What brand are many of the upper level hunters wearing over their girths? It looks less “fluffy” than sheepskin or similar
Welcome to COTH! Do the ones you noticed look like this: https://marystack.com/ovation-incredible-girth-sock/
or maybe this: https://marystack.com/lettia-coolmax-ap-girth-cover/
I have one of the girth socks, and I love it. It stays put and washes up well. I’ve had mine for over 10 years.
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Thanks!
I just noticed many horses in last nights WEF class were wearing one - hard to tell from the video which one it was
It’s raining cats and dogs down here. So it’s entirely possible this isn’t a trend and more or less saving their sheepskin from getting wrecked in the monsoon weather.
It’s definitely a trend.
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Wonderful. More things that need to be oxi-cleaned.
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It’s not exactly a new trend. There are a couple of trainers who tend to use girth covers or the fuzzy girths.
I do like the fact that now they are available in different colors to match your horse if you prefer not to use a white one.
And welcome to the BB!
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One barn in particular has been doing it for the past three or so years. All their hunters no matter what color and size wear one. Signature style type deal. I am not into it, I prefer plain dark tack, but I used to use one in the 1990s on my hunters. Then it seemed to be a style thing, I thought it looked cool on my bay horse as a teenager, but also functional, because I at least didn’t know of any nice anatomical Equifit type girths.
Exactly! I’m pretty sure I could dig up a photo or 10 of my large pony hunter wearing a white :sheepskin version back around 1982. 
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Maybe white rubber reins in the jumpers will be the next “pop of white” trend to make a comeback.
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The one that cracks me up is the elastic strap under the neck rather than a breast plate. That’s been a new trend off and on for at least 30 years by now. Probably more.
I think Nick Skelton was super trendy at the Rio Olympics when he combined that with his old Steuben saddle to win the gold medal.
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Like a polo or racing breastplate?
That one has some research behind it (it’s been shown that a strap to the girth restricts the shoulders more than a breastplate without it while jumping). But yes, fads come and go with the retro look still being in right now
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This piece of equipment. I don’t have a strong opinion about it either way. It’s just funny to me how it seems to cycle in and out of fashion periodically.
I know somebody who has used them over the years who has a bit of a racing background, so maybe that’s a common denominator for it some of the time.
You can’t really see it well in this picture, but I remember there was a mention in the news articles at the time that Nick Skelton was using an old Steuben saddle that he had owned for decades when he won the gold medal in Rio. If it works, it works. Lol.
Edited to add a better picture of the old saddle.
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I’ve seen the girth socks mentioned, and used to have a trainer whose horses all went in the white neoprene girth sleeves (I actually still have some from my days riding with that trainer, though I haven’t used them in a long time).
Love that Nick Skelton still uses his old Stübben! I still use my very similar Courbette of roughly the same vintage and love it!
