WOW Saddles: Pointless Panel System (PPS)
Welcome to Delfina Saddlery, your online destination for all things equestrian and beyond! Today, we're diving deep into the world of WOW Saddles and their "Pointless Panel System." As a leading provider of English tack, vegan leather horse gear, and unique, handmade, custom human accessories, we've seen our fair share of innovative (and not-so-innovative) designs in the equine industry. But WOW Saddles' PPS stands alone as the best (and we think you'll agree).
Why you can trust us:
We are the only Authorized Wow Retailer and Certified Wow Saddle Fitters in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona.
Our Owner is a lifelong horsewoman, with 39 years in the saddle and a degree in Equine Science from Virginia Intermont
We spent 23 years owning and operating our own hunter/jumper training facility, producing top Junior FEI riders, Medal winners, and more
We have been selling and making custom tack and leather accessories for other horsemen and women for 12 years
Want to know more? Visit our store
Table of Contents
Conventional Saddle Construction
Most saddle makers offer their saddles in 3 - 5 fixed widths ranging from narrow to wide. Today we see more and more saddleries offering a larger selection of tree widths. Unfortunately, attempting to put all the shapes horses come in into 3 - 5 boxes still falls quite short.
This tree width measurement actually refers to the distance measured between the points of the saddle's tree.
Because there is no "industry standard" for saddle trees or the length or placement of a tree’s points, this width measurement can have various lengths and interpretations depending on maker. One brand’s narrow may be identical to another’s medium. That could simply be because the medium’s points are 2 – 3cm longer - the two sizes could actually have the same point angles. But ... how do you tell?
Most manufacturers do not make this information known or obvious to the consumer. These variances lead to confusion, leaving the consumer to figure out which saddle brand might have the correct width measurement and point angles for their particular horse. Unfortunately, even if you find a brand’s width measurements, you’re also left with the question of how to measure that precise distance between specific points on your own horse’s body.
The tree points act in conjunction with another part of the tree called the head, or the gullet plate. The gullet plate is typically made of steel and meant to be strong enough to withstand thousands of hours on a horse moving in a very dynamic way; everything from jumping to canter pirouettes. The points and the gullet plate work together to provide stability to the saddle, keeping it in place laterally and longitudinally on the horse’s back. It is very important that the tree’s points lay flat and parallel with the horse’s scapulae to allow the horse enough freedom to use his front end to his maximum ability. Too wide or too narrow will eventually cause pressure points and lead to chronic thickening of the cartilage around the scapulae, shortening of the horse’s stride and/or causing front-end lameness. Most brands aim to have their tree points fall about two fingers’-width behind the horse’s shoulders. Correct placement of the tree points in conjunction with tree points that have the same angle as the horse's shoulders is mandatory to ensure the points lay perfectly flat and parallel to the scapulae.
Incorrect training, incorrect distribution of load, or ill-fitting saddles are often the source of front-end lameness and thickening of scapulae cartilage (Jeffcot, 1980, Harman, 1994), both of which are related to forces exerted by the rider on the horse (E. van Beek, 2011).
While the gullet plate and tree points need to be strong and stable, a good English saddle must also retain some level of flexibility in the saddle tree. This will not only allow your horse to perform to his fullest, it will keep him healthy, sound and happy to work throughout his career under saddle. To achieve this stable-yet-flexible skeleton, most modern saddles are made of either wood or synthetic materials like carbon fiber. If one were to remove the gullet plate and tree points from a saddle tree and build it only from wood, you would be left with something much bulkier and heavy, probably more visually akin to a western saddle than an English saddle!
With so many different saddle manufacturers – and each company’s various models for each discipline – the average consumer can’t possibly know what’s going on in any given saddle. Only that brand’s rep understands that maker’s build and the intended fit of their saddle’s trees, but most are not at liberty to explain these statistics and measurements to the consumer. Is the solution to have a rep out from each manufacturer and find out which saddle your horse goes best in? Will they allow you to borrow a saddle for a few weeks so you can really explore how your horse will feel long-term?
