And responding to your other point - where are the Prestige reps and how do I find them?! The finder on their site shows no dealers in the US, and that has to be wrong! But I can’t figure out any other way to find one - googling gets me nothing. Why do these companies make it so hard to buy their stuff??
So clicker training is fantastic education for the human as well. If you can’t time your response on something as simple as a clicker, then you absolutely can’t time your more complex aids in the saddle.
The thing about clicker training is you need to teach the horse what the click means. And you have to elicit a behavior spontaneously not force a horse to do something then reward. That’s why touching a target stick is a useful and common first trick. You click when horse touches stick. Then you start shaping the behaviour to start touching just the target end of stick.
It’s important horse not learn to mug you for treats. So make him back up and wait, click, treat. Very soon he will learn to stand back for a treat. That’s the behaviour you want to reward for tacking up. Horse looks forward or even away from you. Click on looking away from you, reward.
Don’t feed treats by hand except in a clicker situation. Expect a clicker session to run 5 or 10 minutes. Once horse understands the game he will be faster to pick up new behavior.
It will really fine tune your observation of your horse and what it looks like for a horse to think and to try.
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My timing is not perfect and I don’t use a clicker. My horse has taught herself how to do a killer side eye if I’m late with a reward. 
Just try it - first just give a treat for living through having that first hole done, another for surviving the tightening one more hole etc. Make corrections about head position (absolutely NO reaching back to request the treat) and then start making corrections about ear position once that’s established.
I have a 32" mohair girth I’d be happy to send you if the size will work.
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I do think it would work and I would love that!!! I usually use a 30 on him but a 32 would definitely work! I’d be very grateful!
Have you tried doing back stretches as you saddle and tighten? Just a simple one asked for by gentle pressure upwards on the midline of the belly until his back lifts helped a friend’s defensive gelding.
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I use this girth on my round forward girth groove pony. He likes soft squishy and sheepskin though. It’s the best one for staying in place, other girths have a tendency to migrate forward.
I have this one too. Be careful if your horse has further set back elbows. One of mine got elbow rubs from the plastic on this girth, because her legs go so far back when she moves.
Works great on one of my other horses though.
I had the same experience bringing my horse back into work. Vet and massage therapist recommended belly lifts and I do them before and after our rides. To begin with, there were treats. He has shared that he likes a long and low warmup stretch, and for cool down, too.
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Yep, we do core mobilization stretches every single day before saddling! This hasn’t always been the case, but he’s been on stall rest for a fractured coffin bone for 6 months (I’ve just started riding again - the girthing problem has been persistent the entire time I’ve owned him though), and I tried to keep these up while he hasn’t been able to do any other exercise.
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Elbow rubs are a big issue with this horse - I’m not sure if it’s because of set-back elbows, a forward girth groove, lots of skin in the elbow area, or what. But girths whose “side straps” are too wide or in the wrong place always end up rubbing. This is a problem I have with the Mikmar, even though otherwise it’s probably the best option I’ve found for him so far.
That’s interesting! I was so surprised when it happened because I had never seen it before. Good to know I’m not alone in that lol
I use a Lettia fleece on mine now and it seems to do the trick.
I have one of these sitting around that I’d sell. It was recommended for my own princess, but it was too wide for his narrow sternum and barrel and made the saddle slip sideways. I also have an AddJustA Anatomic which I like more, but don’t need right now. It’s adjustable length, which at least means it might fit another horse someday.
I haven’t used one (or even seen them in person) but am intrigued by the WOW FreeSpace girth (similar to the prestige donut) and read a ton of rave review on H&H. No help on where to trial one, but may be another option to add to your list.
One thing that helped my girth-anxious and angry-girthing horses was using the Warwick Schiller method of doing one thing then waiting for the horse to release / relax before moving onto the next. So for my horses I would put on the saddle pads, wait for a yawn/ lick and chew/ blow out, then place the saddle, wait for release, then put girth on loosest holes, wait for release, then do one hole on one side, release, etc until fully tacked. I won’t lie, at first it takes a while but it goes by faster each time as they realize they will get time to relax and there is nothing worth getting worried/ upset about. I feel like it’s similar to the treat method and both may work depending on your horse. My anxious one was a treat monster and treats can make her more worried (where’s the next one?!?) leading to pawing so I avoid giving her treats.
Someone mentioned sternum soreness which is a good point. You should be able to gently palpate and if he’s sore, get a reaction. If he IS sore in his sternum, I’d look at the front feet IME.
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Have you tried a longer or shorter version of whatever you have now? Maybe the issue is where the girth buckles are currently, even if the girth is the “right” size.
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I have one and I love it.
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I basically use this method already. I give him plenty of time to completely relax between putting the saddle on his back, fastening the girth on its loosest hole so it doesn’t even touch him, then tightening each hole - I do all sorts of tasks between each hole. It makes no difference. He relaxes completely, and even stands eating hay, since I often do it in his stall, but once he senses that I’m about to tighten another hole, he immediately becomes girthy and reactive. It actually works best if I try to trick him, and pretend I’m going to do something like lengthen the stirrups or check his leg (or I scratch his withers or rub his ears) and instead really quickly tighten the girth a hole before he has time to even realize what I’m doing. Then it’s over before really register it and he is much less reactive.
I have looked at those WOW girths. I will look again at the Free Space in particular, though I know nothing about the brand. My interest is still a little piqued by the Jeremy Rutledge, which isn’t that different in concept from some of the WOW girths.
I’m not really sure how I would determine whether his sternum is sore since he has always hated being touched along his sides and most of the front half of his underside. Maybe it is or is it some other reactivity? Could it have been sore for the past 5 years? He has had, among many issues (seriously, highest maintenance horse ever), some up front.
I am guessing that the “tricking him” approach works well in the short term (you get girthed quickly) but continues his wariness about being girthed. Almost like you are reinforcing his suspicion that something is going to be sprung upon him. Sorta like trailer-loading.
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That might well be. But giving him time to relax between each hole doesn’t make things better either, so I’m not sure what the best approach is. I guess it’s either finding a girth that he likes, or figuring out what other problem is causing his distress, neither of which I’ve been able to do thus far.
I also want to mention that I have looked at those WOW Freespace girth, and they are very intriguing. I like the concept, and I wonder whether that"floating" chest area, which is similar to the donut but not exactly the same, might make him feel less restricted and more comfortable. Part of the deal with those girths seems to be that there is a gap between the horse’s body and the girth straps, at least in some areas, at least if I’m understanding correctly. I think I am going to email them and try to find out a little bit more.
