Saddle update!

At last! After spending the last 9 months wishing for a deeper seat for Basse's WOW saddle, it finally arrived on Monday and yesterday I got ride in my 'new' saddle. I can't say it's totally new because we've only changed the seat from deep to extra deep, but it does feel like a brand new saddle to me 😁

The extra deep seat has a very high round cantle to give a deep supportive seat and is used mainly by dressage riders. The deep seat instead has just a high round cantle and is used by dressage riders and show jumpers alike because the seat give a secure central feel, but the extra deep is designed just for dressage riders because it does sit you really 'deep' - which I prefer a lot more!! Not only do I feel more secure, but my back is a lot happier too. The extra deep seat lets my sit in such a way that lets me find the most comfortable position for my back. This is incredibly important for me as I suffer from my spine being too straight - caused by one too many back injuries which have caused a lessened curvature in my spine. 

WOW saddle fitting

Many of my readers will know of my love for WOW saddles and some of you can remember how excited and happy I was to get a WOW saddle for Vallu just over two years ago. I'm incredibly fortunate to have mum as a fully qualified WOW saddle fitter.

Basse had been a bit 'girthy' for a little over a week. He's never been a horse that shows any signs of discomfort when putting a saddle on, so him pulling his ears back and generally looking grumpy got me immediately worried. Turns out that because he has lost muscle since he's stopped working (no surprise) and changed shape, the saddle needed more air in all of the air bags. The Flair system of the WOW saddles means that there are four air bags that provide a soft and even bearing surface without pressure points and unlike a flocked saddle adjustments to the amount of air in the air bags can be made whilst the rider sits on the horse!

The 'tubes' that allow you to fill up the air bags

We're also going to take away the sheepskin pad that he's been wearing for extra comfort because with it under the saddle the head plate feels too tight, but then without it the saddle looks like it fits perfectly and all our other head plates (sizes 1, 3 and 4) look like they wouldn't fit him. Next checkup is whenever it feels like the saddle doesn't feel that good or then after 3 months to make sure everything is okay with the saddle.

Next job is to check Vallu's at the end of this month since it will have been months since it was last checked and by the end of the month Vallu will have been in work for 6 weeks and he has already started to change shape (thank god! #dietisworking) 

New Le Mieux set

Stone grey pad and dark grey bandages

Dark grey binding and 

Thank you to my parents for this lovely gift, you are the bestest ever! This weekend I received the Le Mieux Vogue Glint dressage saddle pad and grey bandages. I've been really slow to join in the love for Le Mieux, but am now totally converted. On their website, this is the product description: "Luxurious brushed cotton finish complimented with a border of braided rope and diamante crystal. Underside of super soft flannel lining and large quilted squares give an even more sumptuous feel."

It looks white in the sun...

Clever straps that attach to the D-rings instead of having to be tucked underneath the flap

Grey bandages to match the binding

The whole set ♥︎

What do you guys think?

WOW saddle, part 2

My long awaited for saddle is FINALLY HERE  (you can read part 1 here)

After months of waiting thanks to stupid production delays the saddle is finally here, and gosh was it so worth the wait ♥︎ There is so much space for Vallu's shoulders and withers, and it is so comfortable to sit on, and it makes me sit straighter and taller. It feels so weird for a saddle to support me as much as this one does, but still at the same time it doesn't restrict me at all. Even with a very tired and spooky Vallu, at no point did I feel like I was losing my balance. Wonderful.

It'll be very interesting to see if AF notices a difference. We just had a lesson with him the day before the saddle arrived, and then our next lesson will be at the end of Jan, so there will be approximately a months time for Vallu to develop and to see if there is any noticeable difference. I just love it. There aren't words to explain how comfortable it is to sit in, but at the same time it is supportive and also helping me to improve my seat and position.

Thank you LT Equine for making us the perfect saddle and the biggest thank you ever to mum and dad for giving me an absolutely amazing 21st birthday present. I have been dreaming of getting a WOW saddle for Vallu for over a year now, and to finally have it is unreal :)

WOW saddle, part 1

I'm so incredibly lucky be getting a new WOW saddle for my 21st birthday! We have WOW saddles for Rama, Basse and Nelli, and now Vallu will be getting his own one too :)

For those who don't know anything about WOWs, the unique features of a WOW saddle are the modular concept, carbon fibre tree, lateral flexion, and interchangeable everything. It is like playing with legos; you can make the saddle to be like anything you want, with the ability to have interchangeable head plates, panels, flap position, and many different girth options. The Y-shaped WOW™ tree encourages better movement from the horse, since it gives more space and flexibility to the horse's shoulders and withers. The main difference of the WOW saddle to more traditional saddles is that it has a Flair, the air flocking system, instead of woollen flocking. The flair flocking uses a system of four air bags which provide a soft and even bearing surface without pressure points. 

Showing the modular concept - all of these can be changed

I emailed WOW to ask who was my closest saddler, and found out that the lovely Lorna Triggs (LT Equine Services) was. Unlike a flocked saddle, the adjustments can made quickly whilst the rider sits on the horse. Once the different parts of the saddle you want to try are put together, you or the saddler can adjust and balance the saddle perfectly (both front to back and side to side) even if the horse has uneven muscle development → super useful! Apparently Vallu and I are both rather equal and balanced, and so for us, we only added a tiny bit of air to the front two bags and it amazing to feel and see the difference that it made to my riding. It was only the smallest bit of air, but it made a massive difference to how I was sitting and made it much easier for me to sit down to Vallu's new massive trot.

What my saddle will look like, extra deep seat and high knee blocks

Saddle fitting was an awesome experience, and now that the saddle is ordered, we now have to wait for 4-6 weeks until it arrives! The saddler will come to visit us for a final fitting when the saddle arrives. 

I'm so excited for this, and eternally grateful for my parents unconditional love and support ♥︎