Not only that, but most saddle fitters continue to assess a horse at a standstill without the weight of the rider in the saddle. As the graphic to the right illustrates, a horse's scapula has an extremely large range of motion, rotating down, back, and in each time the foreleg swings forward. The average assessment by a fitter does include having the rider work the horse in the saddle, but aside from simply watching the ride, the fitter is incapable of adjusting, assessing, or monitoring what's happening between horse and saddle during the ride!
In order to accomplish all this, the general rule in English saddlery is that a saddle’s points must be as short as possible but as long as necessary.
Don't forget to consider that a horse’s back is not a static thing; it is a constantly evolving and changing 3-D landscape of curves, hills, drops, and plains.
- Do you, as a professional, ask your client to purchase a new saddle 4 months after recommending the same thing?
- Will the new saddle you just bought still fit your horse after 6 months of full training with a professional?
- Will your young horse's new saddle still fit him as he begins work under saddle and begins building his topline?
- What if your horse needs 6 months off for rehab and loses conditioning?
- Will your client be able to afford a new saddle several times a year - even if they're used?
- Will your client even trust your recommendations after you've told them to get a new saddle for the fourth time that year?
Not only have WOW Saddles solved the tree point 'problem' by eliminating the tree points entirely, they have improved pressure distribution across the entire saddle panel in doing so.
Do's:
- Make sure the tree's points run perfectly parallel to your horse's scapulae
- Ensure the tree's width is correct for your horse's shoulder width
- Double check that your horse's scapulae have enough room to move through their full range of motion under the tree's points
- Regularly check your saddle fit to ensure your horse is working comfortably under saddle
Don'ts:
- Try to use special pads to make up for an ill-fitting saddle
- Force your horse to work in a saddle that does not properly fit
- Assume your horse's saddle size in one brand is the same as their size in another's
- 'Set it and Forget it' - Don't forget to regularly check your saddle's fit, especially if your horse begins exhibiting new or unusual negative behaviors, including girthiness!
Further Reading
→ WOW's Patented Y Saddle Tree Solves the Tree Point Problem
Western vs. English Trees and Pressure Distribution
When discussing saddle fit - as most things horse-related - it can be an exercise in frustration reading and hearing what is said about fitting a saddle to a horse. Sometimes what is said is just plain wrong, sometimes it is wrong because people are following a set of rules and applying them without thinking about what they are doing and without understanding how saddles really work, and very commonly it is wrong because "the rules" of fitting one type of saddle are transferred onto another type of saddle without understanding the differences in design. These differences mean the whole way of looking at how the saddle functions must be different as well.
Unlike the English saddle, a western saddle does not have the equivalent to the English saddle's panels. Instead, the bars of the western tree lay flat against the back of the horse, and several thick layers of layer and fleece are built beneath the bars.
There is no question that the surface area available to distribute pressure is much larger over the bars of a Western saddle compared to the panels of an English saddle. This assumes, of course, that all the available surface area is being used because the shape and size of the saddle is correct for the horse.
A properly-fitted English saddle may actually have better pressure distribution than that of a western saddle that tips forward and has no contact in the back, the key is in having a properly-fitted saddle. An English saddle with wool panels can always be reflocked to increase the surface area in contact with the horse to a certain extent, but a Western saddle cannot be changed in this manner. In addition, most modern English saddles are sold with foam panels in lieu of the traditional wool flocked panel, thus negating your ability to adjust the saddle's fit in this way. However, you can have a much lower percentage of a western bar in contact with the horse and still have more surface area on him than in a typical English saddle just because of the total amount of surface area available to start with.
For two riders of the same weight, the PSI (pounds per square inch) is much less under a decently fitted Western saddle than even a well-fitted English saddle, and since damage occurs from pressure over time, the horse owner should seek to reduce these pressures whenever possible. That extra surface area makes a huge difference to the horse when being ridden.
English Saddles
As you can see, the English saddle tree is very small with minimal surface area. That is because what is actually in contact with the horse is a pair of panels filled with soft materials such as wool (traditionally), foam (most common today) or even air, in the case of the Wow saddle. The saddle's panels help to enlarge the surface area against the horse, distribute the rider's weight evenly, add a layer of padding between horse and rider, and support the rider's weight. The shape of the tree still has to fit the shape of the horse, especially at the pommel and the tree's two points, although the rails should also be flat to the horse without edges angled so that they might dig in. The shape and design of the panels and how they are stuffed is crucial to the fit for the horse.
