My gelding has a forward girth line, huge set back shoulder, overall wide body + I have the world’s longest femur. We ride a semi-hoop extra wide 18.5 longer flap CC saddle, making for girth billets not near his girth line despite professional saddle fit and a nice saddle. I am looking at the super shaped girths that solve this issue, see options from $150 to $350 and have heard of lack of contact with shaped part or the straight part bearing all the weight in a small area, etc. Do any of you use this style, or have you tried this style, what do you think, and which brands do you like? Thanks in advance!
I have the total saddle fit shoulder relief girth. I also have a large horse with large shoulders and thought he would benefit from it but I honestly didn’t feel a change from the TSF girth vs a regular girth. He is the type of horse when he really lets you know when he likes or dislikes something and there just wasn’t much of a response. But I still use it because its a nice girth and I have no complaints. I did read a lot of reviews where people had really positive things to say about it and noticed a big difference in their horses movement
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I have a mare with a broad back, HUGE shoulders and a forward girth. Jen (The Saddle Geek) who was amazing in helping me out, recommended this girth hands down: http://www.doversaddlery.com/mattes-athletico-s-l-lng-girth/p/X1-02150/
She had this to say about it: this zany curved girth that’s designed to fix your exact issue of slide-back for a horse whose got a (correct) saddle position halfway down their back + a girth position that’s fairly forward + a barrel that’s not likely to stop the girth from sliding backward. This girth is crazy pricey. It is also a new technology on the saddle market, so there’s not really a cheaper alternative yet. I’m sorry in advance for showing it to you and ruining your life (LOL). Read the review on this girth, which will remind you a lot of this story (although for the record, I am not basing this advice on the review. I am basing it on physically inspecting the girth at a recent trade show, where I was pretty blown away by what a great piece of engineering it is)
Now - I haven’t purchased this girth yet, but am strongly considering it.
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I like anatomic girths because both of my current horses seem to prefer them, and my old super-sensitive TB wouldn’t go in anything else without throwing a tantrum. My favorite is the County, although some of them come with leather that isn’t all that great, so buyer beware. My other favorite in terms of alternative girths is the (also) pricy Le Tixerant girth from Mikmar. Even touchy TBs seem to like it. My jumper is somewhat tube-shaped, and my older horse is a shark fin TB with a very deep heart girth- so, two very different body types- and they both prefer these girths to the cheapy fleece ones.
For what it’s worth, I got a Total Saddle Fit for my jumper and he HATED it- this was weird because he hates nothing. A friend once flatted him for me and put his County girth on backwards. All he did was look concerned while she was walking him out to the ring (which she was puzzled about until I pointed out later that he had gotten a small rub, poor boy). But the TSF made him very angry, so I sold it. A friend tried the short girth version on her horse and he also hated it, but he is extremely picky about his tack, lol.
If you know anyone with an anatomic girth or two you can try I’d do that first, unless you can buy something and return it if it doesn’t work. They are spendy and don’t work on some horses. I will say, though, that both the County and the Le Tix girths have suited every horse I’ve tried them on- from TBs to WBs and all sorts in between.
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I bought one two years ago, for my jumper mare who has girthing issues, which were not related to the girth actually. They are nutritionally sourced. But the girth is nice. She can lose some weight with competition and my saddle did tend to slip back a bit. I was using a shammy under my saddle to keep it in place. But with the new girth, the saddle stays put, does not slip. So I recently bought another, longer one for my larger horses. They are $200 to buy with taxes in this are, I am not sure of the make. I like them.
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It sounds as though the OPs issue is the saddle sliding forward, while some of the responses are about the saddle sliding back.
I recommend offset girths pretty frequently. Today’s horses are much more likely to have a long laid back shoulder that puts the saddle well back from the girth groove. A girth that can accommodate that is really the only solution. Not all horses have this sort of conformation, and those whose girth lines are below the billets do just fine in a straight girth; in fact if you put them in a curvy girth you will get that gapping in the front that you read about.
The only times I’ve seen horses get upset about shaped girths is when they were put on wrong. I carry the Total Saddle Fit line and Harry Dabbs curved girths, both around $150.
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Thank you so much, everyone! I am looking into all the brands you each suggested, and will update you once the one I choose arrives. This has been very helpful to me, and I appreciate your time!
@no.stirrups does the Havana Henry Dobbs girth come in larger sizes ( 54 or 56) … I ride a big boy! I love the Mattes girth the best @Allusion however 52" is longest size I can find. I do not care for the TFS Shoulder Relief girth’s rusty brown color given I have a super nice deep rich Havana saddle.
Yep! Sizes up to 56".
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