I have always been a saddle snob and wasn’t sure that a synthetic saddle was for me. The Wintec Pro Jump really changed my opinion. It was a much nicer saddle than I anticipated.
I decided to try the Wintec Pro Jump because I had just bought a horse and didn’t have a saddle that fit him. I was intrigued by the idea of an interchangeable gullet plus, I found a used Wintec Pro Jump on Ebay for $300.
The saddle I bought had CAIR panels. Some of the earlier saddles I believe are wool flocked. I had no problem with the CAIR and my TB seemed very comfortable in the saddle using the medium gullet. I did buy some of the other sizes but never had the need to swap the gullets out, so can’t comment on how how easily they can be changed. The saddle fit my horse very well. My saddle fitter did tell me that there is a pocket in the flaps to allow customization if the CAIR doesn’t fit out of the box. I hadn’t been aware of that and it’s good to know even though I didn’t need the saddle adjusted.
The first thing that impressed me was the balance of the saddle. I found it comfortable and for flat work and low fences (up to 2’6″) I had no problems with it at all and never felt that I was fighting the tack to keep my position.
While I know the equisuede isn’t appropriate for the hunter ring, it is a breeze to take care of. In fact, the equisuede material is great. I felt extremely secure in the saddle which was a bonus when riding my green OTTB. Couple it with full seat breeches and you are velcroed to the saddle. Since I used the saddle for schooling and hunter paces, it was never an issue.
My only complaint is that the flaps are not forward enough for those of us with very long femurs. When I shortened my stirrups enough to jump higher fences my knee went over the flap. I often use it for foxhunting because I like to ride a little long there, but it wouldn’t really be the best choice for jumping larger fences if you like to ride short.
I actually found this saddle to be so useful that although I sold the first one I bought, I found another a couple of years later at a good price and bought it. I really like having a saddle that is impervious to rain and doesn’t need to be cleaned. It’s very handy to have it as a spare.
