steffielu
Well-Known Member
Opinions please! I like the scientific reasoning behind the wow, but albions appear to be the most popular saddle of choice for the majority of dressagers!
What do people think?
What do people think?
Albion vs Wow
- Thread starter steffielu
- Start date
Tierra
Well-Known Member
We have both on our yard and Im a wow fan but tbh, preference on saddles is a very personal thing.
For me, the wows allow the horses to move better than the albions. The lateral movement in the tree really allows a lot of freedom and thats why first thought claim that you often see a lengthening of the horse's stride. I also love the wow seats as they are designed quite differently to other saddles. They're also extremely comfortable when you get used to the different feel and much more so than the Albions (which i find terribly uncomfortable tbh).
Albions are lovely saddles and they're beautifully made, but they arent for me. I can alter my wow infinitely as my boy changes shape to ensure the best possible fit for him and for me, his comfort comes as a priority.
In terms of how they sit you as a rider, my trainer rides in both and she likes both the SLKs and the wow dressage saddles and says they're both very supportive for the rider's position.
For me, the wows allow the horses to move better than the albions. The lateral movement in the tree really allows a lot of freedom and thats why first thought claim that you often see a lengthening of the horse's stride. I also love the wow seats as they are designed quite differently to other saddles. They're also extremely comfortable when you get used to the different feel and much more so than the Albions (which i find terribly uncomfortable tbh).
Albions are lovely saddles and they're beautifully made, but they arent for me. I can alter my wow infinitely as my boy changes shape to ensure the best possible fit for him and for me, his comfort comes as a priority.
In terms of how they sit you as a rider, my trainer rides in both and she likes both the SLKs and the wow dressage saddles and says they're both very supportive for the rider's position.
MillionDollar
Well-Known Member
WOW saddles all the way, although when i can afford it im getting a Heather Moffett Fheonix saddle. Friend has just got a WOW and its made a huge difference in her horse and has helped her riding no end. First time out at BD after getting it she won her class!
Plus she can change everything on this saddle without having to get a new saddle.
Plus she can change everything on this saddle without having to get a new saddle.
Forget_Me_Not
Well-Known Member
I'm not a fan of wow saddle *the idea does sell me but in experience... Doesn't float my boat* I love Albions and looking for one now. I think you need to try the saddles because every body likes a different feel. Spesh for dressage.
not_with_it
Well-Known Member
I would definatly recommend Albions. I love these saddles and they really do last a lifetime. Never ridden in a WOW but I dont like the look of them.
I_A_P
Well-Known Member
love my wow,just the changeability..i know they may look odd to look at...but tbh as soon as your sat in them they look like a regulr saddle.
I_A_P
Well-Known Member
and to add, i have heard some saddlers and a mctimoney say that they dont particulalrly like the way the albion trees are made apparently....i havent had my saddle for very long, but beofre my horse had time off and she was fit and i rode in my dressage saddle in lessons a few time we noticed a huge difference! i have some ics of riding in various ones if you are interested!
mrdarcy
Well-Known Member
I can't comment on WOWs but have been using an Albion until recently. Of all the traditional treed dressage saddles I like the Albion best. They do put you in a nice position and I find them very comfortable. I do think they suit people with long legs/thighs better than people with short legs. I'm not tall but have long thighs for my height, hence why the Albion seems to suit me.
I've stopped using the Albion on my boy though because it wasn't the greatest fit. He's an Iberian and they are difficult to fit properly - being very broad shouldered, but narrow backed (not muscled up yet) and short from wither to loin. I've now got a HM Fhoenix saddle and it's so comfy for me AND him. His shoulders are far freer than in the Albion and he's so much happier. As for me I couldn't imagine now riding in anything else as once the memory foam seat in the Fhoenix warms up you sink into it and feel extremely secure
I've stopped using the Albion on my boy though because it wasn't the greatest fit. He's an Iberian and they are difficult to fit properly - being very broad shouldered, but narrow backed (not muscled up yet) and short from wither to loin. I've now got a HM Fhoenix saddle and it's so comfy for me AND him. His shoulders are far freer than in the Albion and he's so much happier. As for me I couldn't imagine now riding in anything else as once the memory foam seat in the Fhoenix warms up you sink into it and feel extremely secure
Tierra
Well-Known Member
Mmmm the chiro and physio that treats my trainers horses say the same. The physio particularly despises the fit on the albions also but tbh, I dont understand enough about saddle fitting to really understand the technicalities of it all.
