Favorite girth for the rounded horse

[poltroon]

My current ride is a Morgan with a nearly circular cross section. She does have withers but she is the widest horse I’ve ever owned, me from the land of Thoroughbreds and Connemara ponies.

The saddle that came with her is a Wintec all purpose with the extra wide gullet. It seems to be a decent fit but the girth has to be pretty tight to be safe. I’m using a 48" vintage leather shaped girth, probably 30 years old at this point. The girth is perfectly serviceable but I’m wondering if there’s something that might work better for her.

I have very little experience with round and would appreciate any advice!

[Scribbler]

@poltroon

My current ride is a Morgan with a nearly circular cross section. She does have withers but she is the widest horse I’ve ever owned, me from the land of Thoroughbreds and Connemara ponies.

The saddle that came with her is a Wintec all purpose with the extra wide gullet. It seems to be a decent fit but the girth has to be pretty tight to be safe. I’m using a 48" vintage leather shaped girth, probably 30 years old at this point. The girth is perfectly serviceable but I’m wondering if there’s something that might work better for her.

I have very little experience with round and would appreciate any advice!

If your girth needs to be extra tight for safety, then you haven’t optimized saddle fit. The saddle might be comfortable enough for the horse, but not the best fit possible. That said, sounds like a lease with low end equipment so you aren’t going to be heading out for a custom saddle.

I find elastic in a girth is a big help.

[Huntin_Pony]

I have a VERY round Connemara or two. I find mohair or cotton string girths (no nylon) are the best. Elastic doesn’t work for me.

[skydy]

I second the string girth for round.

[Baybear]

Love string girths. I have a roundish draftcross and use a pro-choice neoprene. I would also check the saddle fit.

[Posting_Trot]

I’d also suggest saddle fit. You don’t indicate whether you own the horse and so can embark on the saddle journey freely, or if you are leasing the horse where the saddle came with the horse and is expected by the owner to be used on the horse.

If the horse is truly round, the Wintec may not be the best fit.

In terms of girths, a fleece lined anatomic girth might work. Also, you could try using a non-slip saddle pad–LeMieux makes one that’s nice.

[WavyRider]

I have a well fitted saddle with a horse who just cannot keep a saddle in place. Huge huge huge shoulders, heavy rider, curvy back. (I swear up and down that it is the correct fit - he loves it, it is fitted every 6 months by the best independent fitter in the area, just please believe me lol.)

The solution for him is a neoprene nonslip pad under the saddle. I use a breastplate as backup, but the nonslip pad has been the game changer.

[SharonA1]

My round horses have disliked the Mohair girth, and I must say I didn’t “get” them, either. My round Morgan was very happy with a Stuebben equisoft girth. My barnmates and I joked that it was just a way to use as many elastic bands as possible, but, the fella seemed much more comfortable in it, and it made sense to me in a way that the Mohair girths never did. As with everything, it depends on the horse…

[GreyDes]

County logic and the TSF anatomical girth worked well for my round Arab. I used a mohair girth on his dressage saddle.

I second checking the saddle fit if your lease horse is truly round and U shaped over the back. The Wintec saddles are pretty V shaped even in the wider sizes. I also had a Wintec that I thought fit okay and the difference in stability when I got something that fit better was huge.

The Thoroughgood cob is another synthetic saddle that’s built for these types of backs and may be worth a look.