The average surface area of each panel on an average English saddle is 90 square inches, for a total of 180 square inches against the horse.
In the past, English saddles were designed to be regularly reflocked to change the shape of the "stuffing" in the panels to match the shape of a particular horse. Unfortunately, as brands began using foam over wool, the ability of the consumer to change their saddle’s fit on the fly was eliminated. Their justification for this change has often been cited as improved longevity, arguing that foam takes longer to break down than wool does, thus saving the consumer money. In reality, the cost to reflock an English saddle has always been a small amount compared to the cost purchasing a whole new saddle. This seems to be the equine industry’s own take on ‘planned obsolescence’. Gone are the days where saddles are passed down from generation to generation! Today is the day of delicate calfskin-wrapped flaps on foam-flocked panels that last a few years, at best.
A large part of the pressure distribution problem most English saddles suffer from is due to the use of panels that are filled with soft, unsupportive materials such as wool or foam, then surrounded by a soft aniline leather. These materials have a tendency to shift under pressure, and over time, that pressure will begin working the flocking materials away; either by moving it to lower-pressure areas as is the case with wool, or by breaking it down and causing degradation and compaction as in the case of foams. In fact, this movement of wool flocking away from high-pressure areas begins to happen from the moment you tack up. This will eventually mean that these high-pressure areas lose their ability to support and protect horse and rider - exactly what we don’t want! Not only is this frequently seen around the tree points, even the rider’s stirrup leathers will begin working away at the flocking until a clear line is visible across the underside of the panel from the leathers.
The rider's stirrup leathers are looped over the stirrup bar, which is itself resting on top of the panels. It is quite common for the end of the stirrup bar to cause a depression in the panels, especially with most riders leaving the stirrup bar in an open position (when hinged or jointed). This depression normally occurs at the point where the muscules of the horse at the base of their withers are at their widest. This isn't so much caused by the stirrup bars as it is by the horse’s musculature, desperately trying to find more room in the gullet of the saddle and kneading and pushing the flocking out of the way.
With the sole exception of a WOW saddle, when pressure testing an English saddle you will always see high pressure areas caused by the stirrup bars. WOW saddles do not show any increased pressure from the stirrup bars due to the way the tree, PPS, and stirrup bars are constructed. Riding in a WOW saddle offers a level of comfort and safety unparalleled by any other saddle on the market today. Their results have been proven time and time again by independent tests done in Universities around the world. After 35 years, WOW Saddles remains the best at evenly distributing pressure across the largest area possible.
Western Saddles
A western tree has large bars with a lot of surface area to distribute the weight of the rider over the back of the horse. In fitting western saddles, matching the shape of the bars to the shape of the horse is crucial because there is nothing else that changes that "fit" the way panels do on an English saddle. Beneath the bars are the skirts - one layer of thick leather and a layer of fleece - and then the padding the rider chooses to go under the saddle. Since the skirts and saddle pad are all - or should be - an even thickness throughout, they don't change the overall shape of the bars compared to the shape of the horse's back.
The average surface area of each panel on a western saddle is 200 square inches, for a total of 400 square inches in surface area against the horse.
Pads That Fix Saddle Fit?
Often most rider's first response when faced with an ill-fitting saddle and not enough money to buy a properly-fitted saddle is to purchase a special pad to 'absorb' the additional pressure. While well-meaning, this often results in a worsening saddle fit and more potential for injury in the horse. This is not only due to the fact that almost all materials are completely incapable of 'absorbing' pressure - something you would not actually want in the first place because that pressure doesn't just disappear, it has to go somewhere! - but most materials, at best, simply transfer force down into the horse's back and at worst, compound those forces. Think back to Physics 101 when you learned about the conservation of energy, which states: "Energy can be neither created nor destroyed, it can only change form". While the laws of the universe don't often apply to the laws of the horse world, this one, unfortunately, does.
