A Blue Ribbon Ride: Winning in My Wintec AP Saddle

Wintec All-Purpose Saddle Product Review

Finding the right saddle can be just as difficult as finding the right horse. Regardless of your saddle needs, Wintec All-Purpose Saddles have you covered.

Wintec is the world’s leading synthetic saddle maker. Their saddles are lightweight, durable, and easy to clean. You can use them for any discipline, from dressage to jumping to trail riding.

I love that they’re affordable, comfortable (for you and your horse), and fit a range of horses.

Source: Natalie Gasper

Wintec: An Overview

The Wintec brand is owned by Saddlery Brands International. Bates is a similar brand, also owned by SBI. The main difference between the two is that Wintec saddles are made from synthetic materials while Bates saddles are made with leather.

For a brand that’s only been around since 1986, Wintec has wasted no time in becoming a household name for quality, synthetic saddles.

Wintec 250 All Purpose Saddle

$535.00

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03/26/2024 07:44 am GMT

Brand Mission

Wintec uses high-quality synthetic materials to make comfortable saddles that are lightweight, multi-functional, and durable.

Features & Benefits

Wintec doesn’t just offer one all-purpose saddle: they offer 11. They have saddles designed for every rider, for regular and wide horses, and with different materials (they have synthetic versions of leather, suede, and fabric).

Did I mention the easy-to-adjust gullets?

Price Point

I love that Wintec all-purpose saddles are so affordable. New, you’ll spend under $1,000 for their 250 model. Their most expensive all-purpose saddle is the 2000, which goes for just a bit more.

Main Competitors

Thorowgood is Wintec’s main competitor. Nonetheless, they only have one line of (mostly) synthetic saddles, and I’ve found the fit (for both horse and rider) to not be as good as with Wintec.

Wintec All-Purpose Saddle: An Honest Review

My Wintec 250 All-Purpose Saddle is hands-down the best saddle I’ve ever owned.

Key Benefits

Synthetic materials

The synthetic materials are lightweight (their heaviest saddle is 13 pounds), comfortable, and highly durable.

After eight years of near-daily use, my saddle didn’t look any worse for wear.

Low maintenance

Unlike with leather saddles, you don’t have to use special cleaners or conditioners. If it gets dirty, a good stiff brush and a little mild detergent (which I never needed to use) is all it takes.

Versatile

There was nothing I didn’t do in this saddle. Low-level dressage, training, small jump courses, trail rides, even showing! And this saddle was perfect for it all.

woman riding gray horse in black wintec saddle

Source: Natalie Gasper

During my time with this saddle, I used it on five horses, and it fit every one of them (no gullet adjustment required).

Quarry – an Appaloosa who was basically built like a barrel
Icon – an Oldenburg with high withers and a long back
Tito – a Hanoverian cross with a draft-like build
Ben – an 18hh Thoroughbred
Endzone – a 16hh Quarter Horse with a round build and flat back

To fit each of these horses, all I had to do was play around with various saddle pads.

Notable Drawbacks

Personally, I find no fault in these saddles. Other riders have expressed concerns.

Not leather

For riders who love to show at the upper levels, they worry a synthetic saddle isn’t “fancy” enough.

All-purpose means no-purpose

I find riders who say this have learned to rely on their saddle for their seat (typically, a dressage or a jumping saddle offers more built-in security).

woman riding gray horse in english attire

Source: Natalie Gasper

Overall Product Recommendation

I can’t recommend this saddle enough.

Whether you need an affordable first saddle, one that can flex for multiple horses, a great lesson program saddle, or if you don’t want to commit to just one discipline, you can’t go wrong with a Wintec All-Purpose saddle.

Ready to shop? Find it at Amazon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is an all-purpose saddle used for?

An all-purpose saddle is designed to be functional for multiple disciplines, including low-level dressage, jumping, pleasure riding, and trails.

Q: Are all-purpose saddles good?

They’re fantastic! A quality all-purpose saddle opens up a variety of riding possibilities.

Q: What is the difference between a Wintec 500 and 2000?

The 500 is made from Wintec’s Equi-Leather (their synthetic leather), whereas the 2000 features a combination of Equi-Suede (their synthetic suede) and Equi-Leather.

Q: Do Wintec saddles fit all horses?

While no one saddle will fit every horse, their saddles can be easily adjusted.

Q: Is Wintec a good brand?

When it comes to synthetic saddles, you can’t do better than Wintec—they are the leading synthetic saddle brand in the world!

Q: Where are Wintec saddles made?

Wintec saddles are made in Australia.

Q: Are Wintec saddles synthetic?

Yes! Wintec is proud to be an all-synthetics saddle company. They have three main synthetic materials for their saddles: Equi-Leather, Equi-Suede, and Equi-Fabric.