Leather or Fleece Girth?

[Pico_Banana]

I’ve been wanting to buy a new girth for months now, specifically the Stubben Equi-Soft girth with the fleece cover. It looks very comfortable and cozy to me, especially with the fleece. I’ve been stymied in being able to buy it as apparently Stubben can’t seem to get the grey fleece in from its suppliers and I haven’t been able to find a tack store that has it in stock in a size 24 or 26 (either of which size I think would work).

So I’m trying to decide if I should just buy the all leather version, which is available, or wait for the fleece version to become available again (but the delay has been for months, so who knows how much longer that will go on for).

Also, I’ve never actually used a fleece girth with my mare before, and realize that I might be anthropomorphizing that it must be more comfortable than leather.

What say you, COTH? Which do you (or your horses, really) prefer - leather or fleece - and why?

[mlb722]

IMO fleece is not a good choice for some rounder horses. My saddle would shift badly even if the girth was tight.

[leheath]

My sensitive horse loves fleece on girths and saddle pads. Everything rubs her without fleece, but mlb722 is correct that it can make the girth and/or saddle a little less stable than leather if your horse is really round/has low withers.

I really loved the Stubben Equi-Soft girth. I used the fleece for dressage and the leather for jumping. I purchased mine from the UK - much cheaper, even with shipping and I was able to get both the leather and the fleece without issues.

[Edre]

Depending on weather and sensitivity, fleece can also end up causing discomfort on some horses. The one I’m most familiar with has a thyroid situation so his hair is brittle enough that even a fleece girth will cause rubs (his anatomical leather girth does not, but other leather/synthetic girths do as well, to be fair). Likewise (especially in summer, but warmer/humid fall or spring days where his winter coat has grown in but still not super cold outside) the fleece seems to collect moisture from sweat that mats and causes rubs in specific areas on him (not just hair, but can impact skin). Admittedly, he’s a weird one to try to figure out so it’s possible he’s an exception.

Other considerations are care and maintenance of the fleece. Depending on design, some fleece components are really hard to actually get completely clean from sweat or dirt. I’m not familiar with the equi-soft design so I’m not sure if the fleece is detachable or not, but that might be something to think about.

I like the design of it though, and both variants seem like they would be very nice. I would be curious to hear what your thoughts are on whichever option you end up with!

[Pico_Banana]

@leheath what website did you order your girth from?

[DressageLin]

My sensitive chestnut really preferred a sheepskin/fleece cover. I used the sheepskin le mieux cover and worked perfectly. For my young horse, I bought a cheapy black fleece girth. It’s not as nice looking, but it does the trick.

[leheath]

@Pico Banana I ordered from Redpost Equestrian. www.redpostequestrian.co.uk

[outerbanks77]

My touchy mare makes it clear that she prefers fleece, but most horses don’t seem to care either way.

[DressageChic2]

I have tried a lot of girths over the last couple of years, whilst trying to work out issues with a beautiful young horse (who sadly had incurable ulcerative colitis, hence his mid section sensitivity).

the stubben is a lovely girth and my sisters 2 horses both go beautifully in the full leather but i will say i found the area under the buckles to not be well protected and i did get the occasional pinch there (and resulting rodeo fit, which i solved by wrapping the buckles in the end of an old neoprene girth cover, not pretty but effective).

throughout his diagnosis my guy made it clear he would only tolerate anatomically shaped sheepskin and no elastic and this is now my starter combo-i use this from the word go unless a horse tells me they are unhappy.

i currently have a VERY flat welsh sec C gelding and a very typically show shaped sec B stallion (long and elegant lined but very curvy back) and neither saddle budges an inch in sheepskin, not when the C jumps a pole like its 1.30m or when the B has a typically baby buck.

i brush them with a stiff brush after each ride, and wash with human shampoo and conditioner once a month, the B’s is now 4 months old and looks brand brand new, not a single rough bit or any loss of fleece and at only £35 i would be happy to replace yearly tbh.

[scruffy_the_cat]

@DressageChic2

I have tried a lot of girths over the last couple of years, whilst trying to work out issues with a beautiful young horse (who sadly had incurable ulcerative colitis, hence his mid section sensitivity).

the stubben is a lovely girth and my sisters 2 horses both go beautifully in the full leather but i will say i found the area under the buckles to not be well protected and i did get the occasional pinch there (and resulting rodeo fit, which i solved by wrapping the buckles in the end of an old neoprene girth cover, not pretty but effective).

throughout his diagnosis my guy made it clear he would only tolerate anatomically shaped sheepskin and no elastic and this is now my starter combo-i use this from the word go unless a horse tells me they are unhappy.

i currently have a VERY flat welsh sec C gelding and a very typically show shaped sec B stallion (long and elegant lined but very curvy back) and neither saddle budges an inch in sheepskin, not when the C jumps a pole like its 1.30m or when the B has a typically baby buck.

i brush them with a stiff brush after each ride, and wash with human shampoo and conditioner once a month, the B’s is now 4 months old and looks brand brand new, not a single rough bit or any loss of fleece and at only £35 i would be happy to replace yearly tbh.

Which brand do you use? I have a sheepskin Ovation contour that I like that was pretty inexpensive. I think Mattes makes a nice one.

Also, a tip: a dog “slicker” brush (the kind with hundreds of little metal pins) restores the fluff on sheepskin beautifully without any damage to the material.

[Magicboy]

I tried fleece once and it did make my saddle slip so I’ve been using leather for years. Neoprene for bad weather or a wet arena when sand gets kicked up onto thegirth. Never had any reactions from either the leather or neoprene. Don’t think the horses really care

[Artsy]

I am using Wintec or Thorowgood brand girths for now but would like an alpaca string girth. I have one for my western and noticed it helps to anchor the saddle with no girth sores plus, you don’t have to girth them up so tightly. It would be a healthier alternative for my 16.1 hand, 1200 pound robust mare. The fleece creates too much heat and does not anchor the saddle well. Frustrating to have a saddle always slipping sideways.

[ewells]

I just recently have fallen in love with the EOUS Sheepskin Dressage Girth http://equisupplies.com/eous-dressage-sheepskin-girth what I like about it is you get the strength & flexibility of a Nylon back with real sheepskin strong elastic on both ends and roller buckles there is a good overlap too so the buckles do not come in contact with my horses skin. I am about to order a 2nd of this girth after picking up the first on eBay on a whim. My guy is a hairy beast and during the summer can really sweat so the real sheepskin really helps with that pulls the moisture away from the body while leather can just be a wet mess after a ride. I like leather and he goes well in it but recently noticed cracking of my leather girth that’s a few years old and its just stiffer. Have a little analogy would you want to exercise in leather pants or yoga pants to me the EOUS is like a nice pair of Yoga pants for my guy to exercise in.

[DressageChic2]

@scruffy the cat

Which brand do you use? I have a sheepskin Ovation contour that I like that was pretty inexpensive. I think Mattes makes a nice one.

Also, a tip: a dog “slicker” brush (the kind with hundreds of little metal pins) restores the fluff on sheepskin beautifully without any damage to the material.

mine are from Horze

[scruffy_the_cat]

Thanks!

[Pennywell_Bay]

For everyday riding I use fleece, as that is what my mare prefers. I keep it clean and wash it on a regular basis. For my big shows, like Devon, I use my leather girth and ride in it for about a week to reacclimate her to it.

[Gamma]

My feelings about synthetic girths did a dramatic about-face when I realized that the nylon+synthetic fleece ones are machine washable.