What are your thoughts synthetic saddles?

Question

I am about to start doing a bit of dressage and as i have quite a bouncy Welsh cross gelding, thought i could do with all the help i can get with regards to adopting the correct position. My solution is to buy a dreassage saddle but i really dont have anywhere near a thousand pounds to spend on a saddle so have thought about getting a synthetic one. In particular ive been looking at the Wintec dressage 500. Anyone bought one? Had good/bad experiences? All comments welcome ;)

Answer 1

Hard to keep, uncomfortable and ugly.

Answer 2

Synthetic ROCKS.

I love them.   I ride a wintec Isabell dressage and a bighorn endruance.  Both are synthetic.  I can't begin to tell you how much better either of them are then the leather saddles I've had,  And I've had good ones.  Stubben Sigfried, Scout and Tristan's, a number of Circle Y's and some others.

these things can get rained on, snowed on covered with mud and you just take a hose to them. Done and put away.  its amazing.  Then concider the weight as most are 50% the weight of the leather counterparts.  

I see synthetics in shows all the time.  And your tack is not on show at dressage compititions. As long as its clean, serviceable and in good repair and perferably not some strange designer color, ( saw a pink saddle.. it scared me muchly)  its fine.  Not like your going to go straight to 4th, 5th level in the next year any way so use the synthetic till you decide your really into it, then save and invest in a leather if you want.  

Answer 3

I use them, not for competition so I'm not sure about that, but i think leather is cruel.

Answer 4

They are comfy compared to leather so they would probably help you with you position but I wouldn't use one in a show. You often get judged on the state of your tack and with a synthetic saddle, you can't polish it up and it won't match the bridle either.

I'm not sure about the type you are looking at, but if you aren't competing I would go for it and get a synthetic one because they are cheaper and it sounds like it is just what you need.

Answer 5

If you're just starting out, and/or want a knockaround saddle that can get muddy, sweaty, and banged up, it would be a good choice.  I don't find them too comfortable when compared to leather, however, and the ones I have ridden in have been rather slippery when wearing breeches.  They are budget friendly, though, and much easier to take care of than leather.  The Wintec dressage saddles look like a pretty decent design to me.  I personally hate the dressage saddles with enormous thigh rolls and big high cantles - seems like a lot of the most expensive dressage saddles have those!  The Wintecs don't seem to have those feautures, though, and that is appealing to me.

Answer 6

I have a wintec 500 dressage... and I really dont like it that much. For basic things, it is good. If you are really looking to adopt a correct position, i would try a diferent saddle. I find that the pommel is too high so it makes you sit back on your butt, whick forces your leg forward. I would save up for a better saddle. The good thing about these, however, is that they are very durable. But still, i would rather have a less durrable saddle that puts me in the correct position.

Answer 7

I LOVE LOVE LOVE synthetic!! They are great, dosnt need to be oiled, can get wet and dirty, my god you can practically hose those puppies clean and plonk it back in the tack shed!! Hehe but seriously Wintec are a fantastic brand and as you are only starting out you dont need to spend A thousand dollars on a fancy leather Issabelle or Bates caperelli!!

Wintec also come with the Cair system, thats an air paded section that sits either side of your neigh neighs spine giving him greater comfort due to the cushion like affect and also giving you better contact with your horse, all in all I would say go for the dressage 500 Cair.

However if you really want to put the time into a leather that you can show in then have a look around for a second hand one, often I see good second hand ones at like half the price on the net, But take it to a fitters or a saddlery if you want to check it is still in good condition!!

Best of luck!!

Answer 8

I LOVE my Wintec Isabelle!

But I HATE the girth straps and the stirrup "leathers" - they are SO stiff.

Buy second hand - great deals out there!

Answer 9

I've owned BOTH kinds and the leather ones are still with me.  In the early 90's I traded a set of corner plates for a Wintec Sport and grant it, it was a GREAT saddle, BUT the difference in sitting in one vs my now 39 year old Stubben Siegfried is like the difference between owning a Saturn and trying to compare it to a Mercedes.  Let's see if the Wintec holds up to the standards of a Stubben nearly 40 years later.

