I am considering the Wintex synthetic dressage saddle w. the adjustable gullet for my TWH.
I want a dressage type saddle as I find them more comfortable.
Anyone use them or have experience with the adjustable gullet?
I have a Wintec AP that I used to use a fair amount on trails.
Pros, tough as nails, you can’t hurt it.
Cons: I wish I hadn’t gotten the equi-suede seat. While I don’t notice it in some breeches, in others I am so glued to that damn saddle it will eat me up in terms of saddle ‘galls’. This is a big reason I don’t use it much anymore. My coolest summer breeches are like glue on it.
I hate those stupid webbers, and if I ever start using it again will replace them with regular leathers. They squeak and are a PITA to ‘run home’. I prefer the real thing.
The adjustable gullet is fine, hard to switch and not something you’d want to do daily to ride X then ride Y.
I currently trail ride on ‘nice’ trails in my dressage saddle (a Kieffer) but use my western saddle on anything rough, just personal preference and a desire to keep that Kieffer going as long as possible. It’s certainly my first choice for riding the roads or farting around.
I use the Wintec dressage saddle with CAIR panels, but only for dressage (our cross-training once a week.) I have ridden in it on shorter rides and it was okay, but I am now spoiled by the comfort of my real endurance saddle, which is also an English-style saddle but made for the trail (the Frank Baines Enduro.)
I think it’s fine to use your Wintec as long as it fits your horse but it’s just not meant to go on longer (and/or more technical) trails. Of course that doesn’t mean you can’t 
You could “upgrade” it by adding a sheepskin cover, use real stirrup leathers rather than webbers, and use a sheepskin pad for your horse as well. If you do any climbing, a breastplate is a good idea and a crupper for the downhills but depending on your horse’s shape you may not need that. The saddle comes with plenty of D-rings so you can add saddle packs as well.
The gullet is fairly easy to change and I just did it on mine, but I agree with Katarine that it’s not something you want to do a lot.
Good luck!
I use a 'wintec dressage pro" on my MFT on strictly trails.
I like the way it fits him and me. the only saddle I have that does that right now. Lightweight easy to clean up, agree about the gullet change though. I use a breastplate and wool pads and leather ‘leathers’. Not my perfect saddle, but I really enjoy riding in it and stay comfortable over the hours. cons are I would like more square inches for weight to be distributed but to my knowledge he has never been sore. We do some fairly technical trails and I like the secure feeling it gives me - I am not going to slide off the back going up a hill. I stick pretty well when he does some of his hairbrained baby moves. And I must add he gaits very well in it. I use saddle bags that fit over the cantle and are very secure, can’t remember maker right now.
For years I used a custom western stock/trail saddle for hours of comfort. I got tired of throwing that big thing up on the horse and felt bad about the weight on the hot days. I tried my wintec 2000 AP one day and found it oh so comfy it was amazing. I’ve only done upwards of 4 hours at a time now, but I love the feeling. Taking it up in the hills, I only lost a stirrup now and then, but the security and comfort were great, and the stirrups thing was a combo of cantering and crow hopping up and down hills (typical for holding her back) so I was quite impressed. I throw the big knee blocks in and I’ve a great brace to do the hills with. If I had any complaints, the one I would make is I wish it had more rings for trail riding. I expect that will be a problem with a dressage saddle having none.
Probably half my barn does their trail riding in Wintec Isabell saddles. I personally find the model rather uncomfortable (the infamous Inverness problem,) but I seem to be in the minority.
I love my Wintec Isabelle for trail riding AND showing 
Contrary to one of the posters, I LOVE the equisuede too. I find it very comfy and secure. I have the older style with wool flocking as opposed to the newer cair panels. Ive ridden in both and prefer the wool…I think its more shock absorbing and will conform to your horses back. I have used an abused this saddle for about 8 yrs now, and when I clean it up with a damp cloth it looks almost new. The only sign of wear is where the panel has conformed to the shape of my leg/boot. I was skeptical at first about how the suede would hold up. I thought it might just kind of wear away, but nope…its very durable.
I hated the sythetic webbers too and exchanged them leather ones almost immediately after buying the saddle. Squeak squeak squeak. Embarassing! As far as the changeable gullet…ugh, I find it very difficult. Im glad my horses are built similarly so one size fits all!
