Girth for little horse. Sheepskin, mohair?

[tollertwins]

So my 13.3 icey is a snowflake that really likes soft. Plus, he has enough movement at the elbow I’m concerned about galling in leather.

Right now he is in one of these

https://www.lemieuxproducts.com/saddle-pads/lambskin-girths-girth-covers/intergrated-web-dressage-girth/integrated-web-dressage-girth

.it works from the “he’s a princess” standpoint, but the saddle fitter just told me that w his conformation it has too much elastic and is destabilizing the saddle.

The Christ, Mattes, Ovation, etc look REALLY wide.

I have one mohair girth to try, but the thoughts of cleaning that during shedding season are 😬😬😬.

Anybody have any experience they can share?

[conniemary]

Mattes have a pony girth which is narrower than the other models. The sheepskin is soft but the girth itself is fairly structured underneath, so it’s not as flexible as some other girths I have used. It was the nicest very short girth I could find.

[joiedevie99]

Lots of the comfort girths are going to be too wide for a wee fellow and get pushed forward to interfere with the elbows. The mohair can be a really good solution, maybe with a thin girth sock over it? Action Rider Tack sells short girths for endurance saddles, and they tend to carry shorter sizes if you need that.

[GreyDes]

I used an 18" mohair on a 14hh Arab, and it’s actually surprisingly easy to clean. You can do it in a bucket with Woolite or similar, or throw it in your washing machine. You do have to stay on top of it because dirt can gall your horse.

The mohair gives a bit of grip, and is unlikely to rub. I really like the endurance style, which is wider in the middle. I like sheepskin on a lot of horses, but in this case I needed a little more grip for stability and my horse was a delicate flower when it came to girths, so neoprene or other “sticky” materials were a no-go.

[Jarpur]

I’ve also used mohair girths, and don’t find them difficult to clean.

My favorite string girths are the ones from Stubben, which I machine-wash (in the type of net bags used for delicates) with an extra rinse cycle. No slip, no chafe, IME.