What a difference a Wow makes

PaddyMonty

PaddyMonty

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To muscle wastage
When I got Ed....not a pretty picture
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Ed02302.jpg


And yesterday after 7 months in the wow saddle....
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EdMuscleNow.jpg
 
I am not rich enough for a Wow saddle yet, but I did get my albion converted to flair at Christmas. I can also vouch for a dramatic improvement in muscle tone around my mare's withers, in fact her whole front end has improved. She has always had a big movement and I truely believe that having flair instead of flocked saddle has given her the freedom she needed.
 
Gosh I cant actually believe my eyes at the firsy picture - poor boy
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The second picture is way way better
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Hb
 
Sorry to jump in but Moodimare how much did Flair cost you? I need to get my new saddle converted .
 
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Gosh I cant actually believe my eyes at the firsy picture - poor boy
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I know. Still struggle to believe how some people can ride in a saddle that so obviously doesn't fit. Sadly he is not the sort to really complain when he's in pain. Signs are very subtle and easily missed
 
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Sorry to jump in but Moodimare how much did Flair cost you? I need to get my new saddle converted .

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250 quid. Probabaly the best present I ever got for my horse!
 
At least you have his back on the road to recovery now.

I guess the good thing with that you can constantly have the panels adjusted as he builds up muscle.

How is Ed getting on with his new career dressaging? How is your daughters pony doing?

Hb
 
Sorry, am I missing something here?.....is the change not due to correct feeding, exercising & working regularly in a correctly fitting saddle?

How can the muscle buld up be put down to wearing a particular make of saddle?
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it really is amazing to se the difference! You have obviously worked very hard to get him right he is a lucky boy to have you as him mum!
I have WOW saddles and funilly enough had a saddle check yesterday. My 3/4yr old has gone up 2 width fittings in 5months! my new pony who , when i got him had real issues with being saddled/ girthed up has been in my old KN saddle that has Flair fitted and in the 3 wks that i have had him he is much better and has stopped blowing out and worrying. Yesterday i had one of my spare WOW saddles re fitted to him and it was amasing to feel him move beneath me through his ribs and back and will go a long way to explain why he hated the conventional trees so much. The saddle also did'nt get shunted back either , he has the most enormous shoulder and incredible movement and this was happening with the conventional tree saddle even with the Flair.
So my potential new 'star' is now very happy bunny!
The two Spanish boys are also in WOW and the development in their backs and their attitude to being tacked up has changed out of all recognition.
I hope your lovely boy goes from strength to strength.
Hooray for WOW.
Saw the club saddle today too. What a great saddle for the money. Looks best with the suade seat it has the adjustable head and you have the option of having flair fitted at a later date when the budget allows but it has the flexible tree and the foam flocking is very 'giving',so its worth a thought for those who are really thinking about WOW but are a bit stuck on the pennies front.
 
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How is Ed getting on with his new career dressaging? How is your daughters pony doing?


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His dressage career has ended before it began
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He now feels slightly un-coordinated under saddle so OH and I decided it really wasn't worth putting in the training. So now he just hacks gently.
Daughters pony is brill
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Got one hell of a jump on him as I discovered when I got bored lunging him. Shame daughter is more in to dressage than SJ as pony would be great BSJA. Still I might get her to see the light.
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if not then I will have to find a jumping jockey for him. Way too good to not have a go.
 
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Sorry, am I missing something here?.....is the change not due to correct feeding, exercising & working regularly in a correctly fitting saddle?


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To some extent yes. All these factors are very important but the wow does allow for very free shoulder movement which tends to accelerate the build up of muscle in this area. Have seen the same result on a number of horses using Wow saddles.
 
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Sorry for being so thick
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but what exctly are we looking at here
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Look at his wither area in both pics. In the first it is very hollowed and his spine is protuding to a great extent.

Second pic the hollow is almost gone and spine now has muscle around it.
 
Shame his career is over - but I guess although it must be upsetting for you, Ed must be enjoying hacking still. I know my mare loves to be out hacking.

Excellent
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I think she needs some gently coaxing
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Have to say I've had exactly the same with my horse and her WOW too.
She had what my saddler described as "ice-cream scoops" either side of her withers and a small dip in her neck just in front of her withers. She was constantly needing to see the physio and had some truly awful behaviour.
Her previous saddle had been professionally fitted but was totally unsuitable for both me and her in terms of style for me and fit for her.
I'm sure she would have improved in any well fitted and suitable saddle but for me its the adjustability of the WOW that makes it better than other saddles. Jen has very wide spinous processes but at the time had poor musculature so she needed a saddle which had a wide enough gullet to encompass her spine but still a narrow fit as she was so wasted round her withers. She started in a size 0 plate and by 3 months had gone up to a size 1. One year later we needed to change the panel as her massive increase in musculature meant we needed and even wider gullet.
She is currently in this panel and a size 2 plate. She has no "ice-cream scoops" and certainly no dip in her neck - her neck now looks like a stallions! It is extremely rare that she needs the physio these days and the days of broncing and bad behaviour are over. A lot of this has been due to patient reschooling and help from my fab instructor and could definitely still have been achieved with a conventional saddle except that I would have had to of changed saddle at least twice in the last 2 years as she has changed shape so dramatically.
I'll have to see if I've got some before and after shots too as its amazing the difference in her.
 
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Sorry, am I missing something here?.....is the change not due to correct feeding, exercising & working regularly in a correctly fitting saddle?

How can the muscle buld up be put down to wearing a particular make of saddle?
confused.gif


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In 5 years of trying various feeds, doing correct work and having half a dozen saddle fittings to get the right one for her mine still had hollows behind her withers like the boy in the picture above. Having my (correctly fitting) albion converted to flair has made such a difference in 5 months. There has been a major improvement in her muscle development around the shoulder area, I only wish I had taken some before and after shots too. If you get a chance, feel how fluid the air panels of a flair or wow saddle are compared to wool flocked saddles - i know which one i'd rather wear on my back!
 
I REALLY shouldnt be needing this...you are making me want a WOW even more....their should be a disclaimer saying 'If you read this, prepare to be poor'
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He looks so much better, a definite improvement and Ive heard many similar stories...anyway Im leaving the thread now and NOT going onto the WOW website!
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looks so much better! If my horse is in need of a new saddle when the saddler comes next week, I will be definitely looking into it, as I've only heard good things!
 
If you can't afford a WOW saddle or a FLAIR conversion then you might want to consider a Korrector pad ( from the same people as WOW ). It's the same technology in a numnah. Made an instant positive change to my friends mares movement. At the last count I think there are now 3 owners at my yard using them. £125 new or £60ish on ebay if you can find them. They even do a western version if you're into that sort of thing ?
 
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