Need girth recommendations - UPDATE!

[ASBJumper]

Hi all,

I’m training my aunt’s horse for her (she’s a competent, but intermediate rider), and i’m a bit stumped about the girth situation.

This mare is short-backed, has a big round barrel and wide back, but that round barrel tapers in quickly into a narrow chest/ribcage area (right where the girth groove is). So, a traditional straight-edged girth is slanted forward when tightened and pulls the saddle forward. I purchased the TSF Shoulder Relief girth on her, but that one gapes at the very front, does not make contact with her chest at all, and there was much more pressure on the back edge of the girth. We sort of solved this problem by tightening the front billet more (the very front half inch of the girth still doesn’t touch her chest, but it’s much better than before where I could slide most of my hand under that area). It seemed to be fine for a while, but now i’m noticing she’s getting sore/twitchy in that area when groomed.

Also, neoprene girths are out - the saddle slides around like crazy with them becuase she’s so round (saddle has been professionally fitted to her, it fits well). The sliding thing is not an issue with the leather TSF girth, but i’d like to find something that contours better and doesn’t apply uneven pressure if at all possible…

Budget is also an issue - no way my aunt can afford to spend 300+ on a girth. So no need to suggest a Fairfax or something like that, LOL. It’s not happening.

Any ideas for a horse shaped like this?

Here’s a photo where you can kind of see how much the girth is slanted and pulls the billets forward: http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r…psrsf89df0.jpg

She was 4 in that photo and her barrel is quite a bit bigger and rounder now! :eek:

Thank you in advance!

[elleng0728]

I like the Letia memory foam dressage girth. Very easy to adjust and fits my round no withered mare vey well

[Tanny98]

Perhaps look for a humane girth that might help with evening the pressure on the buckles. I know Smith and Worthington carry an anatomical girth that has humane buckles. Other than that I would say this is a billet placement issue?..

[Write_amp_Ride]

This is an interesting girth; it’s very light and flexible and not padded, which would probably work well for your horse because it would conform better. The saddle stability aspect would be good, too. The pressure is very even with this girth and the cost is quite reasonable. Cute horse, by the way!
http://marystack.com/flexi-girth-dressage-treeless-girth/

[farak]

I have the same problem with my big barreled (and fat) pony - the saddle is pulled forward. On top of that, he galls really really easily so not just anything will do. I had good luck (zero galling) with the Ovation Gel Body Form Dressage Girth ($35) which has a nice curve to it though my saddle would still occasionally get pulled forward. I have had the best luck with the prolite contoured dressage girth ($170). Both my saddles have point billets to help the forward movement as well. Good luck!

[islgrl]

I use this one http://www.cheshirehorse.com/jeffries-symbian-dressage-girth
I like it because you can tighten the back or front more without the pressure being uneven. My saddle doesn’t slip at all on my very round horse…

[enterata]

I have had excellent results with this one. Very pricey but when it was worth every penny for me.

http://marystack.com/mikmar-comfort-dressage-girth/

[KeepOnKeepingOn]

[QUOTE=enterata;8955539]
I have had excellent results with this one. Very pricey but when it was worth every penny for me.

http://marystack.com/mikmar-comfort-dressage-girth/[/QUOTE]

Me, too. I love this girth. You can find them used on FB, which takes the sting out of the sticker price

[jaybird660]

The girth could be pulling forward due to the following reasons:
saddle is too narrow or to A shaped
wrong shaped panel
forward girth groove
wide horse, narrow in front
wrong billet configuration

I would figure those out first because even an anatomic girth won’t resolve all of those issues. The girth you have is know for that issue and they redesigned as far as I’ve heard, (haven’t seen the new one in person yet). Does the saddle have a point billet?

The photos aren’t particularly helpful, nice horse, as mounted and in motion obscures what I would want to see:

No pad and girthed to riding tightness, all photos.
One of the entire horse, directly from the side, head up, square
One so that I can see the way the rear of the panels rest on the horse’s back.
One from the front so that I can see how the shoulder angle matches the tree angle and clearance, mane out of the way.

[purplnurpl]

I like the mohair girths.
Ridingwarehouse sells them.
I have the one that is wider in the middle.

They won’t rub.
I just hose it off after every ride.

[partita]

Mohair. I use the Stillwater Mohair Contoured Dressage girth from Riding Warehouse.

[Dee-Vee]

My horse is shaped like yours and it has been challenging to get everything right from saddle to girth…but we are there. Soreness in the sternum area is definitely a sign that it is not working for her. In fact my horse would put her sternum out which is incredibly painful and the Chiro would have to adjust it regularly. Not anymore.

I know you said your saddle was professionally fitted…so was mine, several times by our fitter (in our area)…but guess what…it’s for sale. The replacement is designed for short-backed deep-shouldered horses.

Part of the problem solved. Next problem was the girth…like your horse, narrow forward girth groove. The TSF works for her, whereas I have seen the gapping situation on other horses. So maybe it is as J-bird says a problem first with your saddle fit.

If not, TSF has a new design with elastic in the sternum area that people are raving about. Plus there are the other girths that people have suggested on this thread…they are the typical responses to this question

Lastly, Greenhawk is now carrying the Prolite girth which is the cheaper version of the Fairfax…as I understand it. Perhaps you can try that as GH has A 30 day return policy…verify first. As I also understand it, it comes in two widths. People with lighter horses prefer the narrow. Also, there are mixed reviews on the Prolite on this board, but there is no harm in trying. Gives you better info.

Hope that helps. Lovely horse BTW.

