This winter my horses skin has been extremely dry which has been making him super prone to rubs, for example where my leg sits (not spur marks) or where the reins touch his neck. I’ve been working super hard to help his skin be less dry, it’s slowly getting there but in the meantime my coach has recommended I get a belly band to prevent the small rub he has from getting any worse. The only belly band I can find any information about is the Equifit one, I’m just wondering if anyone knows if there is anything else on the market I should look into and also where I can get one (I live in Canada specifically Alberta) or if I should just order online? Any help is greatly appreciated!
Ovation makes a baby pad with long sides that serves the same purpose and is less spendy. Smartpak carries it.
Also think about what is causing the rub. Sometimes its a spur, but other times its a seam on your boot. Vet-wrapping over the seam, or leaving the spurs off, can help immensely.
My horse has this problem, too. We just use a beach towel (serves the same purpose as the saddle pad with long sides referenced above) to cover up the rub - put the towel over your regular saddle pad so that it hangs vertically down your horse’s side, then girth up over it to keep it in place.
I actually though of this and switched from my regular boots into half chaps that zip up the side to prevent any zipper rubbing.
This would be great except Smartpak doesn’t ship to Canada 
Thank you! I think I will give this a shot!
I have the Equifit belly band, it’s really the best thing for this issue. Expensive but worth it. The Ovation pad is really oddly shaped and sort of wonky in terms of coverage. The Smartpak spur rub pad with removeable side pieces is better if you go with a pad-- but the belly band is really effective and IMHO- worth it.
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I have the Equifit belly band, it’s really the best thing for this issue. Expensive but worth it. The Ovation pad is really oddly shaped and sort of wonky in terms of coverage. The Smartpak spur rub pad with removeable side pieces is better if you go with a pad-- but the belly band is really effective and IMHO- worth it.[/QUOTE]
This, I spend probably 3 hours online trying to find a cheaper but still effective option. There was one product in Europe somewhere that was basically the same thing, but slightly cheaper. However, that wasn’t with shipping and the whole website was in a language I didn’t know.
A barnmate had the Ovation pad and hated it - it moved around a lot and was not super effective. Likewise, I’d imagine you would end up with the same side effect using a towel. If your horse’s skin is so sensitive that he’s getting rubs from the reins, I’m guessing these two solutions would just cause more rubs, since the material is not held tight against his skin over 100% of the surface area.
Like someone else said, the Equifit band is really your best bet. The elastic construction is going to help it lie still as much as possible, eliminating new rubbing issues from the material meant to protect from your half chaps/boots. You get what you pay for in this case. If it doesn’t work, they definitely have a decent resale value as a backup
I literally have the same exact problem right now. Nothing changed except my half chaps are starting to stretch out a little and maybe are causing a rub on his side, but it is not a spur rub.
I just purchased SmartPak’s saddle pad with the additional piece to block the rubs. I do feel like they can get bunched up depending on how much your leg moves but I am willing to try it with SmartPak’s awesome return policy before getting the Equifit band. Also, even better is that they have 15% off right now…
I found a place that can ship it for free yay! Of course with the Canadian conversion rate it’s $200 instead of $140 :(. Thank you for all the help everyone!
Have you checked with Spruce Meadows? Do they carry the Equifit?
Would’ve tried to find it within Canada, lots of shops sell it Many offer free shipping over $100. So hesitant to purchase one of these because they’re soooo expensive!
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Yes they carry it thats that’s where one of the riders in my barn just got his new one (this week). I also believe equiproducts might carry them or they could order one!
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