How to change a gullet on a Wintec or Bates Saddle

Once you have your new gullet, it’s time to determine where the screws are on your saddle. In older Wintec & Bates saddles screws can be located under the pommel, and can be easily seen if you sit the saddle on it’s cantle as per below.

In newer models the screws can be located either under the skirt at the side of the panel, or concealed via a dropdown D ring.

Once you have located the screws, take your screwdriver and begin the process of unscrewing the 2 screws which hold the tab in place, the tab can be found on the underside of the pommel.

Once both screws are out of the saddle place them in an empty pot to keep them safe.

Next place your fingers underneath the tab on the underside of the pommel, where you should be able to feel Velcro.

Upon feeling this pull the tab downwards which will then unstick the Velcro from the tab and expose the gullet.

Next you will need to expose the sides of the gullet in order to remove it fully. You will need to do this by removing the tree plates from their keepers, you will also need to remove any flexiblocs, or point girth straps to do this.
On each side of your Wintec or Bates saddle is a tree plate that sits inside a keeper within the saddle flap. To remove these all you have to do is simply pull down on the saddle flap one at a time, and the tree plate should slide out of place exposing the sides of the gullet, along with two more screws as per pic.

Once the tree plates and the sides of the gullet have been exposed, you will then need to unscrew the final two screws which are what keep the gullet in place. Once both screws have been removed and put into the pot with the others, the old gullet can then be taken out of the saddle.

Now it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, it’s time to fit your new gullet!

To do this you will first need to take your new gullet and place it behind the Velcro as per the below ensuring you line it up correctly to the screw holes.

You will then need to screw the gullet into place on your saddle, take the screws from the pot and screw them into place securely to ensure the gullet stays in place.

Next you will need to put the tree plates back into the keepers, if you look down the side of your saddle flap you will be able to see the keepers each side which will look like the pic. Once you have located the keepers, simply slot the tree point back into them firmly and you should be left with something that looks like this.

Now comes the trickiest part which is sticking the tab back to the Velcro, when doing this it’s extremely important to line the holes in the protective flap up with the metal cylinders which you will need to screw the screws back into, if you don’t line these up properly you will be unable to put the screws back into the saddle.

Once the protective flap is lined up correctly with the screw holes, and stuck back into place, simply screw your remaining two screws back into the saddle ensuring their screwed securely, and you’re done!

See we told you it was easy!