Wintec Fitting and Care

Wintec saddles are immediately comfortable for both horse and rider. Due to the soft materials and nature of the wool flock the panel of the saddles will compact down and take the shape of your horse very quickly, eliminating a long breaking in period.

In order to keep the saddle fitting well, you should have the fit of your Wintec saddle checked after 4 to 6 weeks of riding to ensure sufficient clearance is still being provided to the horse's wither.

We recommend riders check the fit of their saddles after 3 months and then every 6 months throughout their saddles life, to ensure the saddle continues to fit correctly as the horse changes shape according to its level of fitness.

If the saddle comes too close to the wither, the panel should be inspected to see whether the best alternative is to either add more wool to the front of the saddle or fit a slightly narrower gullet plate. In general we would advise the fitting of a narrow gullet plate, providing there is still ample resilience and depth in the wool panel, so the closest fit to the horse's back is maintained.

When the saddles are restuffed, care should be taken not to over-stuff the panels as in most cases this will cause an incorrect fit on the horse and improper weight distribution. It is a far better alternative to fill the panel back to approximately its original stuffed shape and lift the front of the saddle through the fitting of one of our fractional fit gullets as required.

Through the use of the Easy Change Gullet System and Wool Repacking a Wintec saddle can be custom fitted to your horse's back. Wintec recommend that a qualified saddle fitter is consulted when buying and fitting a new saddle.

Cleaning
The Wintec range of saddles require no oiling or waxing.

Equileather sections are essentially maintenance free and can be hosed down or wiped clean. To clean hi-grip sections featured on the Wintec 2000 and Pro saddles use a damp cloth and water or for more aggressive cleaning use soap and water.

The nap of equisuede will not ride down however it is likely to rub smooth owing to the dirt and dust being embedded into the equisuede fibre of the material. The nap of the equisuede can be restored by cleaning it using a detergent and scrubbing it with a stiff brush, such as a fingernail brush. The best way to do this is to thoroughly wet the equisuede, apply detergent, scrub vigorously with a stiff brush and then fully rinse the detergent out of the equisuede and allow to dry.

To remove any stubborn marks from hi-grip sections, equisuede, cloth or equileather sections of a Wintec saddle we recommend the using "Carr & Day & Martin Synthetic Saddle Cleaner" available in pressure packs.

All Wintec saddles should be dried out of direct sunlight and heat or solvents should not be applied to the materials.

Leather girth points should be cleaned with saddle soap and dressed with a good quality wax based leather cream. Do not use a an oil or greasy dressing as this will over soften the leather and cause the girth points to stretch.

Synthetic girth points require no maintenance and should not be dressed with oil or wax.

Maintenance
Wintec saddles will require re-stuffing to ensure ample clearance is maintained on the horse's wither and should be checked periodically, every 3 - 6 months. This time will vary depending on the weight of the rider and conformation of the horse.

RECOMMENDED MOUNTS

Always use a girth with roller buckles on Wintec saddles with synthetic girth points so to prevent the points being cut by cheap metal buckles. We recommend using the Wintec Elastic Girth, it is easy to clean, has stainless steel roller buckles and helps to prevent girth galling.

Wintec Saddles can be ridden with synthetic stirrup leathers, leather stirrup leathers and webbers. Oily leather stirrup leathers may leave a grease spot on the saddle but this can be removed by following the saddles cleaning instructions.

Synthetic stirrup leathers may have a tendency to squeak when ridden against Equileather material. If this occurs apply some Effax Combi to the area. Effax Combi is available from all good saddlery stores.

Webbers are a great alternative for riders wanting to remove the lump of the stirrup leather from under their thigh. Webbers reduce this lump from two thicknesses of material and a buckle down to a single loop of material. The benefit of Webbers is enhanced by recessed stirrup bars found on all Wintec saddles and is of particular value to dressage riders.
We recommend the use of a saddle cloth with all Wintec saddles. However, this is not essential and riding without using your saddle cloth will not in any way harm or damage the saddle.