The majority of these foam, gel, honeycomb, soft, firm, squishy, fancy, velvety pads do nothing but transfer the force of the rider straight through to the horse. In some cases, these forces may see a slight dispersal into a larger area, but that is rare. The only materials shown to dissipate or disperse pressure in a way that benefits the horse is air, and Sorbothane. However, it's much better for the horse's long-term health and soundness to explore a new saddle that doesn't require a special pad just to fit right.
One comparison professional horsemen and women love to use to help you make sense of this issue is this:
If you had a pair of shoes that were three sizes too small for you, would you correct their fit by wearing more socks?
When evaluating a pad's ability to redistribute pressure more evenly, one must evaluate the pad's material first.
- What is that material's recovery rate?
- What is happening to the energy being applied to the pad (dispersal, absorption, etc.)?
- Does the material trap or expel heat?
- What is the material's compression rate?
- What is the usable lifetime of the material before breakdown begins to occur?
- Is the material able to dynamically adjust stride by stride?
- How long will the material retain the ability to distribute pressure evenly?
- Can the pad be adjusted in such a way as to accommodate a horse's inherent asymmetry or your saddle's unique fit?
WOW's Korrector pad aims to answer all these questions in the healthiest, safest way for the horse by using their patented Flair air bladders. They are the perfect middle-ground for the horse owner whose saddle fits, but who can't afford to purchase a brand new WOW saddle. If you'd still like to improve your horse's comfort and long-term health under saddle, we recommend you consider a Korrector pad. As with all things WOW, they are modular, with all parts being replaceable. They feature four replaceable air bags, one in each quadrant. Using the included hand pump, these air bags can be individually adjusted to compensate for both horse and rider asymmetry, and redistribute the rider's weight evenly across a larger surface area than the saddle panels alone. They feature ties that are attached to the front dees of your saddle to hold the pad off the withers, and a gullet locking plate that holds the back of the pad off the horse's spine, too.
Further Reading
→ Wow's English & Western Korrector Pads
How Stirrups Affect Pressure
One factor in mechanical forces applied to a horse’s back is the rider’s movements in the saddle. The rider’s movement in the saddle impacts the forces applied to a horse’s back, and the rider’s movement in the saddle is dictated by the gait of the horse (Schills, et al., 1993). Therefore, it is not surprising that the forces on a ridden horse’s back change according to gait (Fruewirth, et al., 2004). More often than not, the rider is sitting in a full seat position, with the majority of their weight being in their seat, however, in English riding, it is quite common for a rider to post the trot and/or move into a 2-point position at the canter or when working over fences. Even some western riders will step into a 2-point position when traveling at a fast canter or when covering large areas of ground.
The graph at the left shows typical stirrup pressure from a 70kg (~140lb) rider, in 2-point, at a forward canter. The graph expresses stirrup pressures across one stride of the canter. As you can see, at one point, our 70kg rider's weight has effectively doubled as far as the horse is concerned; exerting twice as much (140kg / 280lbs!) weight on the horse's back.
When a rider utilizes 2-point, half-seat, or even the posting trot, the majority of their weight is transferred out of the seat and down into the stirrup. Riders are frequently told that being in 2-point or posting the trot is kinder on the horse; saving their backs from the stress of carrying a rider. They encourage their riders to warm-up at a rising trot, to start young horses using exclusively rising trot, and even sometimes to stay in 2-point the first several minutes after mounting in order to allow the horse’s back to warm up before being subjected to the full weight of the rider’s seat. Is any of that true, though?
English Saddles
On an English saddle, the stirrup leather is attached to the stirrup bar, which is attached to the saddle tree near the head of the saddle and the saddle’s points. The stirrup bar sits directly on top of the panels. This causes the majority of the rider’s weight to be focused on two small points just behind the horse’s scapulae.
The average English saddle panel is around 90 inches square, making the total average surface area of both English saddle panels 180 square inches. The typical PSI of a rider sitting in full seat during pressure mat studies has been found to be PSI (pounds per square inch). Pressure mat testing has shown mean PSI in a wool flocked saddle as high as 2.537.
We’ll be generous in our calculation of the surface area of the stirrup bars and calculate them at around 16 square inches each for a total of 32 inches squared. When our 130lb rider steps up into two-point in her wool flocked saddle, suddenly the PSI of our rider may be as high as 4.0625 – 2x more than the PSI of the rider in her full seat position!
