"wow" Saddles

[Endurance Nutter]

Just a quick post really, Im after the fors and againsts of the WOW saddles... I sat on one at WEG Aachen a few days ago and thougth it was very comfy on the saddle horse, but obviously, they are alot of money....

I thought you lot are the best people to ask for opinions.....

Pretty please?! Good and bad aprpeciated!

[Linda Baia]

I have two !! nanananere  :lol: one new, the other one is second hand.

They are beautifully crafted saddle. But .... there is a big but. You need a very good saddle fitter to fit them or you won't gain the benefit of the saddle.

Some models are also a bit on the heavy side. My VSD model is much heavier than my GP model.

If you have the cash, I would strongly advised to get one.

[visconde]

love my GP Wow and so does my horse! I loved the way they they could be fitted to my short backed boy, while still being big enough for me. They also dont move forward on him like every other make of saddle I tried (nice round ribcage with relatively narrow shoulders) and he is much freer through his shoulder.
They are pricey-but will fit almost anything you will buy as they are so modular-plus I was lucky and got hold of an ex demo model for less money.
I would say though-have one on trial and ride in it for a couple of weeks-not everyone likes Flair/gets used to it and there's not a make of saddle that suits all horses.

[minkymoo2]

There is quite a bit on here about WOW saddles - Ive got the jumping flap set in "back" position so its a "forward" GP.  I LOVE MINE!!!  I wouldnt swap it for the world.  Ive tried every saddle on the market (well---probably) and this is the only saddle that suits me AND my ned.  Ive had him for 8 years and Ive never felt him jump like it - its given him confidence in so many ways because Im perfectly balanced.

The weight is comparable to a treed saddle with irons - if that makes sense.  I use Tuff poly stirrups which then negates any difference in the weight.  Mind you -  think its more about HOW the weight is balanced.  A racing pad with an unbalanced rider must feel like more of a burden to carry than a WOW with a balanced rider on board.

Whats a couple of pounds anyway?  I can gain that in a week :blink:  

The best thing about these saddles is that they are built around you and the horse...they can be adjusted for croup high, short backs and uneven development.  They will also adjust to fit any horse, any shape..and can be changed from Dressage to Jumping...and back again.

One saddle for life - and in my opinion, the best saddle.

My fitter is definately the best fitter to have - so Im VERY lucky !

[kathlow]

They're excellent saddles - I have struggled to get a decent fit to suit both my horse and myself, and this was the answer. (Wide horse with huge shoulder, narrow rider.)

I still also have one of Heather's Easi-Sits which is excellent too.

I also use jumping flaps on the WOW as I have longish thighs, and use the set back stirrup bar for schooling and hacking. No problems getting lined up over my feet and into balance. The flat or medium-flat seat is great as I don't keep hitting the cantle if I come into a forward seat.

I would say they're well worth the investment and very versatile and adaptable.

Regards.

[Lucia]

Got my own WOW this week after having a demo saddle for 6!!! There is quite a lead time on them but it is worth it.

I LOVE my saddle - I have a deep seat model with moveable block dressage flaps and I also managed to get some vsd flaps 2nd hand for faster work/jumping (my mare doesn't like her shoulder hampered by anything too forward and the vsd flap in the forard position is fab).

What I would say is get a good fitter, all the reported 'problems' I have heard about (eg bounce due to the flair) has apparently been down to the saddle not being adjusted properly or 2nd hand saddles that have been used on a horse it wasn't designed for - there are literally hundreds of different combinations so you'd be extremely lucky to get a 2nd hand one that suited you and your horse exactly! (Although obviously you could get a WOW fitter out to adjust/change the components).

What I have found is it puts you in a great ear, hip, heel alignment as there is two choices of stirrup leather position and one is set back (other slightly forward for fast work/jumping if you prefer). It is secure and very comfy - but again it depends on finding the right seat for you (they now do a 'lady's seat too apparently) - my friend had one fitted to her ex racehorse at the same time and she has a flat seat - she hated the deep one that I loved.

The saddles look quite up off the horse/high when you first see them but they really don't feel up off the horse - the memory foam moulds and it actually feels quite close contact!! (Similar to the Suberpanel Fhoenix I think - from what I remember of my trial of one of those - I loved it by the way but my horse didn't!!!)

