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Regular
Posts: 70
Location: Cold Spring, KY | I'm thinking about buying a Wintec Western Saddle for my daughter. She'll needs a 14" now but will probably outgrow it in about 2 years. I just bought her a show saddle and not having a lot of luck finding a decent quality used non-show saddle. I've heard the Wintec's are a nice alternative for kids, as they're lightweight, easy to handle and pretty low-maintenance. Any experience with these? |
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Regular
Posts: 79
| Ive heard unhappy things about the wintec western saddles- the english models are loved by many. I personally dont like fabric saddles with plastic trees, but they are light weight and cheap. Ive known several people who really liked their "bighorn" combo leather/fabic saddles. the trees in the bighorn saddles are known to be a good tree. and the bighorns seem to keep their value compared to the wintec western-well at least around here-I guess it all depends on what your local tack store sells the most!Gee, at least you are getting her a saddle- I had to ride bareback for 10 years. |
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Regular
Posts: 97
Location: Middle Tennessee | That's what I use when I trail ride and yes, they are very easy to handle and quite comfortable. They come in a regular or extra wide tree, so you can find one to fit most horse body types. I really can't think of anything negative to say about them. They are on e-bay quite often, so you may want to look there to get a great deal. Good luck and Happy Trails |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 565
Location: Michigan | I have a Fabtron saddle which I absolutely love. It is also a synthetic saddle. The seat, cantle, pommel are leather but the stirrups, fenders and skirt are nylon/cordura. I love them for being lightweight and easy to clean plus super comfy. |
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Regular
Posts: 70
Location: Cold Spring, KY | Do you need to use nylon cinch straps on the Wintec's. It seem that I read when the English models first came out that if you use leather accessories it would cause some sort of "breakdown" of the synthetic materials. I'm not a big fan of nylon cinch straps - sent a horse to a trainer once who used them, and they wore sores on the horse. Thanks for the feedback!! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 954
Location: Hagerstown, MD | I looked at Wintec and decided to buy Abetta instead. I got an Arabian Abetta for my wife and her little Arab gelding since he is a small horse. The Arabian cut fit him better than a saddle with a full skirt. My wife loves the saddle and so does the horse. Happy trails. |
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Expert
Posts: 2828
Location: Southern New Mexico | I have always used nylon cinches and have never had a horse burned by one. Just make sure that you don't overtighten it. Its very easy to do because the nylon "slides" much easier than leather. I have an Abetta saddle that I use for my 9 year old and it works great. She has no problem handeling it because it is so light. And my horse knows the difference, when I put my saddle on she turns her head and gives me a funny look. |
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Veteran
Posts: 173
Location: Arcata, CA | I purchased a Wintec Western Saddle when they first came out and I still own and use it at times. This saddle is NOT a cordura saddle, but it is similar to the "beta" form of biothane, and has leather only for a horn wrap and stirrup "footbeds". I would think that leather latigos would be okay, but I have kept the origianal equipment with the addition of a neoprene cinch. The good news is that it weighs 17 pounds and comes fully (double) rigged with front and back dees. I think it would make an excellent saddle for a child or small woman who rode short duration or arena workouts. Hey it even fits my mules! The only bad news I have found is that it doesn't appear to wear well and gets a little ugly after getting scratched or heavy wear. I did some find that shoe polish could touch up some of the worst scratches fairly well. |
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New User
Posts: 3
| i know it might sound cheesy but if you are worried about having to buy a saddle in a couple years and want to keep things on the cheaper side check out ebay. I have seen some nice saddles. this is what i am doing because i have 9 year old twin sons and you know how fast boys at this age grow |
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