Best *soft* forward groove girth?

[Shiaway]

I know there are old topics on this but I wanted to start a new one since there are so many more new options these days.

My horse is shorter-backed, slightly downhill, has well sprung ribs, no withers, and a forward-girth groove, so it’s next to impossible to keep the saddle from traveling forward. Yes the saddle fits him quite well. I’ve been using an older County anatomical girth and while this doesn’t fix it 100% it does work better than a straight girth. The only thing is that it’s very very hard, with no padding or softness to it.

I didn’t think much of that until recently I was borrowing a straight girth that was made out of that like fleece/breathable fabric with elastic because he had a tick bite on his girth area. It didn’t do a great job keeping the saddle in place but I did notice he was less girthy with it. I’ve switched back to the old County Logic and he is more girthy again. So I’m trying to find something that is maybe a bit softer and maybe even with some give or elastic of course I do have to have it pretty tight so I’m more focusing on the softness.

Does anybody have recommendations on a soft anatomical girth for a forward groove? Have they improved the Total Saddle Fit ones? I tried that a long time ago and it was gaping too much in the front. I also see there are plenty of other options out there so not sure which I should try. TIA!

[blue_heron]

Why not try a crescent girth? Ovation has a super cheap one and it’s very soft. If you want really soft, I have been pleased with my Mattes crescent girth. They also make an “athletic” shaped one, so you might find you prefer one or the other. You also might try a Mikmar girth. I’ve had a number of girthy horses be much happier in the Mikmar girth.

The TSF girth with the elastic in the middle does improve things somewhat, but the center part is too offset-- so when you’re tightening the buckles, they’re in line with the front of the offset part. That’s what makes the pressure point. It’s really a poor design. The County Logic and some other anatomical offset girths are slightly better. The SmartPak one is okay, too.

[GreyDes]

The newer County logic girths are much softer than the older models!

I’ve had good success with Fairfax. They’re pricy, but my mare likes it.

Prestige and TSF also make that style. I had mixed experiences with TSF. It worked well on a wide bodies, low withered horse but not at all on anyone else.

[outerbanks77]

The LeMieux anatomic girth is pretty soft/cushioned. You can also add a fleece cover to it, which is what I use for my thin-skinned mare.

[atr]

We like the Bliss girth. Very soft. Not cheap, but not totally outrageous.

[equinelibrium]

Someone else on COTH recommended this girth and my mare seems to like it more than the Prolite I was using before. It’s very flexible and has elastic on both sides.

https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Flex_Rider_Anatomic_Comfort_Foam_Dressage_Girth/descpage-FRCF.html?color=BK

[evtrmom]

I started using the correct connect girths recently. No idea if they are working lol but they should be! They aren’t stupid expensive, you can take the fleece off to wash and can order leather pads to swap out the fleece if you want to.

[theresak]

The Prestige was my solution to that same problem. The County anatomic girth did a good job keeping the saddle in place but the extra squish of the Prestige did an even better job.

[shall]

Dressage work may make a wither appear. My propane tank Arab mare grew one going on 11. You’ll still have the forward groove, though. Had County for close contact saddle. Her daily favorite was the Total Saddle Fit StretchTec. Her (withered) son likes that too (leather or fleece). Holds up well.

[Pico_Banana]

I recently ordered the Majik Equipe anatomic girth. It’s very soft. I need to exchange it for a larger size so haven’t tried it yet though, so no other comments other than it’s super soft.

I am currently using the Prof Choice ventech girth, which I would have guessed my mare would not like because it’s quite stiff, but she has been good with it.

I ordered one of the ovation crescent girths and I’m not sure why people like them. It seemed super narrow to me so I didn’t even try it on her.

[Sue_B]

I use a Mattes shaped girth on my horse. I think the prior to that I used a County (?) shaped girth but I honestly don’t remember.

[ParadoxFarm]

For a cheaper alternative, I use this Smart Pack girth:

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/smartpak-memory-foam-contoured-dressage-girth-with-coolmax-lining-23905

[suzyq]

The lemieux gel tek one is very soft but it gapes on my horse so might not work for you. The total saddle fit leather one (not the stretch tek) fits better but def not as soft

[Shiaway]

He’s 24 yo at psg so this is as good as it gets

And thanks everyone for the suggestions. I’ll check then out.

[IPEsq]

Crescent girth is made for that body type. There are several options for materials. Also might be called a moon girth in some brands.

[Minxitbabe]

Another vote for crescent girth. Ovation gel form is my choice. Or at least their old model was. Need a new one and looks like there have been some changes. But it is lovely and soft. TSF girths have not worked on any of my horses and 2 have ended up with sores when they were used.

[lazaret]

I use that flexrider girth posted above, which is essentially the same as the more expensive smartpak one but without the d ring in the middle.

[Shiaway]

The girth that came with the saddle is a crescent girth and didn’t seem to do much with keeping the saddle back.

[blue_heron]

Have you asked your fitter what they recommend? If the anatomy is as you’re describing, that’s what a crescent girth is for. Maybe you need a different billet or pad configuration.

[fizzyfuzzybuzzy]

I’ve been following this post as my guy has a big laid back shoulder and a forward girth groove and I’ve been considering a crescent girth for him. Can anyone post a picture of the girth in use? I’m having a hard time envisioning how this crescent shape addresses the issue of the saddle sliding forward.