Anyone have one?
Very interesting concept but never heard of them.
COTH user Fancy That has oneā¦ and it is B-E-A-U-tiful.
I havenāt ridden in one, but have gone through an in-store demo to see all the parts and how the pieces interchange. Very comfortable to sit in and the leather quality and workmanship is very good. On my list to try on my horse one of these days.
I rode in one the other day- the horse really loved it- heās been having saddle fit issues and it was the best ride in ages. I felt like I way sitting really high above him and I didnāt find it very comfortable- the pommel was very closeā¦another woman trying it loved it.
[QUOTE=horsesānāhndz;8128220]
I rode in one the other day- the horse really loved it- heās been having saddle fit issues and it was the best ride in ages. I felt like I way sitting really high above him and I didnāt find it very comfortable- the pommel was very closeā¦another woman trying it loved it.[/QUOTE]
I tried one because local saddle fitter aggressively promotes and sells them but did not work for me.
Another friend was big on them- but has now gone back to passier. As with any other saddle you have to ride in it and make sure it is right for both you and the horse.
send Pm if want more details
Iām a Wow evangelist.
I discovered the Wow last year when I was looking for a saddle to fit my broad withered, short-backed, downhill PRE and was searching for dressage saddles with point billets and shoulder relief panels. I stumbled upon some information about the various Wow girthing options and did a little more research. I was originally turned off by what I foundā¦air flocking, modular bolt together parts, laterally flexible treesā¦it was all a bit too weird and that made me nervous.
But low and behold, I found myself returning to the Wow website over and over againā¦reading it cover to cover. From a conceptual and technological standpoint, I couldnāt deny that the whole system was genius. I finally found a used one to trial through Pelham Saddlery and that was it. I didnāt even realize the back and hip pain I had been tolerating before. And the unique tabbed panel design, air flocking, and flexible tree allowed for a much larger weight bearing surface for my horseā¦a horse whose saddle placement area is about the size of a pop tart.
I now own two and a half Wowsā¦yes, with a modular Wow you can own half a saddle. My friend pretty much pees herself every time I get out the bike pump to make an adjustment to the Flair. But thatās what I love about this system; the adjustability is limitless. No other saddle has an interchangeable gullet/headplate system with different SHAPES as well as sizes. That feature alone makes a huge difference. My horse is six now but if he drastically changes at eight-tenā¦I can completely swap the panels for not nearly the cost of a whole new saddle.
The only drawback is that there are little to no reps here in the states like they have in the UK. Your local saddle fitter is more likely to roll her eyes than embrace something this non-traditional. If you call or email Wow, they will help you find the right solutions for your horse. Itās also pretty easy to find different parts second-hand on eBay UK.
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3 Likes
Really not for everyone.
It felt like pieces of saddles instead of one.
My daughter rides in the Classique model and both she and her horse LOVE it. Her horse is a bit of a princess when it comes to saddle fit, and has a long scapula. The way the gullet sits in the WOW allows him to really extend. She noticed a difference right away in his shoulder freedom.The new WOWs come in wool instead of FLAIR. There are three models. The Competition has total adjustability with adjustable gullets, panels and flaps. The Classique has only the adjustable gullet and the Edge falls in between somewhere.
Theyāre not for everyone, but in my daughterās horseās case, it made a huge difference in his movement and comfort.
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Interesting idea, like having a custom saddle without it being truely custom.
My only concern is the twist looks really wide. It also isnāt the sleekest looking saddle, but who cares when your butt is on it 
[QUOTE=normandy_shores;8127527]
COTH user Fancy That has oneā¦ and it is B-E-A-U-tiful.[/QUOTE]
thanks for the shout-out, Normandy_Shores!!! ( I must know you from HGS/MHF cuz Iām not on COTH much
OP - love my saddle!
I have a friend that rides in a Wow (Fourth Level, looking to move up to PSG this year). She loves it and said it made a big difference for her horse.
My trainer also got a Wow a few months ago. She really likes it but other folks at the barn arenāt wild about it for various reasons. I havenāt tried it - too small for me - but my trainer has used it on my horse and says she liked it on him, but his Schleese is working great so we are sticking with that. I donāt like the fact that the channel on the Wow is not as wide as on my Schleese, and that is a big comfort issue for my horse.
I tried one last week when saddle shopping for my new horse. Heās a tricky fit, and young, so I was willing to pay that much if it worked for him due to its future adjustability. A friend has one and was raving about it prior to my trying it. My horse told me in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS we would NOT be buying that saddle. He hated it. As a random aside, I could have lived with it, but its pretty ugly.
