Reviews of Wow Free Space girth?

Well, to my surprise, he DID go better!

Yes, he is still lazy. His head isn't in a different place. But... he is most certainly more supple laterally.

I don't know if he will break the 70% barrier as we had a few happenings, not of his making. I did a report on another thread, here...

Red-1 said:
Thank you all.

I managed to miss the rain, however, just before the first canter someone got a horse off their lorry who was obviously bonded with one still on the lorry. Much screaming ensued, right next to the ring. H managed really well, super first canter, yay, despite screaming from both horses. Then, for FWLR, the one walking next to the arena became so excited it started the snort telegraph system, dragon snorting. FWLR was then a bit giraffe like, and canter depart right was a little more spicy than I intended, then he remembered and broke to trot, before settling to canter. His head never really came back down though, not that I blame him as the horses were still screaming back and forth over his head (as in he was between them!).

So, I am really pleased with him, as apart from a more energetic canter depart than I expected and a break, with some tension, he was on the ball and obedient. It was under great duress for a baby too. We went into the collecting ring after and had a canter on each rein, normal service was fully restored.

He was being 100% genuine, I went into his stable afterwards and played the video, and again he was OK with whinnying, but made like a 19hh statue for the dragon snorting. Maybe I need to regularly play it to him until he realises it is nothing for him to need to attend to. I can see me hacking out, playing dragon snorts left, right and centre ?

I think he will still score well. It was our first time out in the new Wow girth and he was softer...

Just our luck, we were out SJ on Sunday when they blew up the local power station between fence 10 and fence 11! Then, yesterday, he nearly had his nose cut off on the main road by a lorry with drawbar trailer, bouncing and cutting in.

Fortunately, he is of a fairly stable temperament and tends to live and let live.
Click to expand...
 
Fantastic, Red.

Lottie was hacked yesterday and seemed much the same as normal. Made a bit of a fuss about girthing.
Today she did not react AT ALL to the girth which was a miracle. And then gave me the nicest work I've ever had. She is more comfortablt for sure which was my main aim. The improvements in her movement are an added bonus.
 
Well i have one word for the girth..... wow!!!! (Pun intended!)


8year old low mileage Arab, just lacking the little bit extra, i felt was in there.

As soon as i started walking him (in hand) to warm him up i noticed his hind leg had more lift, he's always over tracked but this was a noticeable change straight away.

Once inside the arena, things weren't going well as we had youngsters flying up and down the sides of the arena. I just waited it out, doing plenty of lateral work in walk (quite normal for us anyway)

Eventually the youngsters got bored of us and my horse started to relax, then the differences started to show!

First i noticed how much contact i could make with my inside leg, I've never felt that with him. We've really struggled to get him off the inside rein and into the outside but all of a sudden he let go of the inside. And then came the lovely long reaching/seeking contact that i have only had glimpses of, the swing and lift through his back was lovely when i asked for trot. He also pushed off the inside hind on each trot transition which is unheard of.

I kept the session super short as he's clearly using new or underused muscles but I'm blown away. I'm sitting very heavily on my hands, resisting buying a long version for my GP, but if the dressage continues this way i won't be waiting for long!
 
Oh man you are all making me want to buy it..and having just spent 5k on a dogs surgery and 1k on fixing the car it's not a good time and goodness knows what the shipping would be to Aust.. so everyone has reported improvements yes? I have a super wide Connie who does have gaps in the side of his girth when done up.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JBM
KEK said:
Oh man you are all making me want to buy it..and having just spent 5k on a dogs surgery and 1k on fixing the car it's not a good time and goodness knows what the shipping would be to Aust.. so everyone has reported improvements yes? I have a super wide Connie who does have gaps in the side of his girth when done up.
Click to expand...

Everyone who has reported back has seen improvements, I'd be interested if anyone hasn't. I'm just gutted i won't be using it again until Friday as i want to see if it was a fluke but i really can't see that it was.

