So we headed into Dover, I glanced at the shirts and jackets. I so want one of those nice quilted looking jackets. Some have a diamond pattern while one I saw had little horseshoes on it. I thought it was very cute. Steve commented about how there is not much clothing for men. That's an interesting thought, where are we going to find riding gear for Steve? There was a whole rack of helmets. I eventually want to get another helmet at some point, one that is casual and more low profile, something that would work for trail riding. I like the brown leather look Troxel helmet. I love the one I have but I like variety too!
The first saddle I get for my future horse will be a dressage saddle since I know I'll be doing a lot of arena work and I can still use the saddle for trail rides. Eventually though I want to buy an Australian Stockman's Saddle from Down Under Saddlery, a local shop in the Denver area. I just want to be cautious since a lot of times the Australian saddles throw your leg forward because of how you need to sit in them and I don't want that ruining the seat I'm working hard to obtain for dressage.
Anyhow, Steve and I looked at all the racks of tack. We pulled down a several saddles to try out. I was interested in seeing the Wintec saddles in person. I like the idea of a low maintenance saddle (no leather!) and the two Wintecs I've ridden in have been pretty comfortable to me. I grabbed the dressage saddle I was liking from online, the Wintec Dressage 500. It's made of Equileather, so it has a nice smooth surface instead of the mock suede that I've read tends to pill after use. The twist was narrow and made me feel very secure and comfortable. I liked it a lot. I'm not sure if I would get a 17.5 or 18 inch size, I think the people at the store could help me determine the proper size. The saddle is equipped with Cair which is supposed to be an equally distributing base so that there are fewer hotspots than with a normal stuffed/flocked saddle panel. I also tried out a couple of the other Wintec saddles, the more expensive models and found them to be wider than I felt happy with.
We checked out some of the other gear they had such as blankets, saddle pads and bridles. I'm pretty set on the Wintec Dressage 500 now, so glad I saw it in person. I asked one of the show room people about fitting it to a horse and they have a trial option where you can buy the saddle and "try" it out. It has to not show wear and tear or anything like that if you return it so I guess a very clean horse and limited riding to check the fit is all you can do. The other good thing about the Wintec is the adjustable gullet. You can fit the horse with the perfect fit over the withers and then as they build muscle or change as they age you can always adjust the saddle. I'm pretty happy! Can't wait to go shopping for my future horse!
2 comments:
new follower here reading some of your older posts! I have a Wintec and I love it. I have the Wintec Pro Dressage and it is awesome. It has the "equisuede" but I've never noticed it to pill. and actually to me it acts like a "velcro" and helps me feel like I'm glued into the saddle especially when I wear full seated breeches! After I got my Pro Dressage everyone in my barn tried it out and then ended up buying their own. It is super comfortable and just a great saddle. I can't say enough good things about it. I LOVE the fact that it has the adjustable gullets. I have an OTTB that is constantly changing shapes so I am able to adjust accordingly. If I had to get rid of this saddle I would get the Wintec 2000. That was the first Wintec I ever rode in and I absolutely love that one too.
Before I had my horse I LOVED going to tack shops and browsing. I wish we had a Dover or any English tack shops around where I live.
That's great to hear! I've sat in a few Wintecs and really liked them. I love the low maintenance too...nothing bothers me more than a dried out leather saddle but I don't want to take all the time to maintain it! Welcome to my blog!
Post a Comment