I tried one (actually had one on trial from ālzaleskiā but the flaps werenāt right for me). Like LZ, I was very intrigued by the entire system and after spending a lot of money on a custom saddle for my young horse and having him fill out so drastically that it simply could not be made any wider, the entire concept of Wow was even more appealing.
While trying the Wow I had on trial, I fell in love with it, even with flaps that were too long and too straight for me. My horse went fabulously in the flair aND I was skeptical of that as well. Thankfully my long time saddle fitter became a Wow rep and I didnāt even know it until I asked her about her thoughts on them for my horse. Even with imperfect flaps, I rode SO much better in the Wow. It just made sense to go forward with getting one.
I bit the bullet and put a deposit down for a custom Wow. It should be ready in a few weeks. I was able to test out multiple seats with varying shapes and depth, as well as multiple flap styles and also changing the angulation of each flap to fit my needs, all with āoneā saddle and different parts. I canāt wait to get my new saddle and I am thrilled with how my horse goes in the Wow with flair.
I had this idea about, oh, eight years ago. But I had no means to create a saddle like this. Sheesh. Talk about a missed opportunity!!!
[QUOTE=Velvet;8728961]
I had this idea about, oh, eight years ago. But I had no means to create a saddle like this. Sheesh. Talk about a missed opportunity!!![/QUOTE]
WOW saddles have been out for quite some time. I remember when I first saw one and it was probably 2002.
Yeah, well, I didnāt. :lol: I had the idea, but no means to execute it. This is the first time Iāve seen WOW saddles.
My saddle fitter has WOW saddles, says that theyāre good for the horse, but that almost all the riders sheās put in them hate them. At this point, sheāll order/sell one if you really want it, otherwise she has a few demos and lends those out.
She thinks theyāre great for horses who need remedial saddle fitāback issues that leave a ton of atrophy on one side, a horse who lost all top line coming back into work. Theyāre wonderful for this and wonderful if you find them comfortable, otherwise, meh. Iāve tried one, for the heck of it, and it wasnāt my cup of tea, but I wouldnāt hesitate to use one for a horse with a severe fitting issue/in need of remedial fit.
I think thatās an unfortunate outlook that she has regarding these saddles. My gelding for example has no such issues and simply put on so much muscle on his top line that his custom Borne could no longer be widened to accommodate his build. Given the amount of money I spent on that custom saddle and that it should have been able to be adjusted as he grew but could no longer do that, I knew switching to the Wow was the best thing I could do esp if he continued to change as we moved up the levels or if I got another horse. My trainer tried out the Wow I had on trial and she typically prefers her Hennigs and thatās about it but after riding in the Wow and feeling how free my guy was, she really liked the saddle. Are these saddles great for horses who do have issues with uneven musculature? Most def with the 4 pockets in the flair panels. Are these saddles only for horses with severe fitting issues or needing a remedial fit? Absolutely not.
I have had a Wow for several years now and love it, so do my horses. I had a very difficult horse to fit. After what seemed like a million trial saddles we finally found a Black Country jumping saddle he tolerated. I then needed a dressage saddle and my horse hated the long tree points. We tried Custom Saddlery, County, Frank Baines, Passier etc with no luck. I was doing research on dressage saddles with short tree points when I came across the Wow.
The Wow saddles are component saddles. This system provides huge variety of fitting options available, making it possible to work with lots of different confirmations. It also means that the saddle will only fit as well as your fitter is skilled. It is not a one size fits all solution.
I see multiple people who have commented based on borrowing someone elseās saddle and claimed they donāt care for it. Depending on the saddle and how it is configured, it may or may not be a fit for your horse or for you.
If you are truly interested in the concept (I was hugely skeptical and prepared not to like them) your best bet is to have a fitter out to look at your horse and put the saddle together for you.
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I tried one a couple of weeks ago and despite it not be 100% perfect for my horse and I, I quite liked it, my horse liked it, and I loved the ideas behind these WOW saddles. I ordered the Edge version - not 100% customizable, but you can change the panels and head plate, which are the two main things you might want to change if you change horses, assuming the flap and seat fit the rider. I went with the wool flocking instead of flair. My fitter likes the flair but acknowledges that it can be difficult to find someone to properly fit the flair if I leave the area. Wool flocking, in contrast, can be adjusted by any competent fitter. They certainly arenāt cheap but having dropped roughly the same amount on a Schleese that is āfully adjustableā only to discover that the one part that canāt be completely adjusted (the panels) is the part that makes the balance not right for me (fits horse fine), a truly modular saddle really appeals in terms of having long term value that will be able to fit future horses as well as the current horse. Mine will arrive in approx. 8 weeks so Iāll try to remember to come back and offer feedback once Iāve received it.
