Saddle Company or WOW Saddle

Halfpass

Halfpass

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Ok so after lots of searching I have narrowed my saddle options down to the above 2. Now I know there is a huge price difference but if I was to purchase a Saddle Company Saddle I know that in a few years once Alee has stopped growing I would trade it in for an all leather non changeable made to meaure saddle. If I was to purchase the WOW I am pretty sure that I would stick with it.
Now I can't make up my mind. One is £1000 more than the other so its a lot of money however it would come with everything where as although I liked the Saddle Company Saddle I didn't feel completely secure in it. I would like to try the wow on Alee but not sure if we have any fitters nearby.
Any help appreciated.
 
well i have had my wow for about 8 months or so now, and im really pleased with it.
i think if you could try and find a fitter so that you can try them would be best a i know that some people don like them to ride in (although tbh i didnt notice much difference)

if you would like any info on the saddle just pm me
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I think you definitely need to try the Wow before you make your mind up as they are miles apart in quality and feel.

I also feel that the WOW would hold it's price should you need to sell but the Saddle Co Saddles seem to have very little resale value.

I'm sure you'll get lots of comments on both saddles here but I haven't tried either - well the Saddle Co briefly which wobbled around but think that may be the horse not the saddle! Sorry not a great deal of help really
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My heartis saying if I like the WOW when I try it then go for it. However mybank balance says other things.
The next thing I need to decide if I do go for a WOW is do I go for a basic GP or the full changeable panel type. Which have you got?
I am thinking I may see if I can get an ex demo one as I presume these will be cheaper. and I noted on the website that this is a possibility.
 
well i think it depends tbh! i have the changeable one, but thats because i need too sets of panels for what i do!
 
If you have the money for a WOW and like it after trying it then it is no contest IMO.

The 2 saddles are in completely different leagues and are priced accordingly!
 
No unfortunatly I haven't but after Alee bucking on Sunday I realised that the saddle company saddle i'm using made me feel very insecure. I will also have to sell my car to fund it!!
 
Tbh, there are alot of saddle inbetween the Saddle co and the Wow wich will also serve your purpose without a problem, and without selling your car! Any flocked saddle is largely adjustable if you have a good saddler, and a majority are ALOT less than a Wow, I would be inclined to get a second hand flocked saddle for the time being, find a good saddler that you trust, and you should find you will have very little problem!
 
But my problem is she is only 3 and is gonna change shape massivley over the next few years.
The car has got to go anyway it will just mean buying a cheper one to fund the saddle.
Listen to me sounds like i've already made up my mind doesn't it!!!
Really need to have along hard think about this one and need to try the WOW fist as although I have sat on one I have never ridden in one.
 
yes, you might not even like it when you try it, although you sound like me - you have every intention of liking it
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Do you mean the wow club versus the wow competitor?

If so id go the competitor everytime as i think its one of those things you'll regret later.

Imo the saddles are in two different leagues (as someone else said), but you for sure need to try the wow first and see if you like it because it IS very different to many saddles.

I love my wow and i'll never ever change saddles again but im also pretty picky
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Its expensive, no doubt about it, but EVERYTHING about it can be altered as she grows...
 
Sorry people but for me my horses have always gone far far better in the saddle company saddles. I dont care that they look cheap because the horses are comfortable.
Tried wow and horse just didnt move all that well in it.
My physio also is very against wow saddles and wont reccomend them?
 
Interesting that the physio doesnt recommend them. Id love to know his or her thoughts on it.

I spoke at length to Gavin Schofield about the wow saddles and the effect on the horses back and he was very positive (i believe it also came up at the lecture he did at the royal veterinary college about poor rider posture and the effects on the equine back).

It should also be remembered that the wow should be fitted as carefully as any other saddle. Consequently, fitting error can cause as much issues as it would with any other saddle. The fact the saddle is infinitely adjustable doesnt mean much if its not correctly adjusted in the first place.

