Wintec for Novice Jumper? Or, Collegiate, or splurge?

[CalmingTea]

My daughter is doing really well with her new trainer. She has a Quarter Horse built paint and they’re cross training him into English riding (it was determined that he was sour for the same old western pleasure stuff and my dd wanted to jump again anyway…)

I have a feeling we’re going to have a big challenge finding a properly fitting English Saddle.

I really like the idea of the Adjustable Gullets/Trees (I know they’re a pain to change out but this would be a one time change so we can manage) …the Paint Horses have very wide backs but high withers and it can be a REAL challenge finding a good English saddle that fits.

My daughter really, really wants a black saddle to fit her horse.

However, she is not a “thoughtful” child in terms of the things she owns. Though she is very appreciative, her things will often be left in the dirt, dropped, or forgotten for a moment while she has a conversation. By the time she circles back around, things can end up nicked. She also is not detail oriented and does not regularly or often clean her tack. She does do it, but it’s not like a thoughtful young lady who cleans her tack every month. It’s more like 4 months go by, it’s dirty and she’s embarassed and then takes the time.

So you can see why I am so, so hesitant to buy her an awesome 2000.00 saddle. I’d like to say this will be the dawning of a new era of tack care but, nope.

We have some choices out there right now…

We’ve found a used Collegiate with adjustable tree at Pelham Saddelry- it’s leather but it’s brown

Or I can get her a Wintec 500 with adjustable tree in black to match the black horse…

I don’t really want to do ebay as I don’t want to mess with the “no returns” policy on such a unique horse (for the English world anyway)…

Thoughts on the Wintecs?

OH and to add to the equation, my dd is long in the femur- she is almost 5’7" now so if the flap isn’t forward-ish the saddle wont’ work.

[Bluey]

May want to cross post to the Off Course forum, so more may see it?

Or even the Jumping forum, being an English jumping saddle you are needing?

It will help any horse and rider to cross train, very good idea that.

[CalmingTea]

whoops! I was used to this one

[PrincessPonies]

How old is your daughter, is she likely to get taller. I got my saddle at 13 and it was big at the time but I grew taller than expected and had to replace it after 8 years with a bigger one. I will say I’m very bad about cleaning tack, it happens maybe 5 times a year, and my saddle has been fine. I have a paint who is similar to what you’ve described and never had an issue fitting her. All the being said since I show I use a leather saddle, however I’m currentlu looking at a Wintic western saddle for trail riding because they’re less expensive and I don’t have to feel guilty about not cleaning it.
You know your daughter best so you’ll be the best judge of what will suit her best. At the end of the day I feel that fit for both horse and rider is more important than color or material.

[tinah]

A good layer of pure neatsfoot will turn a brown saddle almost black, and look pretty classy. Just saying.

[Write_amp_Ride]

This might be a good option! Synthetic with the exchangeable gullet and it’s black.

https://marystack.com/collegiate-bicton-all-purpose-saddle/

[beau159]

@CalmingTea

However, she is not a “thoughtful” child in terms of the things she owns. Though she is very appreciative, her things will often be left in the dirt, dropped, or forgotten for a moment while she has a conversation. By the time she circles back around, things can end up nicked. She also is not detail oriented and does not regularly or often clean her tack. She does do it, but it’s not like a thoughtful young lady who cleans her tack every month. It’s more like 4 months go by, it’s dirty and she’s embarassed and then takes the time.

So you can see why I am so, so hesitant to buy her an awesome 2000.00 saddle. I’d like to say this will be the dawning of a new era of tack care but, nope.

Simple.

New saddle is cleaned every 2 weeks (or whatever timeline you want to set), or she doesn’t ride. Period.

She shouldn’t “forget” anymore after that. Set a rule and follow it.

@CalmingTea

We have some choices out there right now…

We’ve found a used Collegiate with adjustable tree at Pelham Saddelry- it’s leather but it’s brown

Or I can get her a Wintec 500 with adjustable tree in black to match the black horse…

I don’t really want to do ebay as I don’t want to mess with the “no returns” policy on such a unique horse (for the English world anyway)…

Thoughts on the Wintecs?

Of course, you get what you pay for in terms of quality.

BUT it is most important that the saddle fits the horse. If it fits my horse, I really don’t care what the brand is.

Yes, you want it to fit your daughter too, but you didn’t say how old she is. Is she going to grow and change? Because of that, I’m not as much of a stickler on saddle fit for a child. Yes, you don’t want them floundering, but it’s hard to justify spending money on a perfect saddle for them if they are just going to grow out of it at some point.

[myamego]

I have never seen a Wintec saddle in person, so take my advice with a grain of salt, but I believe that a leather saddle is a better investment. Your daughter might be tough on her equipment, but leather is pretty forgiving and a deep clean can remove months of neglect. I have seen leather cleaning wipes that prevent the build up of grime over time, maybe your daughter wouldn’t mind wiping her saddle down for a few seconds after every ride? I would definitely purchase a used leather saddle, as you can get much better quality than you would if you spent the same amount of money on a new synthetic. Buying a used saddle also means that you don’t have to feel as bad about nicks or scuffs, since it probably isn’t in perfect condition anyways. Leather repair is also an option. IMO, a leather saddle will also hold its value longer, and as long as it doesn’t end up trashed, you’ll most likely be able to sell it for close to what you paid for it once your daughter grows out of it. One last thing - just my personal preference, but I love the way leather will always conform to some degree to the rider’s shape and the horse’s. I hope you find the perfect saddle!

[CalmingTea]

Hi guys- just an update that we are back with her wonderful English trainer - it’s nice to 100% trust your trainer and her employees!

Also we went with a Bates. We bought two other saddles that had to go back, and spent 200.00 in wasted shipping, and then we also tried a saddle a few people had for sale around the ranch. In the end I decided to bite the bullet and get the Bates and the saddle fits my tall-in-the-leg daughter AND teh horse perfectly, after putting in the XW gullet. It is “Easy change” the newest saddles are SO Easy to change the gullet.

Our trainer is very happy with the Bates and so is my daughter. YOu never saw anyone so lovingly condition a saddle in your life

Thanks for all your advice

PS The only reason we didn’t go with Wintec is that we live in mostly a hot climate, with temps soaring into the 90s every summer day, so I wanted more breathability. But I got to see a few and I really liked them.