFUL. The sliding back was horrible. The saddle would end up half way onto her rump even when using a neoprene girth and a breast collar.

[Petstorejunkie]

Omg! LOL the helmet pic is too cute.
I was trying to figure out if what I was seeing was atrophy or not, and your latest picture points to atrophy. What happened to her? Bad barn management? An injury? There's 50lbs of muscle difference in those two photos. I hope she's headed in he right direction now.

Because her back has dropped significantly, and she needs to build up so much Ab strength and topline, I'd hold off on saddle searching if you have a different discipline saddle that does fit her for right now.
If you need something for right now, look into older kieffers and newer collegiates. I'd also invest in a good surcingle and side reins, so that she can gain muscle and fitness without a rider and really engage those abs.

[Skyedragon]

She is 18 and had 6 foals, one right after the other. I think that has contributed to her back dropping some and the age had contributed to the muscle atrophy behind the withers. I am currently riding her in a collegiate diploma that fits her really well, but I would like to eventually get her a dressage saddle. I did find more back pictures, they are from over the last winter though:

from the front


right side

left side

from behind

She has a little bit less of a belly on her in the second picture (and ins't in her winter woolies), but do you really think she looks not as healthy? Over the winter I only rode her 2-3 times a week due to the barn being almost an hour away from me, when I moved her closer I was riding her 4-5 times a week. Over the winter she was also on a round bale 24/7, during the summer she was on pasture during the day and in at night.

[Skyedragon]

Oh, and she fluctuates between a wide and extra wide, aren't kieffers more for the narrow types?

[Petstorejunkie]

kieffers are tougher to find in an wide and extra wide, but they do have trees that can be adjusted by a qualified saddler.
Since the collegiate diploma fits her well, I'd go searching for a collegiate dressage saddle. You can find them used for under $500 on ebay.

Knowing that she's had foals does shed light on her condition. The difference between the two photos *to me* is in the older photo she looks like she's getting regular, correct exercise, great nutrition, and could go to a show and blend in. In the more recent photos she doesn't look like she's getting those things. It may just be the combination of little work and being a baby machine for 6 years. Now that's she's older it'll take some more time for the topline to build up than in her earlier days.