Ive never been a fan of the saddle company saddles and i never will be. But saddles are a very personal thing and everyone is different
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Ive never been a fan of the saddle company saddles and i never will be. But saddles are a very personal thing and everyone is different
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[/ QUOTE ]

LMAO!! I've NEVER been a fan of WOW saddles, yet LOVE SC saddles! I agree though that a saddle is very personal.

To the OP, personally, for such a young horse, as yours, I would go for the SC saddle - not just because I love them either, but because of the weight difference! You can get a 2nd hand one on ebay and have it adjusted to fit your horse constantly as she grows. The only ones that seem to hold their value are the square cantle ones and/or the dressage ones. I love mine - the most comfortable thing I've ever ridden in and my old horse moved so, so freely in it! I honestly do not think I'll ever have any other make of saddle - unless I go Western
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P.S. When I refered to the weight difference, I mean the WOW's are pretty heavy for such a young horse and even the full leather SC saddles are not that heavy and the half and half ones are really light!
 
I cannot recommend saddle Company saddles enough - i wish i had bought one a year ago.

I have 2 young Exracers, one of which has had 6 saddles in the last year, and the difference in them in just a couple of weeks in a SC saddle is fantastic. They are softer, rounder, more supple and my mare is tracking up with ease. the saddles are light and flexible, incredibly comfy and the most fantastic fit.

I have had so much success with mine that 2 other girls on my yard have bought them, one has a mare with issues due to ill fitting saddle in the past - the mare is now tracking up and hasnt bucked once since getting her SC saddle. The other is a Higland who has also stopped bucking since changing. Both horses had well fitting Wintecs previoulsy and were regularily checked.

Best part is that both my saddles were second hand and cost lno more than £250 - I had them fitted by Cobwebs saddlery in Sussex - who sell 2nd hand saddles too - and i cannot recommand them enough.

I had planned on getting a WOW eventually but I have shelved that plan now and am saving for a dressage SC saddle....
 
Considering THE consultant to the royal college of vets for backs can see their value; the WOW that is [ uses flair on his own horses], and EVERY physio i have used can see and feel their value i am afraid to say you are way off the mark.
I have 3 WOW saddles and many of my clients use them . The most amazing thing is the transformation in the back muscles especially around the withers as their are no 'points' to lock in behind the shoulder.
As for them squeaking? nope not had that either. One of my liveries, who events changes her panels at events finds them really easy to swap out and also has no squeaking problems.
They do need to be tried and you do need an experienced fitter as they are frequently fitted incorrectly , too much air too wide a 'headplate'. Their are alot of variables for your horse in terms of panels , gusseted etc .
For horse that are young and are developing they are exellent, a lot of horses that are in for training also change a lot they have also been really exellent.
They also really help my back and i am in much less pain at the end of the day even after riding 7!!! So with me they really have been tried and tested and they have really come up trumps.
Obviously you know your budget but i would say that they do last and they do adapt.
i dont have any knowledge of the SC saddles i have only used Passier, Albion and Keiffer before WOW. I did look into the Reactor panel saddles way back when i realised that conventional flocking , even with wool flocking with regular changes the panels do not allow for the movement of the muscle, ligament and shoulder blade to the same extent the air flocking can. As for the weight thing i think this is quite irrelevant , a couple of kilos in the form of a saddle is not going to really have that great an effect. Its not a race horse and you as a rider ,i doubt check your weight and think 'oh i wont ride today i'm 2 kilos heavier this week!!'
Your own riding technique has a far greater effect in terms of effect on the back.
 
I ordered a new saddle cvompany saddle at the beginning of may and still I have no saddle!!!
I have been told lie after lie by the saddler as to why its not arrived only to contact the saddle company to find out that they are in dispute with them over unpaid bills!!! I have already paid out £70 for fittings which should have been deducted off the final amout when the saddle came but obviously this money is now lost. The Saddle Company direct have been fab but I want to make sure I get it right this time. Alee has just been seen by the physio and after being ridden only 5/6 times already has a very sore back ? down to the loan saddle sompany saddle which I am not happy with the fit of. Its so hard to make a decision.
Oh well off to Hickstead on Friday so hopefully having a look at various saddles will help me make a decision.
 
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