I dont care the for wintec girths though. They say they have elastic or something stretchy built inside. You cant see it or feel it and if it stretches or gives, its very slight. I have a girth with elastic on the buckles on both sides that I like very much. I think its much more comfortable for the horse.
All that being said…after all these years of riding exclusively in my Isabelle, I just ordered a Barefoot Cheyenne!
OK–I’ll play. Right now I am using my bought-for-200-bucks-used wintec 500 dressage saddle for trailriding my TWH gelding, and a not much more expensive bought at the close out price older model wintec 2000 AP for trailriding the racking mare. The longest I’ve ridden either of these saddles was maybe a total of 5 hours or thereabouts. Horses havent complained, and I’ve been a lot less stiff and sore than similar lenght rides on an Abetta trail saddle. I have not had a problem with either saddle slipping back. I recently bought a breast collar in screaming hunter orange biothane purely for visibility in deer hunting season.
since I am old and prone to inverness issues I have sheepskin seat savers on both saddles, also a bit of memory or cashel foam tucked under the sheepskin. Both saddles feel nice and secure to me. I am not riding groomed trails or level ground for the most part–think lots of hills, some fairly steep, gravel/sand/clay roads, powerlines and trails through the woods with holes, muddly places, creeks, rocks and trash left from logging.
The AP has some nice dees, I manage with additonal dee ring savers on the dressage saddle, and recently bought some hardware at the marine supply store to add to the back of both saddles to make it a little more feasible to tie stuff onto the cantle. I ride with water bottles and leadropes and treat pouches and stuff stuck on any old way I can. Velcro is my friend, even more than duct tape.
I have endurance stirrups on webbers on the dressage saddle, and icelandic type stirrups on synthetic conventional leathers on the AP. Oh, and since my old arthritic knuckles make tightening girths problematic, I use converters and a western girth on the AP. I like the sorta stretchy wintec dressage
girth just fine–its not too hard for me to tighten.
I use a variety of pads under these saddles, sometime plain lightweight english pads, sometimes a tacky-too pad, sometimes wool felt, even a cut-to-fit woven wool western blanket. ( I didnt NEED another area rug for a cat to pee on).
Again, no complaints from horses about all this luggage–yeah, I’d be a little happier with fewer pounds per square inch on their backs, but I could lose 15 pounds and take care of that problem, couldnt I? For me, given that I have such problems with my hands, its just a whole heck of a lot easier for me to be wrestling with a little lightweight saddle than even a synthetic Western or endurance saddle. That and I am the Worlds Worst about cleaning leather. I’d have mold stains on my britches if I were using leather tack in this climate.
Re: the gullet–its not that difficult to change out if you have someone to help and if you never ever do it in the barn where a crucial tiny piece of hardware is guaranteed to disappear into the hay or floor litter. Do this task in your house under a bright light. The helper isnt required for brute strength, necessarily (although my hands wont let me do it, normal hands could) but its a three to four handed task for even Mr Jeano, who is good with tools and contraptions of all sorts. You dont wont to swap gullets back and forth but season to season as their backs change, its not so bad. Eventually if you do a lot of gullet swapping you are going to wear out the little features that make the swapping possible, I suspect. Having said that, I’ve done at least one swap per saddle since I’ve had them and anticipate more to come, because I am thinking of giving the dressage saddle back to the mare, mostly because the AP is the comfier, and my walker is often a trotter.
[QUOTE=Cartfall;5037884]
comfortable.
Anyone use them or have experience with the adjustable gullet?[/QUOTE]
I have the older model Pro Dressage. We had to widen the extra-wide gullet to fit my Mustang, so if your horse is wide in the shoulder, the adjustable gullet may not fit correctly. (I’m on the hunt for a new saddle.)
I ,too, hate the webbers. Never have been able to run 'em up and have them stay.
I’ve used this saddle only for dressage so far. It’s comfortable enough for me that I would go for a two hour trail ride. Can’t speak to anything longer.
