WOW Saddles - Good or Bad?

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newbie1

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Hi All

I'm struggling to find a saddle that fits my 4YO ISH. He has a flat back and withers and is still croup high resulting in everything the saddler has tried slipping forwards onto his shoulders.

I would ideally like a saddle that can be altered as he changes shape so for this reason have been thinking about the WOW saddles. I know you either love them or hate them but am keen to hear peoples thoughts good or bad.

Or has any one got any other suggestions?

Sorry forgot to say we need something to event in.

Thanks
 
They are marmite - you either love them or hate them

I like them as they are infinitely adjustable and changeable and I can now 'meddle' with my saddle!

They are high maintenance as you will either need to learn to play with them or get a fitter out fairly regularly (at least one year). So they are not for people who want to buy a saddle and that's it.

Interestingly I have just bought my 3rd and wondered how the person I bought it off could have used it. All the screws were loose and 2 of the air bags were flat!!

I now own 3 and lots of "parts" - so be warned they could hurt your bank balance
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I bought a WOW jumping saddle this summer and I love it. I went for it because my horse tends to change shape throughout the year and is a bit of a difficult shape. His withers are high and he is very narrow on top with a shoulder that is comparitively wide. The saddle fits him very well and he seems really comfortable in it (it also feels much softer than flocking). However I think it depends on the horse as some don't like them and a friend has recently bought one and had to send it back.

As a rider it does feel different from a traditional saddle but personally I find it comfortable. I have a flat seat and a pretty forward cut flap but you can pick different seats and flaps to suit. I would suggest asking a dealer to bring one out for you and your horse to try. Good Luck!
 
having been using them since their 'birth' and being one of the test riders , i would say they are fantastic. They do however need the expertise of a really good WOW fitter. Not normal fitter but one that does only WOW fitting as they variation as to why saddles do or dont fit is huge .
A good fitter will know all the variations that can be made with the saddle, its not just the width; but the flats , the gusset, the panel length, the types of seat, the thigh blocks; they all vary and can be used in a variety of way to suit a particular horse and particular rider.
I dont agree about them being high maintainence , i find them less so once set up properly. When i had wool flocking i had it fully reflocked every 12wks!!! as it is not dynamic enough and deteriorates over time and with use. The flair in the WOW is always dynamic and does not have a drop off in performance over time.
I have a variety of WOW saddles on so many different types of horses. Found them really good on my Spanish stallions.
Love the event and jumping flaps too [ have them on two TB eventers]
They key is the fitter and taking your time to feel the differences and then the follow up in 6wks as this is the point the more accurate tweek to the saddle can be made once it has bedded in.[the leather that is]
 
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I dont agree about them being high maintainence , i find them less so once set up properly.

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Should probably expand on that, because the wow allows horses to move properly I have found that my horses varied shape quite dramatically - both have gone from round barrels to muscled characters, but meant they changed panel type from SD to D panels.

Also mine have lost hell of a lot of weight so I needed quite a lot of headplates!!

However had I bought different saddles, I would now be needing a new saddle or using one hell of a thick pad!!!
 
i also like them
my 5yo wasnt comfy in her saddle that was fitted and refitted by a master saddler
her back was too wide for it lol and it was pinching her.
got the wow and shes perfectly happy in it and i like it, it keeps me really secure and even her super spooks are no longer scarey
i get all their saddles checked every 6-12months anyway so its not any higher maintainance.
but i too have 'acquired' so called 'spare parts' so it is not good for the bank balance!(i have 2 complete saddles now and erm a few more flaps lol)
 
i have tried them on a few horses and didn't get on with them at all- i felt too high off the horse, like i couldn't sit into them enough.
 
Thanks so much for all the helpful advice, I do think it's worth at least getting a fitter out to try them.

I'm a bit obsessive about my horses back so would always have any saddle fitted and checked regularly so I can cope with that.

I've also heard that some people/horses do not like the Flair flocking system so i guess it's just a matter of trying one out and seeing if it suits.

I'm in Essex so my local fitter is a lady called Louise who I believe is based in Kent at First Thought Equine. Has anyone had any dealings with her or could perhaps recommend any one else in my area. PM if you prefer.