My girth was super tight along the back edge before the girth was even tight
 
  • Like
Reactions: KEK
Identityincrisis said:
Everyone who has reported back has seen improvements, I'd be interested if anyone hasn't. I'm just gutted i won't be using it again until Friday as i want to see if it was a fluke but i really can't see that it was.

My girth was super tight along the back edge before the girth was even tight
Click to expand...

Sorry if I am being daft - that does the bold text mean?
 
I'm so glad other people are feeling it too.

I had a very bad session yesterday fighting with, I think, a seasonal allergy that's made him very UV reactive, couldn't catch him because of an in season mare in the next door paddock, and then when I gave in schooling and took him back to his stable rather than get cross, he did a pee to rival Austin Powers. Why he won't do it when ridden is beyond me, it must have been so uncomfortable!

And in spite of all that, you can still tell something has released somewhere.


I finally realised that the silver dots aren't fixings but markers for the centre point of the straps. So now I do it up and then move the pad to the right place before getting on and doing the final hole. Much easier than trying to get it central from the start.
.
 
Last edited:
ycbm said:
I'm so glad other people are feeling it too.

I had a very bad session yesterday fighting with, I think, a seasonal allergy that's made him very UV reactive, couldn't catch him because of an in season mare in the next door paddock, and then when I gave in schooling and took him back to his stable rather than get cross, he did a pee to rival Austin Powers. Why he won't do it when ridden is beyond me, it must have been so uncomfortable!

And in spite of all that, you can still tell something has released somewhere.


I finally realised that the silver dots aren't fixings but markers for the centre point of the straps. So now I do it up and then move the pad to the right place before getting on and doing the final hole. Much easier than trying to get it central from the start.
.
Click to expand...
Sadly, mine is the correct tightness when one side is one hole tighter than the other.

One hole tighter and it is restrictive on the sternum. One hole too lose and I can feel some roll in the saddle.

I am unsure if I should try to remember day by day which side was the hole tighter and rotate them.
 
Red-1 said:
Sadly, mine is the correct tightness when one side is one hole tighter than the other.

One hole tighter and it is restrictive on the sternum. One hole too lose and I can feel some roll in the saddle.

I am unsure if I should try to remember day by day which side was the hole tighter and rotate them.
Click to expand...

I was always 10 one side 11 the other only because "the other" was my right hand after I'd mounted and the alternative was to mount on 11/9 or struggle left handed to get a buckle done up very close to the flap. I'm 10/10 now in this one, problem solved :)
.
 
Fieldlife said:
Sorry if I am being daft - that does the bold text mean?
Click to expand...

So on my old girth, before it was even tight enough to get on, the edge of the girth that 'points' to the back was digging in. I only noticed after others on here had mentioned their girths were tight in spots despite being loose elsewhere.

So those who have this girth, how are you judging when it is tight enough, as obviously you have a huge gap!
 
Identityincrisis said:
So on my old girth, before it was even tight enough to get on, the edge of the girth that 'points' to the back was digging in. I only noticed after others on here had mentioned their girths were tight in spots despite being loose elsewhere.

So those who have this girth, how are you judging when it is tight enough, as obviously you have a huge gap!
Click to expand...

The sides of my girth are always loose, I judge when the saddle feels stable. If it is too lose it feels like it has a bit of roll.
 
Identityincrisis said:
So on my old girth, before it was even tight enough to get on, the edge of the girth that 'points' to the back was digging in. I only noticed after others on here had mentioned their girths were tight in spots despite being loose elsewhere.

So those who have this girth, how are you judging when it is tight enough, as obviously you have a huge gap!
Click to expand...

I check it just under the saddle flap, it's surprisingly tight there, but I've never checked any other girth there before and that may tell us something too!
.
 
Petmurf said:
It will be here tomorrow ?
Click to expand...

Mine too! We're doing a dressage test on Saturday (just an online one) so it'll be interesting to see if it has an effect. (If I can get it on... I tried her 50" Prolite last night and couldn't even do it up! Meanwhile, her 50" string girth is on the 4th hole. Girths are difficult.)
 
