4. March 2026
Leaving My Comfort Zone for WOW HQ — The Training Experience That Changed The Fitted Horse Forever
Four Days at WOW HQ — How a Week in Canterbury Changed Everything for The Fitted Horse
I have wanted to write this blog since the moment I pulled out of the WOW HQ driveway last year, still buzzing with excitement and with a head full of knowledge that I could not wait to share with anyone who would listen. It has taken me a little while to put it into words — not because I did not know what to say, but because there is so much to say that knowing where to start has been the challenge. But here we are, and I am going to do my very best to give you a genuine, honest, and heartfelt account of what turned out to be one of the most significant and exciting experiences of my professional career.
A Little Bit of Background — Why This Felt Like a Big Deal
I want to be upfront about something from the start, because I think it is an important part of this story. When I booked onto the WOW Specialist Saddle Fitting and Retailer Course at WOW HQ in Canterbury, I had no traditional saddle fitting qualification. None. I came to this training as someone who is deeply passionate about equine welfare, who has considerable experience and knowledge in bridle and bit fitting, and who has always believed that correctly fitted equipment transforms the lives of horses and their riders — but formal saddle fitting training was a step I had not yet taken.
So yes, I was nervous. Genuinely, properly nervous. A week away from home — which for anyone who knows me will know is not something I take lightly, as I am not exactly renowned for my love of sleeping in strange beds — heading to a training course to learn an entirely new discipline alongside people who might have years of saddlery background behind them. I had moments in the days leading up to my departure when I genuinely questioned whether I was ready for this. Whether I was qualified enough, experienced enough, or simply brave enough to walk into WOW HQ and hold my own.
I need not have worried. But more on that in a moment.
Arriving at WOW HQ — A First Impression That Sets the Tone
WOW HQ is based in Canterbury, and the setting is genuinely beautiful — the kind of place that immediately makes you take a breath and feel that something good is about to happen. I had been offered the option of staying on site for the duration of the training, which I gratefully accepted, and I am so glad that I did. The rooms were comfortable and homely in a way that I had not expected — warm, welcoming, and with the kind of atmosphere that immediately takes the edge off being away from home.
And then there was the WOW team. David Kempsell and Maggie White — my trainers for the week, and founders of all things WOW — made us feel welcome from the very first moment. There were just two of us on the course, which meant that the training was intimate, personal, and incredibly thorough, and both David and Maggie brought a warmth, a generosity of knowledge, and a genuine enthusiasm for what they do that was utterly infectious from day one.
I normally get homesick when I stay away from home. It is one of those things about me that I have just accepted as part of who I am. But at WOW HQ, surrounded by the most welcoming team, in the most comfortable environment, and completely absorbed in learning that genuinely excited every part of me — I did not feel homesick once. (Please do not tell my family!)
The Factory — Where Everything Changed
If there is a single moment from the four days that I keep coming back to, it is the factory walk around. I knew that WOW saddles were different. I knew that the Flair panel system was innovative and that the modular design was unlike anything else on the market. What I did not fully appreciate — and what the factory walk around revealed in the most powerful way possible — was the extraordinary level of craftsmanship and commitment that goes into every single WOW saddle.
Every component of a WOW saddle is produced right here in the UK. Every single one. Not just the leather panels and the tree — every component, down to the buckles and the fixings. In a world where so much equestrian equipment is manufactured overseas, often with little transparency about how or where it is made, this was genuinely eye-opening and deeply impressive. Walking around the factory and seeing the level of skill, attention to detail, and quality control that goes into every stage of the production process gave me an entirely new appreciation for what WOW represents — not just as a saddle, but as a statement about the value of British manufacturing and a commitment to quality that you simply cannot replicate when you are cutting corners on production.
I came away from that factory walk around feeling proud to be associated with a brand that makes things the right way, for the right reasons, with the right level of care and integrity. It matters to me enormously, and I think it should matter to every horse owner who is considering their options.
The Training — So Much More Than I Expected
The WOW Specialist Saddle Fitting and Retailer Course is comprehensive. That word does not quite do it justice, but it is the most accurate one I can find. Over the four days, David and Maggie took us through every aspect of the WOW system in extraordinary detail — and I mean every aspect.
The Construction of the Saddle
We spent significant time understanding how WOW saddles are actually constructed — the engineering principles behind the modular system, how the components work together, and why each design decision has been made in the interest of the horse and rider. Understanding the construction of the saddle from the ground up gave me a level of confidence in explaining the WOW system to my clients that I simply could not have achieved from reading a brochure or watching a video.
The saddle tree — that critical internal framework that determines how the saddle sits on the horse's back — is at the heart of the WOW system, and understanding how it works, how it can be adjusted, and how it interacts with the horse's back was one of the most illuminating parts of the course. WOW's approach to tree design and adjustability represents a genuinely different philosophy from conventional saddlery, and seeing it explained and demonstrated by people who understand it as deeply as David and Maggie do was remarkable.
The Variety of Components and Their Best Uses
If I had one single takeaway from the training that I was not fully prepared for, it was the sheer variety of components available within the WOW system. The range of head plates, flap configurations, seat options, and other components is vast — and understanding which components are best suited to which horses and riders requires a depth of knowledge that the course delivered with impressive thoroughness.
David guided us through the full range of components, explaining the best use cases for each, the fitting principles that determine which options are most appropriate for a given horse and rider combination, and the practical considerations that inform component selection in the real world. By the end of the course I had handled every component in the WOW range, understood its purpose and function, and felt confident in my ability to select the right combination of components for my individual clients.
