[Tserisa]

I have a Wintec general purpose.I've had a couple problems with it; one of the panels is slightly larger than the other side, so it's slightly crooked -- maybe not a problem for all of those saddles, I didn't notice it right away, it's very slight -- and also, it gives my pelvis an anterior tilt -- in other words, it leans me forward. And I have to keep fighting it the whole time. Very tiring. Very hard to find a good saddle at all, and I hate to say it, since there are so far fewer, it's very hard to find a good synthetic one. Wintec is considered one of the best -- but it's one of the only. Hopefully as demand goes up, quality and selection will as well.

Great thing about wintecs? They get dirty, you hose them off. Heh.

That said, almost all the saddles in our program at the barn ARE synthetic -- they're cheaper, wear well, and are much lighter.

My advice, as with any saddle shopping, take it home, check the fit on the horse AND on you, before buying it. And if you are not an expert on saddle fit, find someone who is... a wrong fitting saddle can be horrible for a horse.

Ride for the good of the horse!

I also have a synthetic endurance saddle, but I can't for the life of me remember what kind.