Life has repeatedly got in the way but for several years I’ve been wanting to get a custom mohair girth for my dressage saddle, the kind that are shaped to scoop around the elbows. A local woman makes them for Western World and they are gorgeous but not cheap.
My horses both have TSF girths - one long original and two StretchTecs (one with the neoprene liner and the other with leather). I still have a short original that I don’t use now.
I’ve never had galling. My younger horse has a low tolerance for tack fit issues and was always a bit fussy about girthing. That reduced dramatically with the TSF original, and even further with the StretchTec.
The problem with these girths is that they don’t, can’t fit every horse shape. The elastic in the middle of the StretchTec makes it a bit more forgiving.
I wonder if some galls were caused by having it sit too far forward. It looked very uncomfortable when the saddle slipped forward on my younger horse (I was testing tack set up on the longe so he never worked long enough to gall).
Shoulder relief girths are designed to help saddle fit on a specific conformation… the horse with a fairly dramatic difference between where the saddle needs to sit and where the girth groove lies. On these horses, when initially girthed with a “normal” girth, the girth angles forward, then ultimately pulls the saddle (slightly or a lot) forward into the back of the shoulders as the horse is ridden.
Elbow relief girths are designed for elbows that lay close to the body, or for horses with more normal saddle/girth groove alignment but who, for whatever reason tend to be rubbed by the average girth shape.
Typically, you can use an elbow relief girth without problems on “ordinary” conformation, but shoulder relief girths usually don’t fit well and can cause rubs if they’re not needed.
All that said, if your horse can really benefit from a shoulder relief girth, the most comfortable (excellent workmanship and soft leather) I’ve found is the KL Select Balance girth. At around $180, also less damaging to the pocketbook.
If your horse doesn’t need shoulder relief, but has other conformation challenges (super wide barrel with narrow girth groove… wide, deep girth and then a narrow ribcage behind), Mattes makes a variety of girth shapes designed to help.
And if you want a girth that promotes freer shoulder movement for “ordinary” conformation, check out Stubben’s EquiSoft. Price is up there, but my horses Love it.
My TB LOVES his TSF StretchTec girth. Tried it on another mare, and it rubbed the skin off her elbows :o So, I totally agree with those that have said they are either hit or miss - but you won’t know unless you actually try it. The good news is that TSF website offers a 30 day 100%refund if it doesn’t work for you. Seems like a great way to try it without risking $$$
Until my two current horses, everyone seemed perfectly happy in the Thorowgood Dressage Girth or the very similar Smartpak Breathable Dressage Girth. Both retail around $40.
Then tiny PRE with giant movement came along. His girth groove is quite small and forward, pushing wider girths into his elbows. Like a trooper, he marched on, but I was sure he wasn’t comfortable. After many tries, he ended up in a Fairfax Narrow, 24" I believe. The leather hasn’t held up great, but it does its job.
Then long came Mr. Uber-Sensitive with a sensitive stomach. He arrived from Europe with a Le Tixerant (now sold as the Mikmar Comfort Dressage Girth). When it came time to replace it, I tried a whole assortment on him, just to end up back where I started - a new, unstretched Mikmar.
Happy to answer questions about either, or lend them to you for a bit to try if you’re local.
I have a Fairfax for my Princess - she is sensitive but stoic. I’ve tried a lot of girths over the years. The County Logic was too hard and stiff and lacked elastic - it was horrible! I had an Albion for a while, and that is a nice girth, but not quite perfect. Have tried Nunn Finer but it was not the right angles for my horse. I got my Fairfax (narrow) through Divoza, and had a coupon, so got it for about $300 which seemed pretty reasonable. And my mare loves it.
I have heard way too many stories about he TSF girths cracking due to poor quality leather, so I didn’t try that brand. one of my friends got one - it have her horse sores and rubs. I compared it to my Fairfax, and the shape was quite different.
Several years ago, I posted photos of several of the girths right next to each other to show the differences in angles and shape. The Fairfax was quite different from most of the other brands. Just saying - similar is NOT the same…
Does anyone have feedback on the Tapestry girth? Thanks
https://tapestryequineproducts.com/products/tapestry-dressage-comfort-girth
I have 2 County Logic girths and really like them. I have had 2 sensitive horses in them and neither objects.
MTA: The County Logics were redone a few years ago and are MUCH softer than the old ones with more padding
1 Like
I was trying to think how on earth they could cause galls but that makes sense!
I have the TSF stretch tec with both neoprene and sheepskin. Love this girth. The design isnt for every horse, but ones who they fit well they are unbeatable. Durable, comfortable and keep the saddle in perfect position. Worth every penny.
Known to cause serious back issues, and the owner of the company is not a nice person, at all.
How?
I have seen wool girth covers that can fit the Fairfax girths, or similar girths. Maybe these pads will help certain horses?
I agree. The leather hasn’t held up (in the cushion/horse side) but it does its job.
What does your saddle fitter say? I was all ready to plunk down lots of cash on a TSF or similar anatomical , etc.etc. girth and my saddle fitter was like – yeah, you COULD. But you don’t need to.
If your saddle billets line up in a place on your horse’s girth groover where you could use a normal “nothing special” girth, why not? My youngster is currently going in a Shires Supafleece (it’s super fleecy!) girth with elastic on both ends. He LOVES it. So fuzzy, so washable. And it’s was $40.
Interesting about the leather quality of the TSF. I had one of the original TSF short girths from way back in the day - back when they were only $125 with a 110% money back guarantee 30 day trial. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of the leather. It was a great fit for my super forward girth groove guy, and it never gapped on him. At the time it was a much more palatable option than a $300 County Logic girth that my saddle fitter recommended.
These days it is not such huge price difference.
I tried a TSF, and I know I had it on right. My sensitive gray (Arab/ASB) was bloody on the front of the girth in one ride. I have used an N2 and Smartpak contoured without issues. I’ve used a Stubben Equisoft without issue, but he really needed more anatomical shaping than it offered (my PB Arab LOVES it though).
The TSF girth doesn’t work for some horses and it’s not because they are all on backwards :rolleyes:”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹
I think a vast majority of these girths are a bit pricey, but I find a good lot of Fairfax and Prolite gently used in the UK (eBay) FWIW.
I did try a Prestige a few years back and it is not as shaped as the Fairfax, the leather is nice enough, but there is too much leather past the buckles… If that makes sense. Maybe on a larger horse it is not so much of an issue.
1 Like
