Wow saddles - how adjustable?

little_critter

little_critter

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I'm struggling with saddles for my TB at the moment. She keeps changing shape, the Equipe I had and have now widened twice now no longer seems to fit - it's currently wide enough but I think she has also changed shape so the points now interfere with her shoulder.
I think she still has some topline to build so whatever I get needs to be able to cope with her filling out.
I have a Wow fitter coming to see if they will work for us.
I know they come in parts and you can swap and change but I don't want to be buying new headplates / panels every 5 minutes. So how well do Wows cope with minor adjustments to accommodate changes in muscling (of course I will swap saddle parts if a change seems to be more long term).

Any other suggestions for saddles to look at?
I have a call in with a Lavinia Mitchell fitter as I understand they tend to fit wider then shim as appropriate.
Also looking at Strada (but they don't sound very adjustable).
 
I've found them to be very adjustable :) And if you need to change headplates you can usually pick the standard ones up for £20 or so second hand, it's a 2 min job. When you get used to it, it's also not that hard to adjust the flair yourself if you need to. I got a pump kit on ebay quite cheaply and if I feel that something needs changing I do it myself, though tbh I haven't needed to do that very often at all.

IMO the design of the pointless panels& totally separate flaps is also pretty good for accomodating horses that change shape because that sits entirely behind the shoulder and the flaps/knee blocks etc float over the top. Def worth a try. I have an equipe dressage at the mo but at some point will save up for a Wow dressage for my WB, she goes well in my Wow jump.
 
Thanks Millipops - pointless points sound ideal as that seems to be our sticking point (a-ha!)
I've currently given up on the Equipe and just riding in her jump saddle which she isn't protesting about, but I'm concerned that it actually sits a little low round her withers, if I shim it to sit with the correct clearance it's then too tight.
It's like the saddling equivalent of the princess and the pea!
 
Widening saddles like Equipes is okay until you fit the point that the rails and the panels are too upright which affects the whole back, you see it in the shoulder but it's the entire back, I saw one yesterday, a XXW Emporio on a Connie with the panels barely in contact either side of the spine as they were much too upright, being firm foam doesn't help. I think you'll know what I'd suggest, but Wows will be adjustable via the Flair, however not all horses like the Flair.
 
Wows are very, very adjustable. There are tons of panel types but I have yet to have a horse I can't fit in a DWG panel with tabs. As MP says, get a pump kit too. I don't mess around with cross tubing, mainly because I've seen condensation block tubes so the balance ends up wrong anyway. I do each bag separately and count puffs. Much easier :)
 
sbloom said:
Widening saddles like Equipes is okay until you fit the point that the rails and the panels are too upright which affects the whole back, you see it in the shoulder but it's the entire back, I saw one yesterday, a XXW Emporio on a Connie with the panels barely in contact either side of the spine as they were much too upright, being firm foam doesn't help. I think you'll know what I'd suggest, but Wows will be adjustable via the Flair, however not all horses like the Flair.
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You can flock WOW panels really easily because they open with Velcro right along the inside edge, and they also sell foam ones. The gullet plate is also interchangeable, of course, only the smaller adjustments are done with the air.

IME, most of the dislike of Flair is due to the airbag overlap. In the newer saddles this is much less noticeable, but in any case I always recommend using a wool or sheepskin saddle cloth. Though I'm currently using Le Mieux x grip and they are good too.
 
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sbloom said:
Widening saddles like Equipes is okay until you fit the point that the rails and the panels are too upright which affects the whole back, you see it in the shoulder but it's the entire back, I saw one yesterday, a XXW Emporio on a Connie with the panels barely in contact either side of the spine as they were much too upright, being firm foam doesn't help. I think you'll know what I'd suggest, but Wows will be adjustable via the Flair, however not all horses like the Flair.
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Sorry Sbloom I'm not sure what you'd suggest so could you elaborate? I did consider messaging you to get an opinion but I know TB's are rather different to your specialism and you are also well outside my geographical area now. I trust your opinion but didn't want to take the mickey!
 
Infinitely adjustable!
My old horse was a big shape changer between seasons, coupled with being croup high, so with a regular saddle we often ended up with the saddle dropping at the front and the points ramming into the back of his shoulders.
Swapped to a WOW and never had that issue again, changed horse and with very little adjustment his saddle has gone onto my new mare. I also always use a fluffy numnah (I like the fit of the PE best, and the fancy colours)!
Also a big fan of the H girth. Yes they are not cheap new, but the amount of money I spent on not cheap saddles that never really fitted well in the past makes a WOW a sound investment for me now 😊
 
I have 2 Lavinia Mitchell saddles and I highly rate them, one of my horses had muscle wastage so my previous too narrow saddle would just sit tight behind the shoulder so I got Lavinia out and she fitted a much wider saddle with shims and I never had a problem with it and that was 5 years ago, the horses back has changed beyond belief I only have a shim each side at the front now, I know she has numerous fitters all over the country I have no idea what they are like as I only ever had Lavinia come out to me.

I have not ever owned a wow saddle but have ridden in one and really liked it but I do know quite a few people that really don't like them so I think you really need to have a try and see how you feel, personally I would get a fitter out for both and compare them and see how you go.
 
As others have said, they are very adjustable.

The important part is getting the correct combination of seat and panels. Indeed DWG are the most popular and it depends on the conformation of the wither whether you would have tabs or no tabs. Hopefully the fitter will explain this all to you.

Not all horses like flair as is already said but some horses just don't like the saddles full stop and not all riders will get on with them either as with any saddle on the market. So, let the fitter do their thing, have a good and long test ride in as many situations as possible and see how it feels. Either ask for a trial or for a 2nd test ride if you're not sure.

Enjoy :)
 
I contacted my local wow fitter on the basis I was only interested if I could trial the saddle for a couple of weeks - & that was fine. In fact my horse went lame 4 days after I took it on trial so I think I had it for nearly 6 weeks in the end!

She's a odd shape. MW on a wither measurement, but uncomfortable in MW saddles. That appears to be because her back is broad and she has a big shoulder movement. Add in the fact that she also prefers a 16.5" max and she became difficult to fit. I spent the months up to fitting the wow saddle in a 16" extra wide pony saddle with a tonne of shims and risers under it.

I've also got the H girth. Looks a bit odd but keeps the saddle very stable on my barrel of a pony even when she had a bucking fit.
 
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