Girthy horse requests your help!

[cuonxc]

Plenty of details below…but in a nutshell I have an ever increasingly girthy horse and need some suggestions!


About 2 months ago I noticed my horse stiffening when being girthed….that progressed to ear pinning…which as of last night progressed to a complete reluctance to move forward.

Oddly enough the girth area (as well as the back) palpate fine….horse moves out well without girth.

I do not think it is ulcers or saddle fit –I’m pretty sure I have ruled those out and that its something with the girth.

I have tried:
1. Fleece lined girth
2. Wintec girth
2. Schleese anatomic girth with elastic both sides

All girths seem to fit well (buckles are placed correctly/ do not interfere with elbow, etc)

So any suggestions?
I have thought of trying a plain string girth but cannot find one with buckle guards…

TIA :)

[BaroquePony]

If he is only now getting girthy and you haven't changed anything in your routine, then it may actualy be that the saddle no longer fits him properly, not the girth. He just knows that when you get into the saddle he will be uncomfortable and that starts with the girth going on. If you ride him bareback does he have any complaints? If not, then it isn't your riding; it may be the saddle fit.

[Bellfleur]

It sounds to me like the saddle is bothering him or he has a back injury. We had the same thing here and the new owners decided to still use the same saddle (new M. Toulouse dressage). They had it refitted several times too. The horse ended up needing 6 months off because the back was so sore. This horse exhibited the exact same behavior and started out the sweetest of horses. Very laid back and easy.

I have another friends pony that was being ridden in a brand new M. Toulouse dressage saddle. It was the same model too. Same thing only this guy ended up going to his knees a couple of times before they sorted the problem out. He is on the road to full recovery but is getting a new saddle.

[egontoast]

Yes, definitely, a horse may act 'girthy' in anticipation if the saddle is a bad fit or back is ouchy. It may have nothing at all to do with the girth.

[Valentina_32926]

I agree it's probably saddle fit, but seeing as it's the winter what I started recently is after cleaning my mare I place a heating pad (on high) over the saddle area, then the pad - nothing else. Then I finish preparing her for riding (cleaning hooves, etc.). When I can't do much more I take the heating pad out from under tyhe saddle pad, add the saddle and slowly girth up. That's helped a ton with my (always) girthy mare.

My mare started acting girthy when she out grew her saddle but has been acting girthy ever since I got it adjusted - I think mentally she equates girthing with pain. The heating pad has helped a ton - not more looking like she'd rather rip my head off - just some "looks" like 'Do you have to?'.

[Eclectic Horseman]

I agree with the above. A friend has a mare that was extremely girthy, and my friend tried every sort of girth and girth cover under the sun to no avail. The problem went away immediately after she had her saddle reflocked.

Now whenever she starts making faces when being girthed, a call goes in to the saddle fitter. :yes:

[Margaret Freeman]

How did you rule out ulcers? Horse needs to be scoped to do that. Or you can treat with Gastrogard/Ulcergard (full tube) for a few days and moniter response. Other than that, I don't know of any other reliable way to rule out ulcers. If fact, if they have ulcers and are treated, some of the "negative" behavior may remain for awhile in anticipation of the pain, not actual pain.

[Manes and Tails]

So, this started two months ago. What changed? Did you change his saddle? His saddle pad?

Think back and see if there's anything at all that *changed* when he started this behavior.

If nothing did, then either he has a slightly sore back or his saddle needs reflocking. It's clearly not that he doesn't like his girth, as you've tried three different ones with no change.

[Holly Jeanne]

Would you mind providing an update when you can? I'm actually working on the same thing with my mare (and it started about the same time as yours) except that she pins her ears and walks off when touched when eating hay in the pasture as well.

I initially thought female problems but it hasn't stopped. Thought maybe a rib out but chiropracter says no. She couldn't explain it. No sign of soreness on the back. Several weeks off had no effect. Vet wants her on bute for a week to see if that makes any difference. If not, will try ulcerguard but we don't think that's it as she has been out 24/7 all her life and gets very little grain. Before this happened, I signed up for a clinic this weekend (my first one in 9 years and the first on this horse). Sigh. I'm thinking I'll still go at least the first day and ask about saddle fit (although that's not really where she is sensitive). She did injury herself in the pasture twice during the summer so I'm wondering about a muscle injury. For the record, once she does start going forward, she actually does very well and even rounds up.

