All of the saddles I sell have a much larger weight bearing surface than other English saddle on the market today. The WOW, the EQ and the bua all have a unique panel designed. WOW saddle trees are longitudinally rigid, but the front half of the saddle is laterally flexible. There is no other saddle tree like it. The bua tree is cantilevered. Again, there is no other saddle tree like it.
The panels of the WOW saddle, the EQ saddle and the bua saddle distribute weight independent of the tree. In a conventional saddle, the panels of the saddle are just padding on the under side of the tree. If the arms and bars of the tree do not fit your horse perfectly, there will not be even pressure. The panels of the WOW, the EQ, and the bua saddle take on a basic convex shape when in use, but the exact shape of the panel will be dictated by the shape of your horse and the entire length is weight bearing.
The front angle of the tree arms is probably the most critical fit consideration of any saddle. The angle of the front tree arms is not obvious on most saddles and the balance of the saddle does not indicate anything about whether the angle of the saddle matches the angle of the horse’s back. The angle of this front tree arm is obvious on a WOW saddle and the balance of the WOW saddle can be adjusted independently of this critical angle. The different profiles of the head plates and the thickness of the gussets help balance the saddle front to back after the correct angle has been established.
The EQ saddle fit process is the only process that also takes into account the angle of the horse’s twist. This is an important fit parameter that other brands ignore.
As a young horse grows and as any horse develops fitness, the correct fit angle will change. All WOW Competitor saddles have replaceable head plates. The head plates are available in 11 different angles and most of these angles are available in different profiles. The different profiles help balance the saddle front to back.
The fit of the front tree angle will determine if there is even pressure at the front of the saddle. If this angle is too wide, there will be extreme pressure at the top where the panels begin to contact the back. If the angle is too narrow there will be extreme pressure at the tree points. The First Thought Equine Korrector pad can help either situation, but a correctly fitted saddle is a better solution.
Girthing
Every WOW saddle has at least eight options for attaching the girth to the saddle. The girthing attachments can be changed anytime using only a screw driver. The EQ saddle has 4 different options. Many dressage riders struggle to keep the saddle back, and many jump riders want to keep their saddle farther forward. Adjustable billet positions is the answer.
See http://www.wowsaddles.com and eqsaddlescience.com for more information
Happy Back Riding 