First Thought did make a few comments to me about the albions not providing enough room for the spine when I went to have my saddle fitted. They also went to great lengths to explain a lot about the wow works and explained the fitting at every single stage to try and help me understand what to look for if and when the wow needed alterations.
First Thought did make a few comments to me about the albions not providing enough room for the spine when I went to have my saddle fitted. They also went to great lengths to explain a lot about the wow works and explained the fitting at every single stage to try and help me understand what to look for if and when the wow needed alterations.
I_A_P
Well-Known Member
Tierra thats what i head as well, about them pushing down on the spine, and i must say i was sceptical of the wow and was never interested till i saw them at burghley.
the fitter was amazinf and explained everything and wasnt full of sales jargon and answered every question i think as honestly and unbiased as possible!
the fitter was amazinf and explained everything and wasnt full of sales jargon and answered every question i think as honestly and unbiased as possible!
squirtlysmum
Well-Known Member
I have a WOW and it is by far the most comfortable dressage saddle I have ever ridden in (Also owned Passier and Kieffer)
I love the fact it can be changed for me and my horse, I have to admit I thought it was ugly when it first came onto the market, particularly the revolting pink job they used for advertising, however the manufacturers are based 20 mins from me, I visited them and they showed me my saddle being made and have given an amazing after sale service too.
I have a very bad back and this is the only saddle I have never suffered back ache with. Love it!!!
I love the fact it can be changed for me and my horse, I have to admit I thought it was ugly when it first came onto the market, particularly the revolting pink job they used for advertising, however the manufacturers are based 20 mins from me, I visited them and they showed me my saddle being made and have given an amazing after sale service too.
I have a very bad back and this is the only saddle I have never suffered back ache with. Love it!!!
Tierra
Well-Known Member
Yup fran123t this is exactly what was explained to me when I went for my fitting, they said that the albions don't take account of what happens around the spine of the horse when the horse is moving and when it's head is in different positions.
They demonstrated this to me by having someone hold my boys head up (as if he was above the bit), at a more natural level (like you'd expect when loose schooling) and then with the neck curled in with the help of a bridle. At the same time, I was stood ABOVE him on a staging area so I could watch the change in his back shape and it was quite scarey. They claimed this was the most ignored area of saddle fitting and saddle making.
I was there for a good 3 or 4 hours for my fitting (granted, there were issues regarding my horse), but ive never ever had a saddle fitted whereby anyone took such great attention over ever single aspect of my horse's build and movement under tack. By the end, my horse was really powering round and felt much more free and fluid in his paces.
We'd been discussing the albions throughout (my trainer and her mum was there also) and we were told to go home, look at the albions in the tack room and compare the underneath of them and specifically look at the width of the gullets as they said they were a standard width (depending on the tree width naturally), which made no attempt to take into consideration that just because a horse is a medium in the width at the front, it can then require a different width through the gullet to account for its spinal area. We did this and it was quite funny to see the gullet width was almost identical on all of the albions in our tack room (and we have a lot), yet when you flipped my wow over, the room for the spine was much wider (mine also banana's outwards from the front of the saddle, giving the widest point midway beneath the seat and then curves back in slightly to account for his back).
I understand that many people think they feel odd to begin with (the seat has bits that bow outwards to fill the hollow at the very top of the thigh) but its 100% worth giving them a try to see the difference they can offer the horse. I also feel terribly insecure now when Im riding other horses (generally in amerigos and albions)!
They demonstrated this to me by having someone hold my boys head up (as if he was above the bit), at a more natural level (like you'd expect when loose schooling) and then with the neck curled in with the help of a bridle. At the same time, I was stood ABOVE him on a staging area so I could watch the change in his back shape and it was quite scarey. They claimed this was the most ignored area of saddle fitting and saddle making.
I was there for a good 3 or 4 hours for my fitting (granted, there were issues regarding my horse), but ive never ever had a saddle fitted whereby anyone took such great attention over ever single aspect of my horse's build and movement under tack. By the end, my horse was really powering round and felt much more free and fluid in his paces.