Anyway, sorry to get long but it sounds very similar to your problem and started at about the same time. Very strange. :no:

[pines4equines]

I agree with a previous poster. I was so in total denial about ulcers. My horse has the life of leisure but that was our problem. He had been on a Lyme treatment which I understand the pills can cause ulcers or an acidic stomach. Worked through that and all the behavioral problems ceased.

[goeslikestink]

some horses a re allergic to nylon as in wintec saddles and also winctec saddle arnt like leather ones they dont last as long as they go squashy on a horses back asthey cant be flock like a leather one so you have to change or buy anew one
where as leather ones you flock at least once a year

in both circumstances it would effect the horse and make him girthy

plus not cleaning your girth every time you use it does the same thing

[saultgirl]

I had a horse who came to me a bit girthy; I was able to resolve this by tightening the girth more slowly. Like, do up to first hole, then do a few polos, then another hole, put on bellboots, another hole, put on my half-chaps, another hole, put on my helmet. I suspect in my case the problem was caused by previous riders tightening the girth too quickly.

[InsideLeg2OutsideRein]

Mine had two ribs slightly out when he became girthy (and mighty dramatic about it!), I tried to push around on him and find out if it was the back or the the girth area and couldn't get any results, but our (vet rcommended) chiro fixed it in one session.

[3s]

Often times a horse will exhibit girthy behaviour because the saddle is pinching especially over the withers area - the vice grip of the saddle. Not to mention perhaps pinching the superspinalosis because of a too tight gullet - where the stallion bites the mare to immobilize her during mating.
Sometimes you need to analyse the symptomatic behaviour a little more closely to get at the root cause of the problem. I would suggest having a competent saddlefitter out to check this out and then make the necessary changes to fit your saddle (if it's adjustable beyond just a restuffing).

[Frogs Leap]

Just a different thought here. Have you tried him with a saddle that requires a long girth? I ask because this did happen to me with one of my horses. He became so unhappy with a short girth that he would actually rear, buck and bolt away from you if you tightened it too fast. Let me tell you, it was not a lot of fun figuring out what his problem was! I did find that he had a sarcoid growing right where the edge of the girth was. Obviously, I had it removed, but he has never been the same about a short girth. When we use a long girth on him, butter wouldn't melt, as they say.

Oddly enough, his half brother was the same about short girths from the day he was started, so it makes me think that maybe there is something in their conformation of back or withers that is more comfortable with the slightly different pressure of a long girth.

Good luck!

[Lieslot]

Most often saddle related. Ask me & my horse how we know ....

I'm saddle shopping at present, I've test ridden a few saddles, I cry myself to sleep over it at night. They seemingly fitted perfectly, but he continued to be girthy and 'all' of them slip to one side :cry:. He's got assymetrical shoulders and so far I haven't found the perfect shim.

To tie us over whilst finding a suitable saddle I bought some cheap-skate synthetic saddle with self-adjusting gullet. The "self-adjusting" gullet made me laugh when I ordered it, thinking, RIGHT, that'll be something interesting...... Well the sad part of it all is, that in all those years with x number of saddles, this is the only saddle he's not girthy in, it's almost like abracadabra.
I think what happens, as you girth up the saddle the gullet automatically adjusts and somehow that makes him "not" react. Weird, even my husband was skeptically surprised by it.
Anyway, doesn't solve my problem coz no way can I ride in this cheapo kiddo look-alike saddle for ever and I would have prefered the channel to have been a tad wider.
Now I'm wondering what his reaction would be in a treeless, would that stop his girthiness too?

I think it's often some kind of neuromuscular pain, especially in horses with conformation issues, like club foot or underrun, which in turn makes their shoulders assymetrical. One way or another they compensate for it and tension some muscles more then other when ridden. This causes tension spots under the saddle and the horse gets girthy or saddlesore.
I'm not saying your horse has this problem however, just throwing this in, as I'm going through this at present and I can now conclude for sure it's the saddle that causes his girthiness, how to fix it.... is another matter :sadsmile:.

[Holly Jeanne]

To tie us over whilst finding a suitable saddle I bought some cheap-skate synthetic saddle with self-adjusting gullet. The "self-adjusting" gullet made me laugh when I ordered it, thinking, RIGHT, that'll be something interesting...... Well the sad part of it all is, that in all those years with x number of saddles, this is the only saddle he's not girthy in, it's almost like abracadabra.


Since I don't show, I'd be curious as to what saddle this is? :)

[Lieslot]

I got it from England, and even after paying shipping it costed me under $250.
The regular will fit if your horse is a good medium up to wide size.
I also tried it on my high withered narrow horse, but it was too wide for him. I think the wide must be for seriously wide horses.

