Hi, I am looking for a different saddle for my OTTB as her current one is too wide and pressing on her withers. I am only looking at ones with changeable gullets but any brand. I do mainly flatwork and jumping but would like the saddle to be pretty all-purpose. Would wintec be a good brand? My budget is really only $800 max, which I know is not much but thought I would see what everyone thought… Thank you!
Lots of people love the Wintec Close Contact. I got one for my young horse, but I do not love it. I found an old used Passier very reasonably priced, and I like riding in that much better. It feels better balanced, and I like the feel of leather.
I had a Wintec GP that squeaked with my boots rubbing on it; my Wintec dressage saddle didn’t have that problem. So maybe/maybe not a concern. I like my Thorowgood saddles, part leather and part synthetic. I think you’d be looking for the high wither model. Search on preloved.co.uk, that’s where I found my saddles. I think England to US shipping was under $100. I didn’t find any for sale in the US, but I needed the regular model.
Barnsby tend to fit tbs really well. There are many available for around $1000. Working with a good saddle fitter will probably save you a lot of money and time with trial and error in the long run.
Beware that “pressing on the withers” does NOT necessarily mean the saddle is too wide. A lot of TBs require a wider tree than people realize, but they go narrow to clear the wither. There are panel configurations available that allow the saddle to lift away from the wither without going too narrow in the tree. A brand like Thorowgood offers front gussets and interchangeable gullets at a fair price.
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I would strongly strongly strongly recommend looking at saddlefitting.us Facebook’s page and reading her posts on different gullet shapes. She provides great graphics and is happy to answer questions if needed.
If your OTTB is shaped anything like mine, a traditional A frame gullet (which is what adjustable saddles are) is unlikely to work. You need something with a more open U shaped gullet. I got a screaming deal on a Stubben off ebay for $500 CAD after spending a small fortune on saddle trials and being mystified why none fit.
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