Thanks
 
Louise is good

She fitted one of mine recently and knows her stuff! Being based as wow is better than a regular saddler as she eats breathes and sleeps wows.

She spends a lot of time with David the co-owner and wow guru. I had to have my saddle specially fitted, adapted and fitted by David.

You are in the perfect area for wows!
 
I have one coming at the end of the month and i cannot wait...

I have ordered a dressage saddle and I liked it because I could add extra long flaps to take my leg, angle the flaps to accomodate my long hip to knee and my mare just moved right underneath me
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I just cannot wait to have it now and am counting down the days!!!
 
Thanks cotswoldSJ thats good to hear.

From doing my research it seems alot rests in the hands of the fitter and it seems there are a fair few not so good fitters out there!!
 
JetSet I bet your excited!! Could you feel a difference in how your horse moved straight away?

Can you get one on trial for a couple of days or are you expected to try them once, buy it and just hope your horse likes it the second time round.
 
Definitely... I could just feel every movement underneath me and as though I could do small adjustments with my seat
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I tried one at YHL, then on my mare but only needed it for an hour. Don't know whether they will loan one out because they are made for you personally.
 
Love ours which we bought because of Partoow.
Had it fitted by David at Richard Davison's because she had won a lesson with Richard. That was about a year ago , we are going to Richard's next Thursday for a refit as when we had it we needed an H girth but he doesn't need it any more as the saddle no longer slips [ every saddle slipped on him]. Asked if Richard could fit him in for a lesson while we are there but he has the World class squad there that day as will try to fit us in if he is finished. That will be a laugh all those very smart horses and then Rafi with his trace clip and long mane. Still will see some proper riders and horses.lol
 
I'm afraid I owned a horse who did not get on with the Flair flocking, so much so that he ended up broncing with me when I was mounting.

I also found that the two WOW fitters that I used were not good, one (in West Sussex) took far too much air out and caused internal damage, so my saddle had to be sent off to WOW to be repaired. The second was not knowledgable enough about horses biomechanics and damaged my horses back, i did try to complain to WOW, but every time I called, no one was available to talk to and they never returned my calls. Not the level of service I would expect for a £1,500 saddle!
 
i am not keen on flair because of the size and shape of the airbags, they have edges under where the rider sits, i'd prefer it if the whole panel could be a bag with no edges other than at the outer edges, if that makes sense. i don't like the metal fixings under the rider's weight either, i'm sure they could cause pressure points.
 
I love my wow saddle, and it's been invaluable being able to alter it so much when my horse changes shape so much! I've got jumping and dressage flaps for mine, I find it so comfortable and Flash goes so much better in it
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I have 2 Wow saddles (VSD and GP) and have used them for 2 years now. I got them because I have a youngster who is constantly changing shape and she also damaged a ligament on her spine when she was younger, so needs something to fit exact, as this was caused by certain saddles! - but I agree with a lot of people, you need a good Wow saddle fitter! And need them out often, especially as your horse changes shape. I love them for flatwork, but find I am a bit perched, as the flair panels support the weight of the seat and rider so need to be fairly thick. So don't find them so good for jumping. My friend let me try her Sue Carson saddle on my horse at the weekend and I love it - They're not as adjustable as the wow as far as flaps, seats etc, but still has the flair, and is more close contact. So I am converting to a Sue Carson saddle - bit more expensive though
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Out of interest which seats do you have?

My flat seat for jumping is not perched at all and you feel very close to the horse, it also makes the panels wider on the gullet.

I recently got an extra deep seat dressage wow and its very different, you are much more above the horse, but not in a bad way for dressage. The panels (same horse) need to have a tab to drop them down or the gullet was much narrower using the panels I had on his jumping saddle.

Its very interesting and I've spend the whole weekend taking wow's apart and putting them back together. The seat and the panel both have a major impact on the way a wow fits.

Also I disagree about the air bags, I also took a panel apart as it had been ridden flat and mishapen its air bag. The cross over between the front and back bag is big, and there is foam around it, the edges are in the middle of the panel, so not at a classic pressure point. Compared to traditional flocking a wow is much less bumpy!
 
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