One other thing my instructor noticed and the fitter did say was that if you aren't used to to riding bareback/treeless the front flexion/movement of the saddle that allows the horse to move can feel very odd compared to a traditionally treed saddle which gives a much more rigid feel - my instructor felt 'wobbly' initially but after a couple of rides loves it and agrees my mare goes much better in it. Its also the ONLY saddle that doesn't make my back sore (I have a long standing injury that cuases me continual low grade pain and bouts of sciatica/spasm) or make my left foot numb due to the strain on my back!

So yes they do take some adjustment too (as does the Fhoenix I understand) but if it suits you and your horse they are IMHO brilliant saddles.

Anyway...can you tell I like it?? LOL!!!

I used Stephanie Gaunt www.sgequestrian.moonfruit.com - if your visiting Blenheim she will be on the FirstThoughtEquine Stand.  She spent ages putting together saddles that would suit and took her time examining the horse etc - much more than any other fitter I have come across - when our own saddles were delivered she went through all the checks again and made any adjustments to the saddle or the flair as needed - watched us ride in all gaites and generally spent a lot of time with us - this was all included in the cost of the saddle - not sure what other fitters do. I highly recommend her and the saddles - but a good fitter is essential - if Steph isn't in your area she will probably be able to recommend someone.

Phew will stop wittering on now - sorry this is so long!!

[misterM]

Against

They are expensive
They are heavy
It is nowhere near as easy to change flaps as they suggest.



For
Gullet plate change is great and so is air filling (buy the pump if you know how to fit!)
They are fabulous quality leather and manufacturing - no machine stitching or "coated" leathers.
They wear extremely well in very hard use.
My 10 year old big horse had been in treeless two years, loves WOW  even more and has gone up over a gullet plate size in width in five months due to the way he works in it.
Rider security and positioning is phenomenal on a horse of any width.
Choice of forward or back stirrup bar.


I have three, two dressage and a jumping. I use them on all sorts of horses. I will never use anything else now that I have found them.



 

[TBMom]

I'm also interested in the Wow, but I'm "across the pond" in the US.  Does anyone know if there is more than one fitter in the US?  I've contacted Wow, but so far they haven't responded to that particular question (only one fitter is on their web site for the US, and he's on the other coast!).

Also, have you ever heard of anyone successfully fitting one using the mail order system (so, no fitter)?  They recommend using an Equiform to make a mold of the horse's back, and then doing some other measurements.  I'm skeptical because the other posts I've seen about Wow saddles stress how important it is to have a good fitter for them  :unsure:

Thanks for any info!

[Lucia]

I can't help but would say email Steph (see my post above) and ask her - she's very helpful and will be able to advise about a fitter or if mailorder would work.

She may even help you do a mail order one using photos etc - worth a try?

[lisaNW]

Just echo the 'get a good fitter' bit - I had fitter- associated problems but was also a little concerned at being able to feel edges of airbagsin the panels - don't think this is the norm, but the combination put me off.

Lisa.

[Alice]

Interested to know if any of you with a WOW have used it for backing/on a very recently backed horse? Is the weight an issue at all for an inexperienced youngster(i wouldnt worry about it normally but know my youngster is currently used to a fairly light close contact saddle (she is away at the moment being backed)?

thanks alot
alice

ps I sat on Minkymoo2's WOW last week and loved it - hence my interest, as i need to get something sorted for when youngster comes home

[visconde]

I used it on a 4yo that had only been in light work a couple of months. He did find it a bit weird at first (for about 5 mins) but am sure that was due to the lateral give as opposed to the weight. I first used a VSD on him and it was heavy but the weight is very well distributed. I now have a WOW GP which is much lighter. hope this helps!

[Alice]

visconde - thanks. I have read somewhere else that the GP is lighter than VSD (strange!). I would be going for a GP anyway. Its just difficult as obviously i also wont be that used to riding her when i try it out. Was your youngster unhappy with it initially?

alice

[visconde]

well, we made the mistake of putting one one without a saddlecloth! He had reacted to that before but I simply wasnt thinking  :blush: so he did have his back up! once we put a saddlecloth on though he was OK, and the second day I rode him in it the difference in him was amazing-he had never used his shoulders like that when ridden before.

I love my GP-it makes me feel so secure. I had the vsd on trial for 3 months though and the weight really wasnt a problem.

[TBMom]

I wonder why the Wow saddles are heavy?  Are they really that much heavier than a traditional English saddle? You would think "air filled" would be light  :lol: !

Why would the GP be lighter? Shorter flaps than the VSD?

I'm going to give one a try!  I've sent pictures and tracings to the (one) fitter in the US, and he seemed confident we could do this long distance!  Sure hope so!

Lisa