Same! I just bought a new (well used but it was a demo) saddle and sold my old one to suit the current horses I am riding. Got the opportunity to also make it a good saddle for me, too. Its been years since a win-win horse & me saddle experience
Most of us just kind of wing it until we get an eye on what size girth a certain horse/saddle needs. I have quiet the collection in my tack room. You just never know what you’ll need. Good luck. Sneak out to the barn with your saddle while your daughter is doing something else.
Ain’t that the truth.
I have a 16.2 horse, wears an 81 blanket, that goes in a 46" (was a 44" for a minute), despite looking appropriately chunky and not as narrow as you’d think.
16.3 wore a 52-54", also wore an 81" blanket.
15.2 (15.3 on tiptoes), 74" blanket, 48-50" girth.
All for the same or similar saddle and billet length! This is why so many people just collect stuff. You think you’ll never need the cob bridles again and the next big horse you buy has a tiny head!
Me too. The saddle was a Christmas gift and I still can picture the moment I opened it. Our instructor had an “interesting” collection of saddles, including quite a few McClellan saddles and at least one very hard park saddle, so it was great to have something a bit more comfortable.
I honestly don’t want to admit how many girths I own for one large pony. Because, you know, what if another pony just showed up someday and needed its own girth?
I would either ask your trainer for a size recommendation, or gift the saddle with a note about also getting a girth then borrow girths from your trainer to figure out the size needed with daughter’s particular saddle and saddle pad set up.
Or, you know, what if one day someone is running around collecting girth donations for girthless ponies all over the world? WON’T YOU HELP A GIRTHLESS PONY TODAY?
I ride lesson horses nowadays.
I have bought tack since I started riding lesson horses because I have my tack adapted to my physical disabilities. Since I have been deep into horses for over 50 years I sort of know what I am doing.
I have a wide selection of girths, mostly synthetic nylon/fleece, for use with jumping saddles, and now I am outfitting my Spanish saddle with dressage length synthetic girths (some leather thrown it.)
I have yet to use some of the girths I’ve collected, but I now have a reasonable guarantee that I DO have a girth that will fit a particular lesson horse. I keep my girths cleaner than most lesson stables (vacuum after every ride.) It is sort of hard to tell, but I think that these lesson horses appreciate their vacuumed off girth, saddle pad, and washed off bits.