Maggie White
Co-Founder and Finance Director
Maggie White is the co-founder and Director of First Thought Equine Ltd, the company behind WOW Saddles, Flair, FreeSpace, Korrector, and Duskin Saddles. A lifelong equestrian, Maggie began as a horse-mad child, progressing from Pony Club games through jumping to hunting.
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Before founding First Thought Equine, Maggie built a successful career in property sales and design, representing the Timber Frame industry on the Timber and Brick Council. Her experience in modular construction would later become key to the company’s design philosophy.​
When her drag hunter developed saddle-fitting problems that required re-flocking every four weeks, Maggie realised that adjustable yet sealable air bags could replace traditional wool flocking. This insight became the foundation for Flair, the fully adjustable air flocking system that she developed with her partner, David Kempsell. Following several years of research and development, the pair launched First Thought Equine Ltd to manufacture and sell Flair, which went on to win the prestigious “New Product Award” at the 1999 BETA trade fair.
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Maggie’s background in modular construction inspired the development of the WOW Saddle, which applies the same design principles to create a modular, high-performance saddle system. She played a hands-on role in the production of the first WOW Saddles, now manufactured by a skilled team combining traditional craftsmanship with state-of-the-art technology at their purpose-built facility in Kent.
As Finance Director, Maggie oversees all aspects of operations from production management to supporting a global network of WOW-trained retailers. She remains actively involved in meeting riders and saddle fitters at shows and events, providing expert advice on saddling and sharing her passion for horse welfare and comfort.