Girthing Principles — Something I Did Not Expect to Learn So Much About
One of the elements of the training that surprised me most was the depth and importance of the session on girthing principles. I knew that girth fit mattered — I have always been clear about the importance of correct girth length and girth design in my work at The Fitted Horse — but the WOW approach to girthing and its relationship to saddle fit opened my eyes to aspects of girth function and saddle stability that I had not previously considered.
The way in which the girth interacts with the saddle, the tree, and the horse's movement has a direct and significant influence on how the saddle sits and how pressure is distributed across the horse's back. Getting the girthing right is not simply a matter of fastening the buckles to the right holes — it is an integral part of achieving and maintaining a correct saddle fit, and David's explanation of the principles involved was one of the most genuinely educational sessions of the entire course for me. It has already changed the way I approach girth selection and fitting with my clients, and I know it will continue to influence my work for years to come.
The Flair Panel System — Coming to Life Before My Eyes
I have written extensively about the Flair air panel system on The Fitted Horse website, and I was already a firm believer in its benefits before I arrived at WOW HQ. But seeing the system demonstrated in detail by the people who understand it most deeply — and then working with it myself in the practical sessions — gave me a level of understanding and appreciation that goes far beyond anything I had previously had.
Understanding exactly how the air is introduced into the panels, how the pressure calibration is carried out, how the different sections of the panel interact with each other, and how the system is used to address the horse's natural asymmetry with targeted precision — all of this came together in the practical sessions in a way that was genuinely thrilling for me. I am aware that using the word thrilling about saddle panel calibration might raise a few eyebrows, but if you have the same passion for equine welfare and equipment fitting that I have, you will understand exactly what I mean.
The Practical Sessions — Horses, Riders, and Real-World Fitting
The practical sessions were, for me, where everything that David and Maggie had taught us in the training room came to life in the most powerful and meaningful way. Working with real horses and real riders, applying the fitting principles we had learned, and seeing the immediate and visible difference that a correctly fitted WOW saddle makes to the way a horse moves and carries themselves — this was the moment when I knew, without any doubt at all, that bringing WOW saddle fitting to The Fitted Horse was the right decision.
Watching a horse transition from restricted, tight movement under an ill-fitting saddle to free, forward, expressive movement under a correctly fitted WOW saddle is something that never gets old. It is one of those moments that reminds you exactly why you do what you do — and why getting the equipment right matters so profoundly to the horses in our care.
The Neurodiverse Brain — An Unexpected Advantage
I want to take a moment to say something that I hope might resonate with others who approach learning in the same way that I do. Going into this training without any traditional saddle fitting background meant that I was taking on an enormous amount of new information without the framework of prior saddlery knowledge to hang it on. There were moments during the course when the sheer volume of information felt genuinely challenging, and I would be dishonest if I said there were no moments of self-doubt.
But here is the thing. My neurodiverse brain has a particular quality that I have learned to embrace rather than apologise for — when something genuinely interests and excites me, it absorbs information with an enthusiasm and a depth that surprises even me. And this course interested and excited me from the very first session to the very last. The detail, the engineering, the welfare implications, the practical application — every single element of the WOW training spoke directly to the part of me that is most engaged and most alive when I am learning about something I genuinely care about.
I also believe — and this is something I have reflected on since returning home — that coming to the WOW training without a traditional saddlery background may actually have been an advantage in some ways. I did not have preconceptions to unlearn or established habits to challenge. I came with an open mind, a genuine curiosity, and a deep passion for equine welfare, and those qualities created a receptiveness to the WOW philosophy that I think served me very well indeed.
Leaving WOW HQ — Excitement, Gratitude, and a Head Full of Plans
Pulling out of the WOW HQ driveway at the end of the four days, I felt something that I can only describe as a very specific kind of joy — the joy of having learned something genuinely transformative and of knowing that the knowledge I had gained was going to make a real and tangible difference to the horses and riders I work with.
I was excited — more excited than I had been about anything professional in a long time. I wanted to get home and start telling every client, every horse owner, and frankly anyone who would stand still long enough, about everything I had learned. About the factory. About the components. About the Flair panels. About girthing principles. About the sheer, extraordinary, revolutionary common sense of a saddle that is designed to adapt to the horse rather than forcing the horse to adapt to it.
I also felt an enormous amount of gratitude. To David and Maggie, who gave so generously of their time, their knowledge, and their warmth across those four days. To the WOW team as a whole, whose welcome made a potentially daunting experience feel like a privilege. And to the horses who taught me more in those practical sessions than any amount of time in the training room could have done on its own.
What This Means for The Fitted Horse — and for You
The Fitted Horse now offers WOW saddle fitting as a core part of our service, and I am more proud of that than I can adequately express. My clients are already reaping the benefits — horses that were restricted and uncomfortable are moving with a freedom and expression that their owners had never seen before. Riders that were struggling with balance and position are finding that a correctly fitted WOW saddle gives them a stability and security that transforms their riding. And the conversations I am having with clients about their horses' comfort, welfare, and performance have a depth and a confidence that the WOW training has made possible.
If you have been curious about WOW saddles — whether you have heard about them from a friend, read about them online, or simply noticed that more and more riders in your area seem to be talking about them — I would encourage you wholeheartedly to find out more. Not because I am trying to sell you something, but because I have seen first-hand what a correctly fitted WOW saddle can do for a horse and rider, and I genuinely believe that every horse deserves to be ridden in equipment that fits them as well as the WOW system makes possible
To find out more about WOW saddle fitting at The Fitted Horse, to book a fitting consultation, or to simply have a conversation about whether a WOW saddle might be right for you and your horse, please visit us at www.thefittedhorse.co.uk. I would absolutely love to hear from you.
And to David, Maggie, and the entire WOW team — thank you.
From the bottom of my heart.
You changed everything.
Emma x