I’m looking for a less expensive shoulder relief girth, my saddle fitter feels it would please my opinionated mare. I see the total saddle fit, are there less expensive knock offs? I am fine with synthetic or leather, but it must have elastic on both ends.
Cheetak has a girth with a similar shape. The leather is nowhere near as soft as the Total Saddle FIt, but the shape is similar and there is elastic on both ends. I have one and is seems to work fine, but I would prefer the TSF one.
Tekna makes a very nice synthetic one with elastic on both ends - http://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Tekna_Leather_Contour_Dressage_Girth_Black_28_in/descpage-TLCDG.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3pC61ZrR2QIViUsNCh2lGQTNEAQYASABEgKzEfD_BwE
I see this one by Total Saddle fit as well,
http://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Total_Saddle_Fit_Synthetic_Dressage_Girth/descpage-TSRG.html
And this collegiate one
It needs to not be bulky as my mare wears a 22, and as much shoulder relief as possible.
Just want to point out, I know several people who have bought these girths (the TSF in leather), and all have had problems with the leather cracking. Although the leather is soft, it is apparently pretty poor quality. You are probably better off with a synthetic!
One of my friends saw my Fairfax (similar design, much better leather, but much more expensive) and asked me how old it was to have it looking so nice. I told her it was several years old, used 4 or 5 times/week. She was amazed, considering her TSF was less then a year old, and badly cracked.
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I got the synthetic TSF girth recently, I wanted to try it but not spend the money on leather. I also have the Tekna one but in a much smaller size for another horse. The TSF has much more curve and I prefer the material, the tekna is far more stiff.
Im not sold enough to spend the money on a leather one at this point particularly reading reviews that the leather isn’t great but I have been happy with it.
I have an FSS brand one off of ebay and I highly recommend it. My only complaint is the top keeper slots were a bit tight to start, but that was resolved after a few uses. Good quality leather and can’t beat the price.
You might consider the Prolite, which is the synthetic version of the Fairfax, as it comes in a narrow gauge. Whether a narrow is needed or not depends on the space between the front legs, but though this might be a consideration as you have a smaller horse.
I suggest this as well. The Fairfax is nice and I scored a good deal on one awhile back, but I’m not sure I’d pay full price for it.
TSF makes a synthetic version now.
I have four TSF girths. The original leather one was used on two horses 4-6 times a week each for over a year, then on one horse for more than a year and still cleans up like new. My long TSF is used 3-6 times a week, cleans up like new, and is well over three years old. It was used on two horses for the first year as well.
One StretchTec is neoprene lined, the other is leather lined. I’ve had the leather one for less than a year and it still cleans up like new. I use the StretchTec girths now rather than the original.
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I had a leather cracking issue with my first TSR leather girth despite good care. I informed the company (it was less than a year old) and they provided a demo model/near new replacement. I still think they are a very good value (try buying any girth for $125) and I was very pleased with the customer service.
The TSF ones just aren’t very nice, in my opinion. I also dislike the placement of the billet keeper; it’s too close to the buckles. I like my Prestige much better. They can be found used for less than half the new cost.
The Prestige was nice due to better quality leather and it was not as bulky to me as the TSF.
Oh, I had a Prestige for my stallion, it is a GORGEOUS girth. Super nice quality - I couldn’t find one in a smaller size for my mare.
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This is a company to be HIGHLY cautious of. They have to “reinvent” themselves every few years because they get so much negative feedback on eBay, but the FSS name remains the same. My own personal experience with them - bought a bridle, it BROKE the first time I used it (just buckling it, the buckle broke), I sent them pictures, they demanded I ship it back (cost me $40 to ship it back), and then they never refunded or sent me a new bridle. Back in the days, eBay was much more seller friendly, so no help from them either. There are a lot of other negative stories on COTH and eBay about this company - and I will repeat my story every single time anyone posts a link to them.
I’ve had my TSF girth now for -let’s see - two years - it’s in regular use (4-6x week) and I have not had any problems at all with cracking leather. I was happy enough with it to order one for my filly… .
I wonder if maybe TSF heard the complaints and upgraded the quality of the leather? I try to clean it after every use but sometimes it’s once or twice a week depending on how much time I have. . .
I just got the TSF Stretch Tech Shoulder Relief Girth for my extremely opinionated young mare. She is a bit like the princess and the pea in that she objects if something is even a smidge not right. She had become girthy due to an increase in muscle from the beginning stages of collection and I heard about this girth being great for young horses in this stage of training. The minute I put it on her, she started licking and chewing and was not at all girthy. I immediately noticed a giant difference in her movement under saddle as well. I am completely sold on this girth!
At $199.95 for the leather it is a bit pricier than the other TSF Shoulder Relief Girth. However, it is worth every penny purely based on the results I have experienced with my mare. Additionally, the company will refund you 110% of the purchase price if you are not happy with the product within the first 30 days (so it covers the purchase price as well as shipping costs). TSF was extremely pleasant and professional to deal with in my experience.
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For that price plus shipping I could get a TSF girth
I have the synthetic TSF girth and I really like it, especially for my smaller, compact OTTB. It’s not bulky or oversized and obnoxious at all.
I also have the synthetic TSF girth. I purchased it a little over a month ago and have only gotten to use it a handful of times thanks to the weather and life getting in the way.
The quality is good and it looks fine. I don’t find it bulky, no different than any other synthetic girth.
The jury is still out whether it is accomplishing what I hoped for my horse, who has a forward girth groove, a big belly, and a dip at her withers behind her big shoulder. It seems like it might be pulling my saddle forward as much or more than my regular girth. Why is it so impossible to find a dressage saddle to fit both me and my horse?
