Aaarrggh, Wow! saddle problem, any advice?

[Dizzykizzy]

Finally got our wow saddle fitted yesterday, it took 2 hours to get it right as it kept going one way then the other.
It is for my daughter's horse. She has had the same saddle for most of the 6 years we have owned her and I have had it checked every year when she has her McTimoney. We have always been told it was fine, not perfect but because she throws the saddle to the right it was hard to fit her. I thought the Wow would be the solution......and so it should be BUT my daughter says it is just the most uncomfortable saddle and she hates it!
The fitter who came yesterday (master saddler) also told me the original saddle is too narrow for her and probably the reason she has one shoulder bigger than the other. Obviously we can't go back to that saddle but what should I do now? Is it like changing shoes after you have worn a pair for years? Will she get used to it?
Any advice please and thank you for reading!
She has agreed to persevere obviously for the sake of the horse but has any one else found them really uncomfortable?

 

[MrsMozart]

Haven't tried a Wow saddle, but I wouldn't ride in a saddle that I found so uncomfortable

I know I wouldn't be able to relax and sit deep. My saddler was most insistant that the saddle had to fit my horse and be comfortable for me.

 

[cptrayes]

Yes they can be uncomfortable at first, but the horses love them so much I persevered with mine and now have 5 of them.

BUT - they vary terribly in how much filling there is in the seat and it is quite possible that your daughter's saddle has too much filling in it and she can't sit down in it. Take a look at the "profile" (depth) of the seat compared to what she was riding in - you can copy the profile of the other one and send it and the seat back to WOW to have it made less full and better to sit in. I did that with one of mine and it made the most incredible difference.

Hope this helps.

 

[mrussell]

QR - the saddle should also fit the rider - you may well have the wrong seat style for your daughter, call the fitter back and ask to try one of the other seats.

 

[Dizzykizzy]

Thank you both.
That really does help cptrayes, thank you. I will do as you suggest. I also wondered whether a seat saver would help, I have a Heather Moffat one.
Daughter says they are just meant to be uncomfortable! I am so disappointed as I have been saving up for it for a while.

 

[Dizzykizzy]

Sorry, mrussell, cross posted with you.
I will speak to the fitter on Monday, my daughter also said the knee rolls were in the wrong place but hopefully as thay are the moveable ones we can sort that.
We have an important competition next Saturday (SJ) so it really is not a good time to be having problems!

 

[Linzi85]

I had a wow saddle and mine was terrible. My horse never had any problems with saddles in the past but just thought I would treat him to one. It did nothing but slip and twist and travel up his neck, the fact that it wasnt the most comfortable could have been forgiven if my horse was happy in it but it caused him nothing but problems. I have now sold mine, since I have heard of friends with the same problems with them. Your not on your own!

)

 

[chantypanty]

If you pay that amount of money for a saddle it should be fitted for the horse and the rider.

My wow didn't fit me at all.. it made it almost impossible to sit properly and kept tipping me back and out of balance. My horse may have moved better in it at first but soon got annoyed at me being tipped backwards and having such a bad seat.
I gave up and got the fitter to buy it back off me in the end.
I believe that if a wow is fitted correctly to horse and rider it can be a fab saddle though.

If i were you i would discuss the problem with the fitter and ask for it to be corrected. In my opinion you shouldn't have to pay for them to come out again as they should have fitted the correct seat/knee blocks etc during the fitting.