[ASBJumper]

UPDATE: Tried a nice, anatomical Schleese leather girth that I found secondhand at my local tack shop. Sits better (flat on her belly), but she’s more sore than ever now and on her right side developed a small lump, so… no dice. For now, we’re back to the Neoprene girth which pulls forward a bit but doesn’t seem to bug her at all.
I have ordered the Ovation gel girth - question (a dumb one, i’m sure) - this girth is curved… should the curve point towards the front of the horse, like the TSF girth?

oh, and ps - the billets on this saddle are straight billets.

I should also add, that I used to use a thin shim under the back of the saddle to balance it - otherwise the saddle is slightly tipped backward, which angles the billets forward about an inch. It was a well-respected clinician that told me I had “way too much padding” under my saddle, so I tried removing the shim and the sheepskin pad and the mare’s been getting more and more sore and now she’s even a bit cranky about my leg early on in the ride, before she’s fully warmed up. All muscle soreness. After our rides, she’s barely reactive at all when I rub her girth area.

So, I am going to resume using the shim to gently elevate the back of the saddle so it’s balanced again, and see if that in and of itself doesn’t alleviate a lot of the girth-sliding-forward problem.

I thought I was being proactive trying to find a girth that fit better way back in Sept 2015, but since I bought the TSF, things have just slowly deteriorated. She was never sore or cranky before!! I have learned my lesson - if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!! Or at least think long and hard before fixing, lol…

[pattnic]

It is sounding like you have less of a girth problem and more of a saddle problem.

[ASBJumper]

@pattnic

It is sounding like you have less of a girth problem and more of a saddle problem.

If that were the case, wouldn’t she be sore elsewhere than the girth area? Her back/shoulders are never tender, stiff or sore, she’s had multiple massages, and the saddle was professionally checked (in 2015) and adjusted (in 2016) for her. I was told it fits pretty darn close to perfect - and like I said, not back sore at all. No reaction whatsoever when the saddle goes on her back, only when the girth is tightened.

[pattnic]

@ASBJumper

If that were the case, wouldn’t she be sore elsewhere than the girth area? Her back/shoulders are never tender, stiff or sore, she’s had multiple massages, and the saddle was professionally checked (in 2015) and adjusted (in 2016) for her. I was told it fits pretty darn close to perfect - and like I said, not back sore at all. No reaction whatsoever when the saddle goes on her back, only when the girth is tightened.

If the saddle is a “close to perfect fit,” why is it tipping back?

[ASBJumper]

@pattnic

If the saddle is a “close to perfect fit,” why is it tipping back?

Hence the custom shim that was made for me, by my saddle fitter, which slides under the back of the saddle (it’s half the length and thinner than a normal riser pad). With that, and after a bit of re-flocking, he said the fit was great. And it was clear that she was not having any soreness issues with it.

Essentially, when this saddle sits on her back with her normal pad and shim, the billets hang perfectly straight, and as soon as you attach a girth, the girth pulls the billets forward. I need a girth that will lie flat and won’t pull the billets forward. Her girth groove is extremely narrow and far forward, there’s about a (small) hand’s width behind her elbow where something can lie flat and then her belly suddenly BALLOONS (and no, she’s not fat, lol - she’s in good flesh and has a very round barrel and a short-ish back).

[MissAriel]

I have the Ovation gel girth with the curve. I use it like this:

front legs ) stomach

https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/ovation-gel-body-form-dressage-girth-14412?utm_source=cpc&utm_medium=google&utm_content=shopping&utm_campaign=nb_shopping_catch_all&utm_term=Shopping%20-%20Catch-All

[ASBJumper]

Thx MissAriel! Any chance you could post a side view of your horse tacked up wearing the girth?? Please please?

[pattnic]

@ASBJumper

Hence the custom shim that was made for me, by my saddle fitter, which slides under the back of the saddle (it’s half the length and thinner than a normal riser pad). With that, and after a bit of re-flocking, he said the fit was great. And it was clear that she was not having any soreness issues with it.

Essentially, when this saddle sits on her back with her normal pad and shim, the billets hang perfectly straight, and as soon as you attach a girth, the girth pulls the billets forward. I need a girth that will lie flat and won’t pull the billets forward. Her girth groove is extremely narrow and far forward, there’s about a (small) hand’s width behind her elbow where something can lie flat and then her belly suddenly BALLOONS (and no, she’s not fat, lol - she’s in good flesh and has a very round barrel and a short-ish back).

I understand the why of the shim. I am asking the why of the saddle tipping back. I can think of exactly two reasons this would happen (someone like jaybird660 might be able to think of more reasons). Does this horse have a very uphill build?

World Equestrian Brands carries some variations of girths which might help, based on your description of the horse’s conformation. If you look on their website, you will find the descriptions of them. But they are also $300 girths, so you would have to see if you could find them used.

I don’t like the shape of the TSF girths - I think there are some inherent flaws in the design. Look at the second post of this thread - http://myhorseforum.com/threads/total-saddle-fit-girth-vs-county-logic-delfina-anatomical.546129/ I suspect there is something to that poster’s point about the distribution of pressure. This is not to say that the TSF girths don’t work very well for some horses, but they would not be at the top of my personal list of girths to try.

I think Schleese also has a slightly different theory on the design of anatomic girths than the theory behind the more “traditional” design. Have you tried one that has the more traditional design, like the design of County Logic? (I have several Dover and Pessoa branded ones that are shaped more like the County than the TSF girth or anything I see on the Schleese website).

My favorite “anatomic” girth is actually this one by Herve Godignon: http://www.jump-in.fr/en/product/com…irth,7647.html

It may also be simply that this horse needs a different billet configuration.

I share all this with you as someone who has dealt with all this.