We'd been discussing the albions throughout (my trainer and her mum was there also) and we were told to go home, look at the albions in the tack room and compare the underneath of them and specifically look at the width of the gullets as they said they were a standard width (depending on the tree width naturally), which made no attempt to take into consideration that just because a horse is a medium in the width at the front, it can then require a different width through the gullet to account for its spinal area. We did this and it was quite funny to see the gullet width was almost identical on all of the albions in our tack room (and we have a lot), yet when you flipped my wow over, the room for the spine was much wider (mine also banana's outwards from the front of the saddle, giving the widest point midway beneath the seat and then curves back in slightly to account for his back).
I understand that many people think they feel odd to begin with (the seat has bits that bow outwards to fill the hollow at the very top of the thigh) but its 100% worth giving them a try to see the difference they can offer the horse. I also feel terribly insecure now when Im riding other horses (generally in amerigos and albions)!
I_A_P
Well-Known Member
i cant agree more, so much care was taken in the fitting and unlike other fiters which i feel just try to fob you off with a saddle they took lots of time to make sure they are 100% right, and the aftercare sounds good!
i didnt find there to be much of a difference riding in the wow to any other saddle personally....i just love mine!
i didnt find there to be much of a difference riding in the wow to any other saddle personally....i just love mine!
lorenababbit
Well-Known Member
Love albions myself but maybe my fat arse just fits in one better!
I_A_P
Well-Known Member
hehe!! i do really like them and know many people that really get on with them!!
no personal experience with one myself though!
no personal experience with one myself though!
Tierra
Well-Known Member
I can feel more of whats going on underneath me in the wow (due to the flair), than i can in the albions (or any other generic dressage saddle). That felt quite funky at first and caused both the saddlers and my trainer much amusement when I was screeching "omg he feels weird.... OMG IS HIS BACK MEANT TO DO THAT?!?!?!?!" but I soon got used to it and now I find it helps me to judge much more how my horse is working.
Aside from that I just find the wow much more comfy. Ive always thought the albions are like sitting on a block of wood
Aside from that I just find the wow much more comfy. Ive always thought the albions are like sitting on a block of wood
beh
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Love albions myself but maybe my fat arse just fits in one better!
[/ QUOTE ]
thanks god, its not just me then!!!
Love albions myself but maybe my fat arse just fits in one better!
[/ QUOTE ]
thanks god, its not just me then!!!
mrdarcy
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I can feel more of whats going on underneath me in the wow (due to the flair), than i can in the albions (or any other generic dressage saddle). That felt quite funky at first and caused both the saddlers and my trainer much amusement when I was screeching "omg he feels weird.... OMG IS HIS BACK MEANT TO DO THAT?!?!?!?!" but I soon got used to it and now I find it helps me to judge much more how my horse is working.
Aside from that I just find the wow much more comfy. Ive always thought the albions are like sitting on a block of wood
[/ QUOTE ]
That's because you are! Well a synthetic but very solid tree anyways
I was the same when I first rode in the Fhoenix - you can actually feel the muscles moving underneath you, it's also so much easier to feel where each hind leg is at any given moment.
I can feel more of whats going on underneath me in the wow (due to the flair), than i can in the albions (or any other generic dressage saddle). That felt quite funky at first and caused both the saddlers and my trainer much amusement when I was screeching "omg he feels weird.... OMG IS HIS BACK MEANT TO DO THAT?!?!?!?!" but I soon got used to it and now I find it helps me to judge much more how my horse is working.
Aside from that I just find the wow much more comfy. Ive always thought the albions are like sitting on a block of wood
[/ QUOTE ]
That's because you are! Well a synthetic but very solid tree anyways
I was the same when I first rode in the Fhoenix - you can actually feel the muscles moving underneath you, it's also so much easier to feel where each hind leg is at any given moment.
Tierra
Well-Known Member
Actually id love to try a Fhoenix and hopefully will get around to that one day.
Interesting you mention about feeling the hindleg... the transition to the wow helped me loads with flying changes as I understand now what my trainer is talking about when she explains that I should change at a particular point in the canter stride.
Interesting you mention about feeling the hindleg... the transition to the wow helped me loads with flying changes as I understand now what my trainer is talking about when she explains that I should change at a particular point in the canter stride.
mrdarcy
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Actually id love to try a Fhoenix and hopefully will get around to that one day.
Interesting you mention about feeling the hindleg... the transition to the wow helped me loads with flying changes as I understand now what my trainer is talking about when she explains that I should change at a particular point in the canter stride.
