Bummer!
Just to chime in: I’ve had a LOT of horses like the professional’s choice line. You’d think the grippy side would be annoying for a picky horse but 
. Several like them better than anything shaped and fancy padded.
My fitter suggested the tapestry JUMP girth, FWIW. No idea about the short girths.
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Hmm. I don’t know if that ProChoice girth would be suitable. I’m kind of intrigued by the WOW H girth for a few different reasons and rather try that than the EquiSoft.
Anyone with any experiences with H girths?
I love the County Logic girths. No rubs and last forever when cared for properly.
https://www.countysaddlery.com/products/accessories/logic.html
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I love thinline reins. If you want the “tackiness” and don’t want stops and like a slimmer rein, look at these. I have these on my snaffle dressage bridle and they are almost like a curb rein with the thinline on the inside and leather on the outside. I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked them.
Ooh! How did I miss those?! I ordered their other reins and they’re too thick. Those ones look like they might work!
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I haven’t tried the H girth but am interested in it for a similar girthy horse. I’ve had trouble finding a source for one new with any kind of return policy IIRC the last time I looked. I may have been looking for the Free Space (?) version though.
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Yeah, I may just pull the trigger on the H girth and see. If I buy the synthetic version, it’s not too expensive. Plus cleaning synthetic is a breeze. I’ve heard good things about the synthetic material used on their other girth.
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with my saddle. It’s not a WOW but has a point billet and a Y (or maybe it’s V) swing billet of sorts.
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My guy has a very forward girth groove and a wide rib cage and did well in it. I do think that it adds to the stability of the saddle. However, it may take your horse a moment to get used to. I called the rear strap the bucking strap 
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My mare ( Andalusian) also has a very well sprung rib cage and a forward girth groove. I have tried several girths which she was not comfortable in, most were quite wide. Saddle fitter suggested using just a straight Wintec.
Low and behold, it keeps my saddle stable and it is not too wide on her and she approves!
As for reins, I like the PS of Sweden super thin reins.
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I am still on the hunt for a girth. I’ve debated the Wintec girth but I wanted to avoid neoprene. I might not be able to though! I have a Mikmar girth to try on him, and am debating a mohair “roper style” girth. I did see a Professional’s Choice with a wider center that offers ventilation of some sort. He just has such a small and forward “flat spot” before things just spring out. I’m intrigued by the WOW H girth, but all of the purchasing and reselling gets to be annoying!
I ended up buying the thinner ThineLine lined reins and quite like them. I have two sets of PS of Sweden super thin reins, but they’re cob size (from previous horse), and too short for current horse. I think the ThinLine are better quality, but they should be because they’re much higher in price!
I did want to add that horse is no longer girthy for whatever reason(s). The Mattes girth just moves too much on him.
I’ve got the WOW Free Space girth, my boy is less girthy with it and it helps stop the saddle rotating as he’s barrel shaped.
I just don’t know if the Free Space or H girth would be best. The Free Space is an interesting concept that seems to go over well with many horses.
It’s unfortunate that they withdrew the pressure testing video which compared a lot of girths. Basically one manufacturer complained that their girth hadn’t been fitted correctly, but to my mind if saddle specialists like WOW can’t fit a girth correctly then what hope do the rest of us mere mortals have 
.
My horse likes the freespace, I would have preferred the Kieffer Neoprene which all of my horses have liked apart from the current boy, he moves well in it and the synthetic leather is easy to wash and seems durable.
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I have a horse built like yours and we didn’t like the Wintec at all (which is fantastic on other horses). Everything moved forward. I had this horse in a Fairfax which a) didn’t last long (I got it replaced at cost - inner leather ripped despite good care) and b) didn’t have elastic on straps and I didn’t like that. I now use a Solo girth which is just like the Fairfax but has elastic. I’ve had it for more than a year and we’re pretty pleased with it.
I will take a look at the solo girth.
Recently I tried the Mikmar girth and I think we both weren’t thrilled with it for various reasons. I could see it suiting some horses quite well though. It also seemed to run small/short?
Next up is a Total Saddle Fit Stretch tech girth. I bought one of their non stretch ones years ago and was disappointed with the quality. I returned it with no issue, and after reading some reviews and thoughts on the stretch tech, I decided to give it a shot because I know that returns are generally easy with TSF.
I am still casually keeping an eye on used WOW girths, and really, the new price on their synthetic version isn’t bad at all.
I’m no longer sure that the Stubben equisoft would quite work for him, but I haven’t had my hands on one. I’m also open to a “roper style” mohair, but I’m not sure if it’d suit.
I’m not sure that I’d like a Fairfax on this horse. Maybe he would like it, but there are some things I don’t like about them, and I’ve owned 2. I do know someone that has one, so I may ask what size they have and if I can borrow it. It doesn’t really matter what I like or think, really. It’s up to the horse!
He’s now comfortable in the Mattes (not girthy) but it just moves too much. The saddle fits well, but I think the right girth is significant too!
Oh hey thanks for responding! I really didn’t like that the Fairfax didn’t have elastic. I was an early adaptor so I got the replacement at cost. That soft squishy inner lining didn’t last long with recommended conditioning.
I’ll add, which I’m sure you thought of, that my friend’s horse at the barn is EXTREMELY girthy. Would bite at saddler and the wall when girthed. NOT lame but fussy picking up the canter. Had saddle fitters out to assess things. Had vet workup. Recently the vet radiographed the feet and they are moving forward with correcting her angles to have her shoeing and angles changed. Who knows if it’ll work but the vet thinks the two are related and the new trimmer agrees. Horse will go into glue-on shoes in front and then be transitioned to barefoot (has thick soles). Horse will have bodywork to see if that helps. I don’t know if any of this applies to your horse but I thought I’d mention a friend’s horse who is very girthy and what their plan is now.
Oh, BTW, Stephen at Solo is fantastic to contact about your horse. I purchased many things from him and he really looked at measurements and pictures to verify my purchases. I sent him photos of horses with a soft measurement tape around their crowns for bridles and girths. He’s really happy to work with customers and I really love that.
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Hm. I looked on their website and I don’t see any girths.
Oddly, he’s not really girthy anymore. I girthed him up with zero reaction on our last ride. So I don’t really know. Maybe he didn’t initially like the sheepskin but is fine with it now?
He doesn’t show any discomfort under saddle or resistance. I’m quite happy with his feet, and I think he is too, as well as the farrier, but I’ve heard many a time that issues you might not think are related, are actually related to the feet.