Pippity said:
Mine too! We're doing a dressage test on Saturday (just an online one) so it'll be interesting to see if it has an effect. (If I can get it on... I tried her 50" Prolite last night and couldn't even do it up! Meanwhile, her 50" string girth is on the 4th hole. Girths are difficult.)
Click to expand...

I measured mine in use against a Stubben string one today, just for you. It is very similar.

I don't know about Prolite, but the Fairfax ones always rode short in comparison to ordinary girths. I reckon it is to get round the padding.

The new Wow one measures big, but fits as expected. Much better!
 
Red-1 said:
I measured mine in use against a Stubben string one today, just for you. It is very similar.

I don't know about Prolite, but the Fairfax ones always rode short in comparison to ordinary girths. I reckon it is to get round the padding.

The new Wow one measures big, but fits as expected. Much better!
Click to expand...

Thank you, much appreciated! I think it probably is the padding that makes the Prolites/Fairfaxes come up quite short.
 
I “accidentally” bought a WOW dressage Free Space Girth after reading YCMB's initial review.

"" This exciting new Free Space Girth from WOW™ will get your horse moving more freely! The massive success of this girth has changed the lives of many horses, allowing them to move more freely and comfortably.
This new innovative patented design has an Active Cushion Sternum Plate that has two parts. The outer is a reinforced plate that will not give under girth tension. This is spaced away from the horse by the Active Cushion which holds the Sternum Plate away from the horse’s rib cage. The Sternum Plate makes the girth straps bridge the pectoral muscles and it is this lack of pressure that is the key to allowing the horse to engage by the use of an unimpeded Rectus Abdominus and better leg retraction due to the Ascending Pectoral muscles not being squashed!””

He does seem to like it. He had a mattes Athletico sheepskin girth before. Which was best I’d found. But he still pulled angry faces when I did mattes girth up. So far (two rides) no face pulling with the new girth
1f91e.png
1f91e.png

In terms of schooling Monday he was very behind my leg. Thursday morning he felt great. So jury is out for girth ridden. (But I think there were other reasons for being stuffy Monday - to Wednesday (I hacked tuesday and wednesday in a different saddle and girth).

I suspect he moves better in new girth as seems happier with it being tightened, but will do a test with old girth versus new at some point.

It is fascinating how it is tight enough at base, but fairly loose at sides. Saddle seems stable (we can have a slip to right issue - partly rider driven and partly left hind dominance driven) And I like the non leather material for being easy to clean. It does IMO fit big in terms of coming further up girth straps than my previous girth of same size. Like the central dot to get it central.
 
So mine arrived today and I tried it tonight.

Took me a while to get it done up even though it’s the same size as his current one but eventually managed it. We went out on a solo hack and he was a tit but he always is when we’re on our own but I could feel a bit of difference in the length of his stride in walk up hill.

Once we got onto the flat farm lane we trotted and then I really noticed the difference, he felt wonderful, bouncy and more willing to trot whereas before I had to keep him going.

A longer hack tomorrow with a friend so he won’t be a tit and I can test it out more, we’re going early so hopefully it won’t be as difficult to do up as no grass belly and blowing out.

Its a lovely colour, soft and looks easy to clean.

eta For the first time he was looking round at me when I was doing it up, he’s never bothered before but was very inquisitive tonight but not in a bad way, more of a what are you doing, that feels different way
 
I took my horse jumping tonight, but used the LeMieux stud girth.

Hmmmm, well, he didn't be as off the leg. Was quite reluctant to canter actually, until he got going. That said, he still over achieved at the first fence!

296290708_10222721247963824_5891424182987610165_n.jpg

I do think he prefers the new Wow girth, which surprises me as the stud girth spreads the weight and is really soft.
 
Red-1 said:
I took my horse jumping tonight, but used the LeMieux stud girth.

Hmmmm, well, he didn't be as off the leg. Was quite reluctant to canter actually, until he got going. That said, he still over achieved at the first fence!

View attachment 96775

I do think he prefers the new Wow girth, which surprises me as the stud girth spreads the weight and is really soft.
Click to expand...

You’ll have to get him the long free space girth too!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top