Shires Hi-Lite Provence
http://www.styalways.co.uk/shop/hilite-provence-synthetic-dressage-saddle-p-1372.html

It actually sits really nice. I love sitting in it. And my horse is just sooo happy in it, I just don't get it. I think it kind of molds to him in all ways.
And it weighs like a feather, about 10 pounds.
I'm planning on taking a lesson in it, to show the difference in my horse to my instructor.

I'm almost wondering if I could contact the manufacturer and see if they can make me a leather version. Coz I'm going nuts, nothing fits, nothing makes him happy at present.

[monicabee]

I would look at the saddle as the most likely culprit. When my horse began to make faces at the dressage saddle that he had been working in for a few months, it was not his commentary on the discipline, but the fact that it bore down on his shoulders as I tightened the girth. It was a very well made saddle, but not suitable for him as he matured, and I don't think restuffing it would have made a difference, so I sold it promptly. He was pleasant about tack and I wanted to keep it that way. My jumping saddle, with a more flexible structure in front, was always and still is accepted without comment.

If you can borrow saddles, even just to set on his back and see whether it makes a difference to the girthiness, you might be able to figure out the specific problem with yours.

Good luck.

[Holly Jeanne]

Thanks Lieslot! Can't afford to do anything until after I recover from Christmas but this has possibilities for me. Thanks!

[johnnysauntie]

If he is only now getting girthy and you haven't changed anything in your routine, then it may actualy be that the saddle no longer fits him properly, not the girth. He just knows that when you get into the saddle he will be uncomfortable and that starts with the girth going on.

This is exactly what I've been dealing with, and have determined that my horse can no longer tolerate the saddle we've been using for the last year. He goes more happily in my trainer's saddle. I have the fitter coming out next week and am getting ready to ask Santa for a new saddle ...

[InsideLeg2OutsideRein]

My horse is a specialst on misaligning himself (he keeps our chiro in business), but it is apparently very easy for them to have a rib or two out in the girth area (can happen when they roll or twist), I'd definitely have that checked as well as his back. And while you can try poking around by yourself to see if you get a pain reaction, a professional can do that with much more accuracy and also detect swelling that you may not see/feel.

[ise@ssl]

Haven't read all the posts here but I would have a Chiropractor check the horse over - especially the ribs. We had this problem with one horse and after being adjusted and having the rib area worked on - he was fine. It had nothing to do with the girth.

[3s]

Most horses are actually muscled assymetrically - about 75% are 'left handed' and muscled more strongly on the right, which causes the saddle to slip to the left , which causes the rider to compensate by sitting crooked towards the right... a catch-22. You need to have a saddle where the tree points can be adjusted separately and assymetrically (like Schleese) to accommodate exactly this conformational issue.
In addition, if your horse is girthy, it's likely because the saddle is sliding up over his shoulders, which means that the gullet will pinch over the withers and impede the shoulders from moving properly and freely. The billets will always find their spot -which is to move the girth to the narrowest spot right behind the elbow.

[Lieslot]

You need to have a saddle where the tree points can be adjusted separately and assymetrically (like Schleese) to accommodate exactly this conformational issue.
Is Schleese the only saddle of which the tree points can be adjusted separately??? Anyone knows of other brands where this is possible?
More specifically could this be done on a Duett, Albion or Passier? Anyone knows?
What makes individually adjusted tree points assure a better fit then shimming in the same manner?

I'm just so amazed when I hear people that manage to correct their horse's assymetry fitting problems with a correction pad with shims. I have tried every conceivable shimming combination in the world and nothing works. I also had my old saddle re-flocked so the dip behind the bulgy weak shoulder (lower heeled foot) would be filled up better, but still to no avail.
Dr J Harman suggests a very drastical solution in her book: cutting out a halfmoon shape of the panel on the bulgy shoulder, coz this is the shoulder blade that lays further back on the horse and pushes the panel back, hence the saddle slips diagonally. I just struggle big time with the idea of cutting into a $Xk saddle which may never be able to be restored to normal afterwards (at least that was my understanding). But who knows perhaps my only solution. :(


Most horses are actually muscled assymetrically - about 75% are 'left handed' and muscled more strongly on the right, which causes the saddle to slip to the left , which causes the rider to compensate by sitting crooked towards the right... a catch-22.
But if it's only muscle then correct work should over time fix this problem. To me it seems the shoulder blades (not shoulder muscles) are misaligned. They are not put at a 90 degrees angle onto the spine, but say at 75 / 105 degrees angle, this usually as a result of mismatched front feet, a sligthy clubby upright (on the flat shoulder) and bigger yet lower heeled opposite foot (with bulgy shoulder + dip behind).
Anyone any thoughts on treeless for this conformational problem?