Western Saddles
A western rider attaches their fender (or stirrups) by looping the leather over the bars of the tree. The fender then passes between layers of leather comprising the skirts. Attaching them in this way means the rider’s weight continues to be spread across the entire back rather than being concentrated on two small static points.
The average western saddle’s panels are 200 square inches, making the total average surface area of a western saddle 400 square inches. Pressure mat testing has shown mean PSI in a traditional western saddle to be around 1.632PSI. When our western rider steps into 2-point, their weight is still spread across the entire saddle surface area of 400 square inches, so the PSI the horse feels likely will not change.
Introducing WOW Saddles' Pointless Panel System (PPS)
Unlike other saddles, the Wow’s panels are an extension of the saddle’s tree. The panels of the WOW are reinforced and protect the horse from potential pressure points created by the stirrup bars, headplates and fixings. They do this by extending the bearing surface of the tree itself; achieving a much greater and more consistent bearing surface to support the weight of the rider. And, despite this added support and size, the panels and tree remain free to flex and move with the horse. Using special manufacturing methods, WOW has better control of how the saddle’s materials react under pressure.
A traditional saddle’s combination of hard saddle tree + soft squishy panels work together to increase pressure points felt by the horse. The inflexible nature of a traditional saddle tree exacerbates the compression and movement of wool flocking as well as the degradation of foam flocking, and that pressure - over time - worsens the pressure points caused by loss of padding against the horse. The soft flocking wrapped in soft aniline leather is totally unable to provide any extra support to the tree, let alone support the weight of a rider sitting in that saddle.
Not only are the panels an extension of the tree, a WOW saddle does not have tree points; the tree is shaped like a Y, with the rider sitting on the fork of the Y and the base rising up to support the head of the tree. Instead, the front of the tree is a lobe, incorporating WOW’s standard double stirrup bar into the skeleton rather than screwing it on at a later step.
This lobe is then extended down around the horse’s shoulders similar to a western saddle tree, with the PPS on the top of the panel and covering the bottom of the panel to create a pointless tree. These panels then end 12 – 13” below the head instead of the standard 7” seen in most English trees. This allows the scapulae to slide beneath the panels, pushing them out of the way, rather than being pinched at the top by two hard tree points. The support surface produced by this saddle is greater than that of a comparably sized western saddle.
WOW’s parent company has been rigorously testing all of their claims under laboratory settings, using modern testing equipment, for decades. While many of their claims sound too good to be true, they aren’t! Their assertions have been proven true in their own tests as well as independent studies carried out by Universities across the UK. Time and again, WOW panels utilizing the Flair Air Flocking System have bested any other type of flocking system and saddle on the market, and they continue to be the world’s best saddle panel at evenly distributing pressure across the largest area possible. WOW Saddles subject your horse's back to 26% less pressure than traditional wool flocked panels. Because of the dynamic nature of air and its ability to instantly adjust to pressure changes on the fly, riders are able to sit quieter, in better central balance, and do so more comfortably than when using wool, foam, or any other type of panel system. Horses are able to express their full range of motion at all gaits, jump to their fullest potential and with less pain, and consistently outperform their peers using traditional English saddles. Enlarging the area available to distribute pressure, eliminating the tree points, and doing so using a flexible material that is still able to provide stability to horse and rider is a large part of these results.
As with every part of a WOW saddle, WOW offers a breadth of options not seen in any other brand of saddle.
Offering 144 different designs in all four sizes, WOW panels can accommodate every horse & rider combination imaginable. Their panel options include:
Short Panels
Extended Panels
3 Front Gussets
3 Rear Gussets
5 Gullet Widths
Panels for Wide Withers
Panels for Sway Backs
Panels for Roofy Backs
Panels for the Slab-Sided Horse
Panels for Petite Riders on Large Horses
Panels for High Withers
Panels for Riders with Hip Problems
Panels for Horses with Sensitive Backs
All panel options are available in wool, foam, the Flair Air Flocking System, or the Flair Mark II System.