I also ended up with an Abetta western saddle for a bit and ended up GIVING it to my best friend, who also basically ended up GIVING it to somebody else.  

Our reasoning behind this is that a synthetic, no matter how they make 'em has no "GIVE", that's one of the reasons for the interchangable gullets in the saddles of the Wintecs.  I can honestly say in the decades of owning my Siegfried (Stubben), I've NEVER had it on a horse it didn't fit and I've owned a LOT of different sized/breeds of horses.  From WIDE Quarter Horses to Narrow TBs and even a couple of Arabs.

I can also say the same about my Western saddles.  My favorite saddles are a 40 year old Circle Y and perspectively my now 22 year old Broken Horn Show saddle and 12 year old Broken Horn working saddle (Both BH saddles were made for me on semi QH trees which will fit the majority of horses I have and will own.).  I don't like the fact that the synthetics don't have any "give" to them and you stand a better chance of soring up a horse because they don't shift with a horse's body (They have little or no "give" in the trees, let alone the comfort that a leather saddle does for it's rider if you get a good, quality saddle.).

If you're limited on funds, then try e-bay and find a good used saddle.

Answer 10

Synthetic is good but I wouldn't take them to comps I don't think you present as nice in dressage or show ring for jumping it doesn't matter.

I picked up a bates caprilli for cheaper then a wintec dressage it was near new but was worn in so nice and comfy.

Shop around :)

Answer 11

I LOVE my Wintec saddles. I love the adjustable gullet, the comfort, the seat and the fact that they are easy maintenance. I don't ride in dressage competitions but I know a rider who uses her wintec dressage saddle in competitions at state and national level (in Australia) despite owning some very expensive leather dressage saddles because she simply prefers the Wintec. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Best inanimate object in the world :) I ride with a wintec all purpose but have also ridden in a wintec dressage saddle and a jumping saddle. All excellent.

PS. the women I know who uses her Wintec in dressage competitions does get laughed at by some people but it's just a matter of not caring what other people think. Many horsey people tend to be like cruel children. They like to find something to pick at.

Answer 12

I would never ride in anything BUT leather...for those who say ''leather is cruel'' its not like they go out & skin the cattle alive...they use to hide off beef cattle for leather....anyways about syhthetic...my Aunt had one (an Abetta i think...) and it always used to dig into her horse (she found out after about 2 months of riding in it!!) now she has switched to a good ol' leather saddle...for competition, synthetic is not appropriate...I dont like the idea of a plastic-woven ''saddle''...yuck! I'm sure that you will figure out what you like best...but...

I love my leather saddle & Its Not Cruel!

Answer 13

Synthetics are a very reasonable option, and wear very well. You also don't have to worry about cleaning them or riding in rain etc. They're also good as a lot of them have moulded plastic trees which makes them more balanced than other cheap leather saddles which are often made with (not greatly made) wooden trees. So for a cheaper saddle, but still with good quality, synthetics are great, just not for the show circuit. A few of my friends have the wintec 500 and rave about it. Synthetics are also a lot lighter in weight than most leather saddles, so that's sometimes a consideration. Hope this helps!

Answer 14

I wouldn't use a synthetic in competition, but in general I like them a lot.  I've used both western and dressage synthetic saddles, and as long as they fit you and your horse correctly you will be comfortable.  And if you are pressed for funds, they are very economical.  They are easy to care for, lightweight, and will hold up to moderate use.

Answer 15

Synthetics are ok, my friend has the wintec 500 and its nice enough.

I'm in the same position as you but I just sold my super leather nice hunter jumper saddle and are getting a wintec....figures. The wintec pro dressage saddles are really comfy though.

They really are not that bad though, I had one forever that was great it lived through being dropped who knows how many times, being fallen on (yes by a horse) and it was lightweight on top of it making it easy to use.  

Answer 16

I have used one and like it alot, very comfortable!! Only bad thing is that they really dont look good for showing...but if its just for schooling then go for it!!