I’m in the market for a new girth and I was just wondering what exactly the difference is between and anatomical girths vs a regular girth. Do the anatomical girths fit the shape of certain horses better? Are they more comfortable? For reference, I have a tall and narrow Dutch warmblood and I’m just trying the find something that fits him a bit better. Right now I just have a “classic” CWD girth, does anyone have any experience with any of their other girths? All knowledge and suggestions are very appreciated!!
I have both their anatomical and classic.
On my tall, narrow WB mare I really prefer the classic.
The classic I have is floppy soft. The anatomical is a good bit stiffer. I’m not a fan of it, it’s going on eBay if I can’t sell it around the barn.
The classic has never rubbed or marked, has enough give, and works super.
I like girths with a fair amount of give. (My favorites are the horsefare made synthetic fleece $35 smartpak ones.) The classic does, the anatomical one doesn’t really.
My super sensitive horse had a strong and pronounced preference for my Tad Coffin girth. It was wide, but only modestly shaped. I never had an issue with slippage or shifting, even though the mare was fairly rangy.
I just picked up a used custom Equusport in anticipation of my new OTTB project. It’s similar to the Tad, but superior in leather quality and feel. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it, and the colour is a perfect match for the warm oakbark French patina.
I have the anatomical CWD and don’t like it… It’s really discolored, and I’ve only had it a year. I’ve taken care if it well too… But I won’t be buying another girth from them
I have the CWD anatomical girth that I use daily. I actually think its a lovely girth. Mine is pretty flexible, doesn’t feel stiff at all after a few uses and an oil. It does help with saddle slippage tremendously.
The only thing is that I have noticed my horse being a bit more cranky lately. And he isn’t a cranky horse at all. He will swish his tail more when I apply a leg aid and he will throw his head in the cross ties during the tacking or untacking process (subtle behaviors only I, as his owner, would likely notice)…I am not sure if it’s the anatomical girth or another factor (being stuck riding in the indoor maybe?) but that’s the only thing I have changed about my saddling setup in the past few months or so. He doesn’t move poorly and isn’t restricted in any way, he just may not like it. I ordered one of those Equilizer girths from Schneider’s to see if he likes the traditional straight girth better or if I am just imagining things :lol:. If his demeanor doesn’t change after a few weeks of riding in the regular girth I will likely switch back.
Thanks for all of the info everyone! It sounds like some people are liking the anatomic girth and others aren’t, I’ll have to see if any of my friends have one or two different types I could try and see if how they are on my boy.
I like the idea of a girth with a higher surface area since the one I have now seems fairly narrow. Well_Worn_Bridle is the equusport girth you got neoprene or sheepskin? I’ve just had bad experiences with neoprene rubbing if any sand or anything gets between it and the horse so I was just wondering how yours was if it is neoprene?
I have the County Logic girth and my horse loves it. Several other horses have gone remarkedly better in the Logic girth which sits in the girth groove of the horse and frees up the shoulder. Also note that many hunter/jumper riders place the saddle too far forward and that also compromises the movement of the horse. With a properly adjusted saddle and girth most horses will move much freer.
Thanks for the info norcalammie! Have you had any problems with that girth rubbing at all? Is the side that goes against the horse leather as well or a different material?
[QUOTE=AdrenalineJunky;7461650]
I like the idea of a girth with a higher surface area since the one I have now seems fairly narrow. Well_Worn_Bridle is the equusport girth you got neoprene or sheepskin? I’ve just had bad experiences with neoprene rubbing if any sand or anything gets between it and the horse so I was just wondering how yours was if it is neoprene?[/QUOTE]
Neither, it’s all leather. The inside is baghide, super soft but tough. PM me if you’d like a picture.
I have the County anatomical girth and so does everyone else who rides with my trainer. They fit all of the horses great and none of them have ever had rubs from it.
It all depends on how your saddle fits your horse.
My gelding has an anatomical girth of the type which is wider in the middle to help spread pressure against his sternum. He’s far happier with that than a straight girth.
My filly just got her own saddle and with her long shoulder a “W” type anatomic girth puts the girth in her girth groove instead of too far back as it could be otherwise.
My mom’s horse goes in a plain and simple straight Wintec stretch girth and is happy with that.
If you have examples to try you can go by trial and error to see what works with your horse, but if you just buy random tack because someone else’s horse likes it without knowing why your horse may or may not, you’re wasting your money.
I just bought an anatomical CWD girth and I love it. I bought it because my saddle needs to sit a little bit back from the shoulders and my regular girth tended to pull the saddle forward. The anatomical girth looks great and I noticed addtional freedom of movement right away. I haven’t noticed any discoloring or it being overly stiff. I’ve conditioned and oiled it.
[QUOTE=netg;7462912]
It all depends on how your saddle fits your horse.
My gelding has an anatomical girth of the type which is wider in the middle to help spread pressure against his sternum. He’s far happier with that than a straight girth.
My filly just got her own saddle and with her long shoulder a “W” type anatomic girth puts the girth in her girth groove instead of too far back as it could be otherwise.
My mom’s horse goes in a plain and simple straight Wintec stretch girth and is happy with that.
If you have examples to try you can go by trial and error to see what works with your horse, but if you just buy random tack because someone else’s horse likes it without knowing why your horse may or may not, you’re wasting your money.[/QUOTE]
His saddle fits him very well but I find that the girth that came with it sits more forward then I like, even if I start with it back more it seems to move forward. If I have a chance to get to the barn today I will try to take a picture to show you what I mean. I just want something that isn’t going to sit so far forward and isn’t so narrow, I don’t think he finds it very comfortable. I’m pretty limited with what is available in my area for tack so I’m just trying to get ideas with what has worked for other people and hopefully some friends around here will have something similar I can try so I can have a better idea of what to order. What brand/style is the one you use on your gelding netg?
Both of my guys go in County anatomical girths, but it was more out of habit (my last horse was stupid-sensitive, and this was the only one that didn’t rub him) than anything else. My TB is much happier in it than other girths, but I think my WB could go in a girth made of baling twine and not care. However, this model has never rubbed either horse, my saddles don’t move (although they both fit well, so I don’t think that is caused entirely by the girth), and it seems quite comfortable for them both. They way it is shaped it definitely gets out of the way of the area behind their leg, which I like.
OK. So I finally convinced myself that it was the anatomical girth that was making my horse grouchy today (no matter how much I love it!). I didn’t want to wait until my new girth gets here so I decided to use my belly guard girth for our ride. Totally different horse. No swishing his tail when I apply leg and he was much happier for our after ride groom.
That being said, I recommend finding one to borrow and try on your horse for a few rides. I don’t think you will be able to tell right away if your horse dislikes it so a one time ride isn’t sufficient (unless your horse REALLY doesn’t like it :winkgrin:). I didn’t notice a significant change in my guy until after a few weeks of riding in it. The CWD fit him fine, was soft and padded, and his saddle fits him great. He just simple didn’t like something about the girth. Maybe the way the pressure is distributed or something.
The CWD anatomical girth is well made and I loved it. But not every horse likes the anatomical cut.
