Girth for the Ulcer Prone Horse

[jmroberts]

My gelding has had a few bouts of ulcers, seeming to be quite ulcer prone. I think that we have finally figured out the perfect regime to keep his stomach happy and ulcer free, but he still seems to react poorly to the girth. After tightening the girth, he almost acts cold-backed and needs a quick spin on the lunge to become more comfortable. This seems to be a learned behavior after the ulcer incidents, however my trainer, my vet, and I are all quite confident that ulcers are no longer an issue?

Does anyone have any suggestions for girths that may help him to become comfortable and less upset while tightening the girth?

[joiedevie99]

Hard to say - it’s really personal preference. I’d try something with thick sheepskin, something with double elastic on both sides and a wide belly pad, a humane girth (where the buckles are connected and slide), and a mohair string girth.

I’d also try giving him some immediate ulcer relief before you put on the saddle - like a handful of Tums or a serving of Purina Outlast.

[eclipse]

Do you tighten the girth gradually? My ulcer prone horse wears a regular leather girth with elastic on each side (I have not found anything that works better,) but I do not tighten it immediately. I have it quite loose as I walk to the ring, tighten it one hole , then one more right before I get on, then do a lap at walk and then tighten it to riding tight…and we never ever over tighten, I have a specific set of holes that it goes to…anything tighter and he reacts! If I tighten to fast, he also reacts…sometimes it’s just slow and a set routine that’s best!

[PNWjumper]

My TB is a serious ulcer type too. I’m sure he had terrible ulcers on the track and then for several years of showing with me. Treating those ulcers is something I’ve posted about a ton, so I won’t go into that, but we settled on a routine that has kept him in great shape for the last 6 or 7 years.

But he is just plain terrible about the girth. Like you, I think it’s a learned behavior and the time that he gets away with acting like a jerk. I’ve had him for 13 years now and nothing I’ve ever done has made the slightest difference, and I’m convinced that nothing ever will. Every single day he tries to step on my foot while I attach the girth (doesn’t make a difference if I hook it on the lowest holes and it’s not even really touching him or tighten it from the get go). So every single day I poke him in the shoulder as he tries to stomp on my foot and do it until he puts his foot down and stands. I tighten it to where it goes on the one side and he pins his ears and bites at the air. Then I go to the other side and he’s pretty much done with acting up. I tighten the other side (the side that actually makes it snug) and he does nothing, and then yawns a few times after I do it.

I have a mare that’s a little bit the same. I think she was ridden in a TERRIBLY fitting saddle for a couple of years and had a lot of back issues when she came to me. She’s always been a drama queen about the saddle too. She’s 23 this year and has been with me for 15 or 16 years.

I was starting to think that maybe I just teach my horses to be bad about saddles. But in the last decade or so I have had a string of youngsters that I’ve started and developed (and had for anywhere from 1 to 7 years), and none of them have had any issues with the girth at all. I do have one that’s a super ulcery mare who was a little wicked about girthing up when I got her. But I started feeding her a treat before I tighten the girth and then a treat after, and now she totally ignores the girth and is just focused on sweetly asking for the treat.

I’m sure none of that is particularly helpful, but I can say that I empathize with you!

[Trekkie]

The V girth from Dover is my favorite new horse purchase this year. I don’t have girthy horses, but this girth is VERY horse friendly. The V sliding elastic on either end can be done up unevenly one hole at a time and distributes pressure evenly and moves with the horse. The girth is well padded and nicely contoured. I can adjust it slowly and put it up only a single hole if needed. My saddle pads slip less and horses seem happy.

[IPEsq]

Sheepswool or Professional’s Choice girth with elastic on both ends works best for my horse, who is similar. I adjust it gradually. He has also been taught that if he stands politely while it goes on initially, he can have a cookie. That part seemed to go the farthest, and now oh boy the look I get if cookie does not appear quickly after girthing! With how extreme your issue is, I’d probably also give a cookie after tightening it in the ring before getting on, and then walking the horse a little bit. Would he let you do up the last hole or two after you get on? So, if it is just behavioral, I’d go with more positive reinforcement type strategy.

[Daventry]

Like eclipse, I used a girth that had elastic at both ends. I really liked the girth I already had so just had elastic added to the other end.

What about the Tapestry Comfort girth? I have heard amazing things about this girth! https://tapestryequineproducts.com/collections/products/products/tapestry-comfort-girth
(I also love their Spursuader spurs too!)

[PNWjumper]

@Daventry

Like eclipse, I used a girth that had elastic at both ends. I really liked the girth I already had so just had elastic added to the other end.

What about the Tapestry Comfort girth? I have heard amazing things about this girth! https://tapestryequineproducts.com/collections/products/products/tapestry-comfort-girth
(I also love their Spursuader spurs too!)

I should have added that I always ride with girths with elastic at both ends. And I have a Tapestry girth (and its predecessor, the Le Tixerant girth) and have found my girthy horses still dislike them and my saddles slip when I use them. YMMV, so it might be worth trying, but I haven’t had any luck on mine.

I agree with IPEsq that the biggest impactor of girthing behavior seems to be the treat giving.

[painthunter]

I also have an ulcery and opinionated horse. As soon as the girth comes out, he starts biting the air and acting like a fool. His ulcers are healed, he’s on a great program - this is simply learned behavior from before we got him (glad to see some other posts above mentioned similar and I’m not alone. New people in our barn think I’m killing him).

I only ride in a fleece girth with elastic on both sides. I tighten up the girth in 4 phases, the final one being once he’s walked out to the ring and he gets a treat once he stands there and behaves.

[Pico_Banana]

I have a mare with quite an ulcer history. I use the professional choice dressage girth. What mostly works for me is to do the girth up ridiculously slowly. I start on the longest hole on each side even though it is not even touching her belly and then go up one hole on each side. And you can’t rush it. Sometimes my trainer wants to help and she’ll do one side while I do the other and even then it’s too fast for my mare. You have to do one hole, switch sides, do another hole, switch sides, etc. It doesn’t work all of the time but it does most of the time.