((SORRY OP, I'm partially hijacking your thread here))

[slc2]

Most horses that object to other girths don't mind a string girth. It's softer and shapes to each horse.

"why is my horse girthy"?

Because he can be. Some horses just act that way when you put the saddle on and girth up. It's not always because there's a problem. If everything fits and there's no issues, tell him to man up.:lol:

Mares expecially can get girthy simply because no one is allowed to touch the booty and you're within 6' of the booty.

Some horses just prefer a certain kind of girth. It's debatable whether you really need to accomodate that preference if there isn't an actual problem and it's just a preference.

[hollyhorse2000]

In response to the question about dealing with assymetrical horses -- I have an extremely assymetrical horse with significant wither. She needs a narrowish tree (although a 16.2 warmblood) and has a long, flat back. She also has significant "dips" behind each shoulder and a right side that drops like a cliff. Needless to say, the saddle slides to the right and takes me over with it! After going through four saddles, I now have a customized Black Country, which has something called a Trapezius panel. It is a cut out underneath, which allows flocking to fill in there and thus fill in the dip behind the shoulder. I also have wither gussets and extra gusseting under the cantle as well as extra gusseting along the entire right side. This takes a pretty skilled saddle-fitter, but is actually working!

I also use a thinline correction pad to make fine adjustments.

As for the OP, when my mare was girthy I started her on Ulcergard just as an experiment. It has made a very big difference . . .

[Lieslot]

THX hollyhorse2000! Did you have a Black Country rep in your area to work on it? I quickly googled, seems Ocein Heights Farm in NJ could cover my area, even though her webpage seems down. I might email her.
The idea of the panel you describe sounds just like I have been explained being the only answer for badly assymetrical shoulders.

[3s]

Oops sorry - got that a little bass ackwards - when the horse is left handed (which about 70% of them are) it's the left side which muscles up more, resulting in the saddle slipping to the right, which causes the rider to compensate by leaning more to the left. There are also inherent problems causing more frequent lameness in the front left and the back right.
Schleese apparently has the only geometric assymetrically adjustable tree on the market -which is one of their main benefits. Also - most saddles that look like they fit on the standing horse will not work when the horse is actually moving, because the musculature will change in motion. That's just logical.
And back to the girthiness issue - this is most often a symptomatic thing that can be attributed to poor saddle fit - no horse is 'just girthy' out of the blue, sorry.

[helent623]

I've been following this thread with interest because my horse is also *extremely* girthy. As in, he will go to his knees if I'm not very slow and careful. I know it isn't saddle fit or girth type because his reaction is exactly the same in a regular dr saddle, a cair-paneled jumping saddle, a treeless dr saddle, and a surcingle. He has been treated for ulcers, no improvement. Someone, somewhere mentioned a nerve in the girth area that is particularly sensitive in some horses. Does anyone know anything more about this? It seems fitting to his reaction because if I tighten the girth fast his eyes will zone out and his front legs will collapse, sort of like he's fainting.

[ise@ssl]

Get a good chiropractor to look at your horse - really. And as far as asymmetry - ask yourself if the horse started out this way. Yes horses are one sided or the other - as a breeder we feel it's how they lie in the womb but with correct lunging and work - that can be corrected.

If a horse is overmuscled on one side it might be because you are riding MORE to the easy side - thereby overloading the muscles on the opposite side. The only thing that will help this is making sure the horses isn't out in it's skeleton, having a good massage therapist work to get the muscles relaxes AND keep track of how much time you are riding to each direction. Also IS THE RIDER heavy handed on one side over the other?

[3s]

Generally very little can be done to reverse whether a horse is left handed or right handed - this is genetically determined just as in humans; you can 'train' them to be opposite sided (with varying results) but the natural tendency will remain - the muscles develop more on this side, which also affects the bone structure and everything else.

If your horse is buckling when being girthed regardless what type of saddle you use, it is because the nerve endings at the wither (which are very sensitive - remember, this is where the stallion bites the mare to immobilize her) are damaged to the point that it doesn't matter what you use - as soon as you pull the saddle on problems will arise. Either at the supra spinalus, or at the trapezoids - anywhere that muscles end you will find the motor nerve endings.
The problem is most likelyan improperly fitting saddle.

