I just bought an equisoft girth for my sensitive and fussy gelding to see if it was any improvement over his current favorite (a plain sheepskin girth, adjusted way too loosely for my personal comfort)…how tight should I make it? I watched the videos I could find from Stubben and it seemed like the little os should turn into nice ovals, but it really didn’t have much of an explanation/directions. I don’t want to abuse it the first time out since I hemmed and hawed forever about buying it and waited a long time to get it 
I don’t know specifically with Equisoft girths, but I can tell you that how tight you make your girth is always the same: tight enough. That means, tight enough that your saddle doesn’t slip, but your horse can still breathe easily.
Well, the equisoft are a little different - they have these rubber band things that could mean you could easily over-tighten. They aren’t quite as stiff as normal girth elastic, which is why I ask 
I did try it today - my. horse seemed to like it (although he was being a weenie about his hair touching his ear so I couldn’t tell completely if things were good, I had failed to do his braid which is absolutely necessary to keep him from becoming neurotic about his head). I just want to make sure I don’t wear the dang thing out by over-tightening.
And yes, I have one of the prissiest bay geldings known to mankind…you’d swear he was a thin-skinned chestnut mare, but he is not.
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I just got one, and it does seem to adjust a bit differently. I’ve been told you aren’t supposed to crank it up tight, and on mine the sides felt sort of loose/not snug to the horse’s sides…but the mid-section was snug and my saddle stayed in place. I was on the same billet holes as on my TSF girth of the same size.
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I check the tightness against the sternum. The sides have a gap effect so it looks loose. If you overtighten you will have girth rubs and a sore horse.
I sometimes have the back billet one hole looser but that depends on saddle, horse, and if I get bounce or not from the saddle in the bigger gaits.
All said this is one of my favorite girths but most people check them from the side and over tighten.
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Thank you! This one is tough because the equine in question does have the amazing ability to teleport on occasion and I’d like to not lose it because the saddle goes, yet I don’t want to squeeze him to death because he gets cranky! It does seem to be helping the latter part and I’m hoping we survive the next teleport!