I rode LDs in a wintec Isabell w/Cair last year - I was not comfortable in it because I prefer a narrower twist, and the flaps were too long for me, so I felt like my leg was all over the place. Horses seem to either like or hate the Cair - mine was a hater. I have a Thorowgood endurance saddle now, which I love. Thorowgood also makes dressage saddles (synthetic), which come in regular, wide, and high wither models, all with adjustable gullets, and you can choose between the suede-like or leather-like seats.
I have both a wintec 500 and a wintec 2000; I prefer the latter. They both are very comfortable for trail riding. I also have a throrowgood dressage saddle, which is not as comfortable for me personally; it seems to have a wider twist.
I have a Wintec AP 2000 w/Cair and i trail ride in it. I love it and so does my horse.
I use a much older (20yr) wintec AP that I love. I purchased an new wintec AP 500 with cair & couldn’t stand it. So I bought another really old AP. The tree flexes, it appears to fit all my horses and it is comfortble for me. I do use a breast collar, a good skito pad, and a sheepskin cover fo my butt. I can attach water bottles & saddlebags with no problem. Been riding in it for over 20 years
I have a Wintec pro dressage that I event and trail ride in, including long, rocky, mountainous trails. I ripped out the CAIR (me and my horse both hate it), replaced with flocking, and I use cheap leather stirrup leathers and a synthetic Ovation girth, works beautifully. I’ve definitely used the changeable gullet as my horse developed muscle in event training, I find it pretty easy to do and I can do it by myself. Great saddle and I only paid $500, including the fittings!
I have the old Wintec 500 dressage saddle for my medium-tree TB mare (the wider gelding has a County). I use it for dressage and trail riding and have gone foxhunting in it. I find it very comfy–it would be even more so if it came in leather. I have used regular leathers and the Wintec leathers (not the Webbers) and the latter are fine for my purposes.
I have 2 wintec CC that I love! They are very comfey, although I have not trail ridden in them. The only gripe I have is my brown one is a light brown and the “matching” 'leathers" and girth are much darker brown. boo. 
Does anyone else have that problem?
Have the Wintec Pro dressage…flocked not cair…eurosuede…not the vinyl looking fake leather stuff…LOVE it.
Its ‘washed’ for showing…yes, A shows and Regionals and Nationals…and then, its treated like the everyday, nothing special, get it dirty, just USE it saddle that it is.
Its what I ride the boy in when we haul to the Eastern Shore and ride way out in the Chesapeake Bay and splash in the salt water on 6 hour trail rides in.
Its what he’s schooled in, ridden in, shown in.
Works for me. I understood, too…that you could even now order the flocked Wintecs vs. the Cair…I hope thats still true, as thats all I’d invest in.
And as for their webbers, I love them as well. I hate the bulk of the buckle of regular leathers. but, I do purchase the webbers in the eurosuede as well, vs. that fake leather vinyl.
I have a Bates Caprilli close contact with CAIR – Have done easy trails up to 2 hours in it – Mare loves the CAIR, but the saddle just isn’t meant for serious trail riding –
I tried a Wintec stock saddle with CAIR – Mare LOVED it – I was extremely disappointed when I found out I couldn’t get it in a seat size big enough for me –
The clerk who worked with me on the stock saddle said they sell lots of Wintec dressage saddles to trail riders –
Thorowgood
HI,
I have a synthetic Thorowgood dressage saddle without the cair gullet
changer and payed about $100 on Ebay, it was in good condition.
I lease a variety of breeds and so far it has fit them all, including, a
15 hand " healthy " mustang mare, 15 hand 1000 pound paint, a 16 hand
lean appendix. I use a safety quick out stirrups and regular leathers, no
synthetic ones. The lighter weight is easy to transport, cleans up very
easily, can get rained on and not ruined, all horses mentioned were a good
fit and had good rides indoors and outdoors on short trail rides, too.
I feel comfortable and SAFE and more SECURE in this saddle than my
prix d’nations hunter/jumper saddle, which is like sitting on a bandaid. Haha.
Carole
I’ve got one.
It’s the most uncomfortable saddle in my tack room. The only thing its good for is riding on the beach or through bog when you don’t want a decent saddle splattered with muck and/or salt water.
The gullet thing is just a bit of a fad and to be honest I think I’ve only ever had a wrestle to change it twice in 20 years.
