I’m needing to get a new girth for my sensitive, thin-skinned mare. Mohair string girths give her terrible galls and sores, even when I stretch her legs out to make sure no skin is being pinched. I had been using a Classic Equine Soft Touch Shaped Jump girth which worked O.K. For the winter with a thick coat but really rubs her badly with a thin/summer coat. I’m very careful to stretch her legs and to keep all my tack very clean so I know it’s the girth causing issues. This is the mare whose skin blisters/burns with Sore No More poultice that’s made for sensitive skinned horses. She’s also very sensitive to insect bites and often breaks out in hives which makes riding not so fun for her. I’m overwhelmed by all the girth options so do y’all have any suggestions for my delicate chestnut?
Have you tried fleece covered girths? As long as they are kept clean. I find cinch sores aren’t an issue.
Professional’s choice fleece girths (the dressage one) is my general go-to choice for sensitive skinned horses. A horse I’m familiar with & ride frequently will get terrible rubs (and blister) in a ride or two with certain types of girths (neoprene is especially bad for him) and the professional’s choice fleece is one of the best ones for him. He’ll still lose hair but it won’t chafe/impact his skin at all. (They’re also fairly easy to keep clean, compared to some of the other fleece covers/fleece girths I’ve seen used in the past.)
I had a horse that would get a girth sore with just about any girth I tried. Finally, I went with the old fashioned solution of a Balding girth–that worked. The Balding Girth was the original anti-chafe girth, and seems to work when all else won’t. A little hard to find in this country–I ordered mine from England–but they used to be regularly used.
Either a fleece girth or a sheepskin cover. How snug are you tightening the girth and how well does your saddle fit?
If you are over tightening the girth that will cause serious rubbing especially if the saddle doesn’t fit.
I actually heard that you shouldn’t stretch their legs too much. I can’t remember why or which article I read that in, but it made sense to me when they explained the reasoning. Something about overstretching the skin and then the skin is super tight under the girth maybe? Not sure. But I used to religiously stretch the front legs and now I no longer do that. Instead, I “pull” the girth off my horse by less than an inch so the skin and relax on its own.
I’ll see if I can find the article.
