 |
Advertising Wintec's 2nd Generation of Saddles |
The first Wintec saddles were unfortunately not infallible. The join where the flap attaches to the seat would tear given enough stress and hard wear would soon put holes in the single knit fabric flaps. To solve the wearing problem effort was directed into sourcing a better material and a Double Knit Fabric was developed.
Ron and Ken were also unhappy with their original manufacturing method. Hand lacing of the panel to the seat was very time consuming and costly. The 2nd Generation of Wintec saddles were instead manufactured using what was termed the "envelope method". Ken had commercially perfected this innovative method to manufacture the cloth race saddles.
The envelope method of manufacture involves the top and bottom (panel) of the saddle being sewn together and the tree slid in between. Alternatively the traditional method of manufacture is to lace the top of the saddle into the bottom which is very time consuming. A saddle made using the innovative envelope method has a fully closed flap and a seam around the back of the cantle.
During this period the Wintec range of saddles kept expanding to encompass stock, close contact and endurance saddles.
The application of synthetic suede (equisuede) was first used in the PRO-AM Dressage which was only in the market a very short time before it was upgraded. The equisuede was situated as a centre piece in the seat and center insert in the flaps.