Has anyone here used the 6 point dressage pad from Total Saddle Fit? What about their shoulder relief girth?
Are they the real deal, or marketing hype?
I haven’t tried the saddle pad, but I have been using the girth for about 3 months. I’ve been happy with it for my horse that hates the saddle anywhere near his scapula, but has a super forward girth groove. I used to get off and reposition the saddle about halfway through the ride - don’t have to do that anymore.
You’ll get a bit of “oh, it’s all hype - what you need is a saddle that fits properly.” But for those horses that have a bit of a slope to their shoulders and a really forward girth groove, it seems to work well.
The girth is of decent quality, not super expensive, and they still offer a 110% money back guarantee for 30 days, so you really can try it for almost nothing.
Thanks for the info. Your horse sounds like mine (saddle fit is good, but he has a sloping shoulder and a forward girth groove).
How is the sizing? I am using a 28" girth now (16.3h WB with a deep barrel). It almost seems a bit long - but we are having to pull it up more than we used to do, so I think the elastic has stretched out.
From what I’ve seen, the saddle pad is no different than current ones available on the market. Both Mattes and ThinLine have had pads that shim front, bridging, and rear for several years.
The girth does seem appealing though, but I’ll admit I haven’t researched it much.
I love the girth and the wither relief pad. . . The wither relief is what is different to me. Otherwise, it’s just a shimmable pad. . . Though the shims are a lot cheaper, the pad is a little less money also. I have really enjoyed them, I have a bit of a fussy horse, she likes the girth and the pad as far as I can tell.
I was using a 26" Nunn Finer without elastic, and the 26" in the TSF girth was too big. I ended up exchanging it (and that was totally without hassle - great customer service) for a 24".
I was using a 28 Wintec girth, and the 28 TSF girth fits on the same holes. You just have to take into account the extra leather beyond the buckles on the TSF girth so that it doesn’t bump into your pad. (My Wintec buckled well below the saddle pad, so I had plenty of room for the TSF girth.)
it it does seem to keep my saddle from creeping forward, and I think my horse really likes it.
Thanks for the feedback. I bit the bullet and ordered the girth. Hope it does the job! 
[QUOTE=DownYonder;7843220]
Thanks for the feedback. I bit the bullet and ordered the girth. Hope it does the job! :)[/QUOTE]
I ordered one last week…waiting for it to arrive. Fingers crossed.
I have the girth and it seems pretty nice… might be just a tad bulky in spots. I ordered a 20 inch. My horse wears either a 20 or 22 in most dressage girths (yes she’s small.)
Was curious and checked the website.
RIDICULOUS.
How is that girth any different from any “contoured” “anatomical” whatever name other similar type of girths?
Their “How it Work” section with the 2 pictures… " Well, obviously, if you put your saddle over the scapula… :rolleyes: That is my look to their “science”…
If your saddle doesn’t fit, there is no girth that can fix that.
But despite all the BS, their girths seem to be well crafted with quality material; so probably not a bad buy for that price if you want an anatomical girth.
I have both the TSF shoulder relief girth and the wither relief 6-point saddle pad.
I cannot say enough good things about them!! The girth has been discussed repeatedly, so I’ll save my breath (pixels?) for the pad.
With big-withered TBs, this half pad is awesome. It has a clear space for the gullet, with no pressure on the withers. For average everyday rides I don’t always use the velcro d-ring loops and it tends to stay in place well on its own. For vigorous jump schools I do use the loops just for security.
One of my jump saddles is a touch wide on one horse, and adding the memory foam shims to the wither pockets makes it fit much better. Another horse has a dippy back and shimming the rear pockets helps her.
The sheepskin is good quality and maintains its fluff (for the 3 months I’ve had it). The pad itself is a bit large in the back for my jump saddle, but it’s not distracting. The velcro for the pockets is strong and closes neatly. The shims are memory foam, about 1/4" thick…not too bulky but enough to do the job.
I’m not a huge sheepskin pad fanatic; prior to this I used a thinline trifecta pad (cotton lined) exclusively. It’s been gathering dust lately…the Total Saddle Fit half pad is all I use anymore! Love it and highly recommend it.
Well, I have another brand of “anatomical” girth, (don’t remember brand), and this one is much better shaped. The other one I have is sort of cut back for the elbows, and has the part that bulges to the front, but it is only a small bulge.
The TSF girth is much more offset. There is a larger difference between where the front part contacts the horse and where the girth ends lie farther back on the body. The girth can truly be set farther back on the horse’s body to keep the saddle back while still contacting the sternum in the forward girth groove. I like this one much better.
[QUOTE=alibi_18;7844930]
Was curious and checked the website.
RIDICULOUS.
How is that girth any different from any “contoured” “anatomical” whatever name other similar type of girths?
Their “How it Work” section with the 2 pictures… " Well, obviously, if you put your saddle over the scapula… :rolleyes: That is my look to their “science”…
If your saddle doesn’t fit, there is no girth that can fix that.
But despite all the BS, their girths seem to be well crafted with quality material; so probably not a bad buy for that price if you want an anatomical girth.[/QUOTE]
And I do think that I predicted there would be a bit of “your saddle doesn’t fit right” earlier in the thread.
