Wow saddles..

[ldlp111]

Just wondering if you guys could tell me more about them.
I understand that you can change pretty much all the different bits of saddle You can change the size of the head? Is that the same as what you get with some of the changeable gullets on saddles now?
Are they alot different to ride in as they look quite weird to me
How often do you get the fit checked etc is it the same as a normal saddle?
Do you need special saddlecloths?
Did they make your horse go alot better? Are they easy to clean and maintain?

Thanks

 

[MiCsarah]

Personally I didn't think they were that speical. Used to ride a cob in one and didn't find it amazing. Generally you chose the seat you want, so high back, flat etc. Then you can choose your flaps, so you can change them between dressage, jumping, xc etc.

 

[Damnation]

I hate them. Ridden 2 horses in them and I just can't get on with them at all.
They are extremely adjustable and easy to clean (Just the same as any other saddle).
They seem to be a love or hate thing. I hated them but I have known others who have loved them!

 

[Foxhunter49]

I agree it is a love or hate thing.
Personally I find them very comfortable and the fact they are easy to change the gullet on.

When I first saw one I did think, 'Yuk!' but when I sat in it I did remark 'Wow!'

Despite them being interchangeable I cannot get one to fit my cob. They slip from side to side. This could be because there is quite a bit of air in it but it fits (with gullet change) the others very well.

 

[cptrayes]

I will not use anything else. A surprising number of horses are restricted in their movement in a fixed tree, and the unique thing about these saddles is that they have a carbon fibre joint in them so that the entire front arch swings left and right with the movement of the horse's shoulders. With many horses, you can't tell they are restricted until you put a treeless or a WOW on them. I had one horse that gave up every resistance as soon as he was put in a treeless, but I could not get on with treeless and the WOW was the answer for both of us. I've never put a fixed tree saddle on a horse since, and I won't again. On the other hand, I have a friend who can't sit her horse's extra movement in a WOW and put her back in a fixed tree.

If you want to know how the whole thing works, check out their website, it's all there. Once screwed together, they are no different from any other saddle as regards care & maintenance.


ps do not be fooled by teh suggestion that you can change your saddle flap in the middle of a competition. The screws are very easy to cross thread and it's not something that you want to do under time pressure. In reality, few people change flaps for disciplines, if they like the WOW they just buy another saddle on eBay!

pps be aware if you buy second hand that they went through a phase about 5 years ago when they put far too much padding in the seat and there are a number of extremely uncomfortable ones about. You can tell with a side-on view at seat height, where it is obvious that there is not enough depth at the waist of the saddle. WOW will alter the profile for you but it will cost about £150. Around the same age there are a batch of bad trees (resin, not the newer leather/lighterweight) where the headplate boltholes come loose, and so do some stirrup bars. If you buy one that age check that the bolts and the bars are firmly attached.)

ppps for some reason WOW did not seem to be able to get colour fast black leather and they go grey/green on the cantle very easily, as you will often see on ones on eBay.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I love mine, really but it took a while for me to get used to it and horse had quite a strong initial reaction to it. I've also heard of other horses that find the lateral give a bit radical (especially youngsters who have only experienced a fixed tree) so I would recommend hiring one first to see if you both get used to it ok. mine is 5 years old and the leather is superb, it looks great. saddlecloths can be an issue IME, they sort of suck up at the back-I generally use a high wither half sheepskin saddlepad and that works fine although we don't do alot of fast work/jumping. I have a half seat, moveable block GP.

eta I did have a different headplate put in but I think the new headplates are standard now-all other fittings such as straps and stirrup bars are fine. It is quite a heavy saddle.

 

[cptrayes]

I've never had an issue with saddlecloths but maybe that's because I have always used either a thin geleze or a wool lined numnah? I do that because some horses raise a lump at the airbag overlap if you don't, so I just use one all the time. I find a hi-wither nuu-med will stay in place without even using the fastenings on mine, in fact I cut them off.

I have one of the very original seats, when the metal panel attachments were on the seat not on the panel and it is still in perfectly usable condition, so I would rate them for wear too.