Please note: Due to the extremely complex build and breadth of options available, it is absolutely not possible to “eyeball” a horse for a WOW saddle. Only a Certified WOW Fitter should fit your horse, and, failing that, use of the WOW saddle gauge to determine your horse's optimum saddle fit is absolutely required. If you do not live in California, Oregon, Nevada or Arizona, or you do not have a Certified WOW Fitter in your state, Delfina Saddlery offers video consultations, assisting you in proper use of the WOW saddle gauge to fit your horse for a WOW saddle.
Please contact us if you have any questions about your own WOW saddle, or if you would like to schedule a fitting consultation with us.
WOW's Panels are Interchangeable
Just like the seat and flaps of a WOW saddle, the panels are interchangeable, meaning you can easily remove existing panels using a single screwdriver on 3 individual bolts on each panel. This allows you to easily change the panels of your WOW saddle when you buy a new horse, your horse changes shape, a part needs replacement or service, or you want to use your saddle on a different horse entirely. Not only are the panels interchangeable, if you're using one of WOW's two Flair Air Flocking Systems, all internal parts are completely modular, too, allowing you to quickly and easily replace a broken or aging Flair air bag or replace an aging or deteriorated piece of the surrounding foam. You no longer need to purchase a whole new saddle - or even a whole new panel - due to aging parts!
WOW's Panels for Special Circumstances
You may need to use special panels depending on your circumstances. Fortunately, WOW saddles have hundreds of panel options - they literally have something for everyone!
For example:
- When you require a larger seat than your horse’s usable back length can safely carry you can order a panel that is 1” shorter than your seat size
- When you wish to use an extended or longer panel on a seat that is 1” shorter
- When you’re a petite dressage rider who’s paired with a large horse
- When your horse has long withers
- When your horse has a long back
- If your horse has a flat back
- If your horse has wide withers
- If your horse has hollow shoulders
- If your horse has above average muscling at the base of their withers
- If your horse requires additional width in the gullet
- If your horse has a sway back WOW offers special panels that are wider in the middle
- If your horse has a “roofy” back (one where the spine rises higher than the body or your horse’s back falls away from the panels of the saddle, reducing the available surface area for the saddle to sit upon)
- If your horse is slab-sided
- If your saddles have a tendency to slide off to either side
- If you have issues with hip abduction or pain and soreness in your hips
WOW Panel Gusset Options
The WOW saddle’s panels have gussets in two places: the front and the back. When your Certified WOW Saddle Fitter measures your horse using the WOW saddle gauge, they will assess whether your horse will need a Standard Depth (SD), Deep (D), or Double Depth (DD) front gusset, as well as how much lift in the rear of the saddle will be needed to balance the saddle front to back. Rear gussets are available in 1 1/2", 2", and 2 1/2" heights.
Conclusion
English saddles have been in use for hundreds of years but have remained largely unchanged since their invention. That’s left the modern horse facing all the same problems horses faced hundreds of years ago, with no hope for salvation. The result has been chronic soft-tissue injuries, sore backs, and front-end lameness due to ill-fitting saddles that just don't work. It wasn’t until WOW asked how they could use modern materials science and state-of-the-art technology to solve for these problems that a solution was found, and the WOW Pointless Panel System is a large part of the answer.
Professional trainers, Olympic riders, and thousands of riders around the world use WOW saddles across disciplines because they know a WOW saddle is the best saddle you can put on your horse. You can trust their testimonials because WOW will never, and has never, paid for a rider or trainer to use any of their products nor sponsored a rider or trainer or given them free products to endorse the brand.
Fans of WOW love their saddles because their horse loves their saddle and they love their horse.
Crystal Knipp, Delfina Saddlery
Christy Knipp is a lifelong horsewoman, with 39 years in the saddle and a B.Sc. in Equine Science from Virginia Intermont. She has a long list of accomplishments both in and out of the show ring and has worked for six Olympic medalists over her career. While operating her own hunter/jumper training business, she produced top FEI junior riders, countless Medal winners, and hundreds of division champions. After retiring, she began selling and making custom tack and leather accessories until she and her husband traveled to the UK to be trained as WOW Saddle Fitters. Delfina Saddlery now travels the west coast from California, Oregon, Nevada, to Arizona, selling and fitting WOW Saddles.
