I was looking into buying a friend’s mohair endurance girth (with the wide center and 2 d-rings), but she said the center of it is “rumpled”, and a saddler told her it could cause injury to her horse like that. She will send pics later. Has anyone heard this? Is the girth OK to use or is the saddle fitter correct? I would be using it with a breastplate if that makes any difference.
I’d be interested in seeing the pictures. I’d think that a rumpled cinch would indicate uneven tension on the strands. That would be a safety issue, in that the most stressed strands could break and cause the saddle to slip, as well as a comfort issue for the horse. But maybe I’m picturing something different from what’s happening.
I’m pretty sure what she’s talking about is that it’s all rumpled up lengthwise along the wide center. My old mohair Roper cinch had a leather piece sewn into the center to stabilize it, this one is just the mohair. Does that make sense?
I don’t think there is any compromise that can be seen of the strands, they are all still attached fine. Just the center part that over a lot of use is no longer straight and flat.
She is going to send me pics tomorrow so I’ll post them when I get them.
I’ve used a couple of these very same cinches for three years now, both for training and competition and I can’t imagine how the center got “rumpled” other than that your friend washed these in the machine in too warm water?
You need to wash these by hand, in a mild detergent good for wool, and just luke warm water. Also, do not dry them in direct sun light.
I would recommend investing in a new one instead. Properly taken care of they’ll last for a long time and are well worth their price tag.