Alibi - I had a anatomical girth. A Nunn Finer. Most of the ones you are referring to are straight girths with a cutback where the elbow rotates back. The TSF (and a couple others - Custom has one, I think that County has one, and a couple others) might be more accurately described as “offset”. Rather than a totally straight girth, these girths are more U or Pi shaped when lying flat so that IF you have a horse with a more forward girth groove, you can keep the saddle off the scapula. I don’t have the girth at home or I would take a picture of the two styles side by side so that you could see the difference in the shape.
Before you go back to the “your saddle doesn’t fit” - yes it does. It was custom built for him, and continues to be maintained by a independent master fitter. So the fitter has no skin in the game to keep me in the saddle if it does not fit properly, as he does not rep a particular line.
My horse has a VERY forward girth groove. I’ve been through several saddles and none of them stayed back off the shoulder before this type of girth. Not every horse is built like that and for horses with a more typical girth groove, there would be no point to this girth. If your horse is like that, stick with what works for you. It’s kind of like saying that a shark fin wither TB doesn’t need a cutback saddle - you just need your pancake saddle to fit properly. It is just never going to happen.
Calling it RIDICULOUS if you have not tried the product or know anyone who has tried it, is a little judgemental. Could their website be better? Sure. But they are a small, relatively young company. That will improve in time. I was dubious that it would make a difference, but with a 110% money back guarantee for 30 days, it was worth a try for what would amount to about a $8 investment if I decided to return it.
I’m w/ rothmpp ^^. Mare has very forward groove, and generally a tricky fit. Been thru several saddles. Use the County version and it absolutely helps keep the saddle back, as does the non-slip pad.
HELPS is the critical word - you still obviously need a decently fitted saddle
[QUOTE=2tempe;7845421]
I’m w/ rothmpp ^^. Mare has very forward groove, and generally a tricky fit. Been thru several saddles. Use the County version and it absolutely helps keep the saddle back, as does the non-slip pad.
HELPS is the critical word - you still obviously need a decently fitted saddle[/QUOTE]
I’m not saying anatomical girths don’t help. I’m saying that this particular girth isn’t different than any similar girth. It is not a new design. And if your saddle doesn’t fit, there is no girth who can fix that.
Their website is totally ridiculous; they offer NO explanation except 4 pictures that show 2 badly placed saddles on a horse vs 2 well placed saddles… Is the girth supposed to put the saddle correctly on the horse?
Like you said, your County girth do the job just fine. My Devoucoux as well.
The “total shoulder relief” name is just pure marketing.
If I had problems with a horse’s weird shoulder fit, I would rather invest in a saddle with shoulder relief panels/shoulder gussets/shorter tree point/dropped or K-panels/etc… anyway.
I use both the girth and the 6 point wither relief saddle pad.
My horse is extremely hard to fit. He’s a draft cross. He has the really wide broad shoulder of a Belgian, and a remarkably flat back. On top of that he has a high shark fin like wither. also a forward girth groove
Everybody who sees him assumes he needs a wide tree saddle as he is very broad. He actually needs a medium tree with either a cut back or high wither.
The main difference I’ve seen between the tsf girth and the county girth (my friend uses) is the tsf girth does come farther forward. Also very high quality for a fraction of the price.
The saddle pad has been very helpful. I used the mattes pad and actually switched to the tsf pad.
Main differences: mattes is actually better quality wool and offers more shock absorption. (I’ve corrected this myself with very creative padding). I do prefer the tsf pad though. The opening at the withers is GREAT for high withered horses. Also, I use the pad for relief of mild bridging. With the mattes pad there is only 4 shimable pockets and it was hard to get right. With the 6 pockets in the tsf pad I was able to correct easily.
I know ideally no half pads are needed, but when you have a horse who is a hard fit and you can’t afford a custom saddle (especially for a growing and changing horse) you will do whatever it takes to keep them comfortable!
Just thought I would post an update: I ordered the girth by phone last Wednesday. It was around 6:30 pm here, 3:30 pm in California. I paid the standard shipping charge (flat rate ground), and we discussed when I could expect it. We figured it would possibly arrive Tuesday, more likely on Wednesday.
It arrived yesterday (Sunday!) by Priority Mail. THAT is great customer service!
It is beautiful - soft and supple, and appears to be very well made. Just looking at it off the horse, I can see how the design may very well do the job of keeping the saddle from slipping forward, while still sitting in the girth groove and providing elbow freedom.
The saddle fitter is coming today, and we will compare the function of the TSF girth to our regular girth.
I also have a horse with a very forward girth grove and a topline that ends up with all saddles wanting to ride forward. I can surely relate to having to dismount once or twice in a ride to move the saddle back. I solved most of the problem with using a non-slip pad on top of a quality saddle pad.
The girths I’ve been using for years is this Schleese contoured girth:
https://www.fine-used-saddles.com/saddles/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=1256
I have tried girths that look almost identical to this shoulder relief one, and I find that the width of the girth really cuts in behind the elbow.
