Is anyone using this girth? Is it worth the big $$? Does it help prevent the saddle from slipping from one side to the other?
https://www.doversaddlery.com/equift-anatmcl-tfoam-hntr-grth/p/X1-02347/
If the saddle is slipping from side to side it doesn’t fit properly and no girth will fix that.
7 Likes
It slips only to one side. Probably rider-induced, but we’re trying to get the saddle to remain centered so that I can remain balanced and then ask my horse to remain balanced. It’s a bit of a catch-22.
If the saddle slips to one side it’s likely the back of the horse is asymmetric. Experiment with shims. IME the saddle will tilt away from the atrophied side. Get a saddle fitter and massage body worker involved if this is getting too complicated. A girth won’t help.
3 Likes
Yes. My horse gets seen by a massage person (no issues found) and will get rechecked by the saddle rep. I want to get this nipped in the bud while it’s still a tendency rather than a chronic problem.
Interestingly, my saddle tilts to the left – I have to step in my right stirrup to correct the tilt, and the thought has been that the mild atrophy in muscling is just over the withers on the left – a bit of a divot that the saddle then settles into.
I appreciate your insights!
It is a pretty girth, seems very comfortable for the horses and is really popular among the hunter riders in our barn (which just happens to be partially sponsored by the company!). I have two of these but am looking for alternatives because it is a pain to reattach the insert to the girth and to keep it from getting moldy. Kind of like a ruggable if you know what I mean. You have to line it up just right, involves sticking and unsticking, blah blah, the insert gets mildew in the tack trunk or locker sometimes, you lose the insert. All of this sounds ridiculous but when you’ve paid this much money for the things you start wondering whether a nice all leather girth might be just fine after all.
I use one of these. Saddle moves even less than it did with a similar SmartPak girth. I show jumpers but it should be OK for hunters.
4 Likes
Try an overgirth.
If nothing else, this thread has quashed any idea I ever had about buying a Ruggable.
3 Likes
I’ve owned one of these girths for 4 years now and absolutely love it! It’s absolutely gorgeous, and I’ve gotten so many compliments on it. I also really love the liner it comes with because it’s sensitive horse friendly and super easy to wash and dry. My chestnut mare gives it four hooves up!
I’ve never had any problems with the liner mildewing or getting gross. I just make sure that it’s completely dry before storing it between shows!
As far as saddle slipping goes, have you had your saddle fit checked recently? My friend had a similar problem with her saddle, and it turned out that the tree of her saddle had become warped over time.
Update for all:
I had the saddle rep check my saddle last week and the conclusion was the my horse’s very large right shoulder was pushing the saddle back and to the left. The saddle will be adjusted by taking some of the height off of the right panel.
In the meantime, I’ve been using a basic neoprene girth which has certainly not addressed the problem but seems to alleviate it until my saddle can get sent out for the adjustment in two weeks.
I appreciate all the feedback and suggestions!
3 Likes
I thought hunters weren’t allowed to use anatomical shaped girths in the showring?
I was looking for the anatomical Antares ‘hunter’ girth with the rings for a jumper, it’s a special order because hunters have to show in straight style girths (says the rep).
I can’t find the article again now, but i saw a recent research report on a relationship between saddle slipping and hind end lameness. So, something to consider and rule out possibly.
1 Like
The horse has been checked by a vet. No lameness. The saddle will be refit next month.
This is a lightly anatomical girth with a different shape than jumper ones I’ve seen. It looks straight on, you don’t notice the shape. The appearance is great, no complaints on that.
