As promised, here are my notes on 5 kinds of anatomic/shaped girths currently available. Here is a photo of all 5.
Keep in mind that other than my TSF, I have not actually tried any of these girths on my horse! All the new ones were ordered in a size that hopefully would fit my mare, who is quite a bit smaller than your average WB (15 hands) and takes a 22 inch girth.
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Bit of Britain Bella Donna Short Girth (22", $202.95 from BOB) – if not for the shape, I would have rated this the highest. It is a new product and seems exceptionally well-made and should be comfortable for the horse, with its thick soft edges and ample padding. The outer leather is stiff. It also comes in havana as well as black; the one in the photo is havana, to match my saddle. 13 1/2" curve width and 3 1/2" curve depth. Because of the width, it would not be as good a choice for smaller/narrower horses. This is a new product and I hope that others will try it.
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Passier Anatomical Dressage Girth ($24" – measures 23" buckle end to buckle end, $246.95 from SmartPak) This is heavily padded all through the girth and quite stiff. 9" curve width and 2 1/2" curve depth. This is one I actually want to try on the mare, because the narrower center could work well for her. I also wonder if the different shape means it’s less likely to be too tight in one place and too loose in another, a problem reported with TSF girths (see below.)
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Prestige Anatomic Dressage Girth (60 cm/23.6", $213 from SmartPak). This is a thick and well-constructed girth with very stiff/shiny outer leather. 12" curve width and 2" curve depth, which are respectively too wide and too short for my mare, but as others have mentioned, this is a lovely girth. I have heard that it comes in brown, but haven’t been able to find anyone in the US selling it in brown.
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Smith-Worthington Curved Humane Dressage Girth (22", but measures 21" buckle end to buckle end, $152 direct from S-W) This one is more minimalist… beautifully made, but thinner and not stiff. I am a fan of humane girth systems; with no elastic it’s really hard to make them too tight, and the “swing bar” between the two billets means it will self-adjust to your horse. 10" curve width and 3 1/2" curve depth, shaped for a narrower horse. This is the other one I want to try on my mare, but it needs to go up a size.
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Total Saddle Fit Shoulder Relief Girth (22", $124.95 from TSF and available at some online stores too). This is the brand of girth I have used with my mare for the past year. It’s more padded at the ends, and good if not great quality leather. 12" curve width, 2 3/4" curve depth. However, as reported by many others, it is very tight on the straight edge, and gaps on the curved edge, leading to a horse who is wiggly and unhappy being girthed up. It’s also cut too wide for her. (I used my old Jeffries Symbian curved, humane buckle system, neoprene girth on her today, because we were trail riding in muddy conditions and even went into a pond, so not great for leathers. She was much happier, although it did not hold the saddle back as much as the TSF as it is not an anatomic girth.)
It’s been an interesting comparison, at least.
Sorry to hear that about the SW. I’ve never tried the TSF girth, but I tried a similar offset girth (private label, saddle fitter) that gapped on my gelding. Didn’t seem to bother him, but I didn’t like it. It could be that he’s just gappy-shaped. He’s pear-shaped, with a relatively narrow chest (would definitely need a narrower curve to a girth) but very well-sprung so that saddles ride forward, along with having a forward girth groove.
