Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Re: need suggestions on saddles
From: sbishop@desire.wright.edu
Date: 16 Apr 92 06:58:23 EST
Organization: Wright State University 

In article <1992Apr15.125701.6554@aber.ac.uk>, ckw0@aber.ac.uk (Carl Keri Williams) writes:
> In article <1992Apr13.160821.13398@morrow.stanford.edu> GC.SUL@forsythe.stanford.edu (Sullivan) writes:
>>I do all day rides at this point and am looking for an Elglish -type
>>endurance or english saddle.  I like the idea or Ortho Flex but that
>>is just out of my price range.
>>
>>I would appreciate any suggestions.  I am currently thinking about
>>the Wintec Sport Edurance because it fits me, is comfortable, and I
>>like the idea of a saddle I can ride in lakes and the ocean.  My
>>concerns are the following:
>>
>>Thanks, Karen
> 
> I have never tried a Wintec, but I did once have a Thorogood synthetic saddle.
> It cost me #150 (not sure what that is in dollars) and it lasted me exactly 
> six WEEKS before one of the stirrup bars came away as I was galloping next
> to a lake.  I was not impressed, as it was 10 miles from civilisation and 
> I very nearly tipped off into the lake.
> 
> The problem was that they had economised on the number of rivets used to hold
> the stirrup bars in place (these were advertised as 'Internationally accepted
> spring loaded stirrup bars' or somesuch and I assumed they were of a decent 
> quality.  This tree could easily have been used in either leather or synthetic
> saddles, but perhaps manufacturers of leather saddles might be fussier about
> safety standards.  

> 

I was very glad to see this post since I was just looking only *yesterday*
at a Thorogood saddle.  I was offered a new one with the adjustable tree
for $400.  Don't know if this is a good price, didn't know how comfortable
the saddle is, so this info has been very helpful.

Maybe they are better now, I was told they come with a six year warrenty.
did you send yours back?

> So if you do buy synthetic, check how many rivets they use!  Two is NOT enough!
> On the plus side, this saddle was amazingly comfortable to ride in, seemed 
> to mould to the shape of the horse and had velco (touch and close fastening)
> knee rolls, fitted under the front of the saddle flap, which you could put
> in place in the exact position your knees like to be in, which meant that 
> even if you spent all day galloping around over rough country your legs never 
> moved in the saddle and it was really easy to stay in position.  On the minus
> side, the synthetic fabric really made the horse sweat up a lot and overheat,
> even with a cotton numnah (saddle shaped quilted saddle blanket) underneath.
> If they sort the problems out and keep the price down I think they should be 
> brilliant, but I don't know how long they would last - 6 weeks wasn't long 
> enough to test the synthetic materials :-) 
> 
> Has anyone any experience of these new 'adjustable trees' which you can 
> widen or narrow 'with a turn of a screwdriver' ?  They sound brilliant,
> especially for young horses which might change shape, or if you change 
> horses or have to make one saddle do between several horses
> 

This was the very reason I was looking at this saddle.  I have a mare who
has very wide withers, a gelding with somewhat wide withers, and another
mare with normal width withers.  It would be great to have a saddle with
all three widths!

> 
> -- 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> |                                      | ckw0@uk.ac.aberystwyth               |
> | "Per Ardua Ad Overdraft"             | ckw0@uk.ac.aber.cs                   |
> |                                      |      tardis ?                        |

Sue