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Exactly! All I have to do now is get my brain to tell my muscles to give the aid at the right moment as although I can now really feel where the hind leg is by the time I've processed the thought its already too late!
Actually id love to try a Fhoenix and hopefully will get around to that one day.
Interesting you mention about feeling the hindleg... the transition to the wow helped me loads with flying changes as I understand now what my trainer is talking about when she explains that I should change at a particular point in the canter stride.
[/ QUOTE ]
Exactly! All I have to do now is get my brain to tell my muscles to give the aid at the right moment as although I can now really feel where the hind leg is by the time I've processed the thought its already too late!
PaddyMonty
Well-Known Member
I have a Wow, wife has Albion dressage.
Love the wow, new ones are lighter and depending on the colours you choose can make it look very attractive. It made a huge difference to the way my horse moves, so much more freely. Very comfortable to sit in. I now find conventional saddles a pain in the thigh.
Wow vs Albion? Lets just say my wife is constantly trying to nick mine.
Love the wow, new ones are lighter and depending on the colours you choose can make it look very attractive. It made a huge difference to the way my horse moves, so much more freely. Very comfortable to sit in. I now find conventional saddles a pain in the thigh.
Wow vs Albion? Lets just say my wife is constantly trying to nick mine.
Sags_Deer
Well-Known Member
interesting subject as i have an albion on order, the wow dont fit close to the horse, some saddle fitters say for a saddle to be stable it needs to fit close to the horse. but i do agree they are comfy as i ride in someones once a week.
flyingfeet
Well-Known Member
I don't think you can compare the two
Albions don't flex, and having totally different flocking system. The panels and tree can be made to fit your horse, but don't allow for change.
Mine certainly jump differently in their WOW's and I wouldn't go back to a traditional tree'd saddle. However noted that WOW's are only as good as your fitter!
Albions don't flex, and having totally different flocking system. The panels and tree can be made to fit your horse, but don't allow for change.
Mine certainly jump differently in their WOW's and I wouldn't go back to a traditional tree'd saddle. However noted that WOW's are only as good as your fitter!
ann-jen
Well-Known Member
Cotswoldsj I totally agree with the only as good as the fitter remark! I've had my WOW for 4 years now and for the first 2-3 years it was great but in the last 6 mths I've had the fitter out 5-6x and never got anywhere. In the end I spoke at length to David at WOW and he told me how to change the girthing arrangement on one side of the saddle - Jen has one shoulder placed slightly further back than the other. Since I've done this I'm back to a happy horse and have had no problems since. Obviously if I had a standard fitting saddle there would have been no easy way to accommodate the shoulder problem and it took someone very experienced with the fitting of these saddles to sort the problems I was having out.
To the original poster - its the adjustability of these saddles that put them in a class of their own. I'd never use anything else now.
To the original poster - its the adjustability of these saddles that put them in a class of their own. I'd never use anything else now.
flyingfeet
Well-Known Member
Yes and that's another problem with WOW's - you feel so much you can tell when something isn't quite right, but you wouldn't notice it in an ordinary saddle!
You can also tell much easier whether you horse is stiff or slightly lame, which is great apart from making you a bit paranoid!!
I had my fitter out 6 times and tried variety of planels and set up before getting it spot on.
You can also tell much easier whether you horse is stiff or slightly lame, which is great apart from making you a bit paranoid!!
I had my fitter out 6 times and tried variety of planels and set up before getting it spot on.
ann-jen
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
You can also tell much easier whether you horse is stiff or slightly lame, which is great apart from making you a bit paranoid!!
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I'm glad thats not just me then
My problem was 1 stirrup seemed permanently 1 hole longer than the other even though the leathers were identical and she felt lame on the long stirrup side - although she looked completely sound to someone on the ground. David told me to put the point strap on on the RHS and since then nice even stirrups and perfect horse.
You can also tell much easier whether you horse is stiff or slightly lame, which is great apart from making you a bit paranoid!!
[/ QUOTE ]
I'm glad thats not just me then
My problem was 1 stirrup seemed permanently 1 hole longer than the other even though the leathers were identical and she felt lame on the long stirrup side - although she looked completely sound to someone on the ground. David told me to put the point strap on on the RHS and since then nice even stirrups and perfect horse.