[Blkarab]

Just a different thought here. Have you tried him with a saddle that requires a long girth? I ask because this did happen to me with one of my horses. He became so unhappy with a short girth that he would actually rear, buck and bolt away from you if you tightened it too fast. Let me tell you, it was not a lot of fun figuring out what his problem was! I did find that he had a sarcoid growing right where the edge of the girth was. Obviously, I had it removed, but he has never been the same about a short girth. When we use a long girth on him, butter wouldn't melt, as they say.

Oddly enough, his half brother was the same about short girths from the day he was started, so it makes me think that maybe there is something in their conformation of back or withers that is more comfortable with the slightly different pressure of a long girth.

Good luck!

Ditto--

I tried all sorts of girths with my mare. She is extremely girthy, as a result of developing a sore years ago with a surcingle with another trainer. To this day, she pins her ears back with the girth. I've had the saddle fitter out, she was scoped, etc.

I went to a longer, string girth. (Make sure the girth is long enough so the buckles reach the saddle. This is very important) Problem solved. No more tenderness around the girth area. She will still pin her ears a bit when she feels the girth touch her belly, but immediately after it is tightened, she's fine. I also second adjusting the girth slowly. The nice thing about the string girths, is that they are cheap and washable :winkgrin:

Good luck.

[3s]

If you look in Dr. Joyce Harman's book there is actually a thermography image showing heat generated under the long billets (and short girth) so using a long girth with short billets (which any saddler should be able to change for you) might just help!!

[Lieslot]

Thanks 3s.
I checked out Schleese's website, but figured they are located in Ontario, so that'll be a no-no. They'd never come out for 1 saddle somewhere in some backyard barn in NJ.
No way do I get another saddle over the phone by faxing wither tracings & mailing pictures. If I can't get the fitter to see my horse in person, it is not going to work.
BTW, what's the avg cost of a custom Schleese, probably pretty expensive?!


Back to the girth issue, with regards to long gp/cc girths and short dressage girth. I always figured if a horse is more girthy in a dressage over long gp/cc girth, the pain is probably located near the sternum (girth nerve). If on the contrary the horse is more girthy in long girth vs short dressage, then I'd be more inclined to think it comes from the nerve endings near the withers.
Have you tried applying pressure to the sternum with a girth held by two people each on opposite sides of the horse and both pull upwards hard (no saddle in place). Then also try having saddle on horse with loose girth, stand on very high mounting block and lean over saddle like a bag of potatoes or just pressing down hard on the saddle in the pommel region to see if you get a negative reaction.
What's the horse like when you get on. Does he move his inside front leg or drop his shoulder when you put weight in the mounting stirrup? If so, definitely saddle/wither pinching.

[Lieslot]

Schleese apparently has the only geometric assymetrically adjustable tree on the market -which is one of their main benefits. Also - most saddles that look like they fit on the standing horse will not work when the horse is actually moving, because the musculature will change in motion. That's just logical.
And I swear this is exactly what my little kiddo saddle with "self-adjusting gullet" does. I rode him in it once more today (-to undo the negative experience of the testing rides earlier this week, which made him so cranky:( -). The gullet adjusts indepently on each side and when I get off this little saddly is literally glued to his body on each side of his withers neatly fitting his oh so asymmetrical shoulders and following his banana-shaped back. It's just amazing... why oh why can't they have a nicer version of this saddle. The more I ride in it the more I love it and definitely so does my horse, never had him move so freely. Sigh,.... BUT it's not the type of saddle I want to ride in forever :cry:.

[cuonxc]

Thank everyone for all of the thoughtful responses....I'll post an update soon. I am mulling all the ideas over and re-evaluating things.

If you look in Dr. Joyce Harman's book there is actually a thermography image showing heat generated under the long billets (and short girth) so using a long girth with short billets (which any saddler should be able to change for you) might just help!!

duh! I have access to thermography -I'll get some shots and see what (if anything) it reveals.

Also -I read Dr Harman's book as well...and I am definitely not quoting directly, this is from memory (and we know how that can be!) but to crudely paraphrase does she not say that you should never have a custom saddle fit asymmetrically....and that if a saddler wishes to do this you should run screaming the other way? or is my interpretation wrong?

[3s]

With all due respect to Dr. Harman, there are people who do this (saddlefitting) every day of their lives, constantly update their knowledge and education - and have experiences by fitting hundreds of horses a month rather than only "a couple" who would be able to articulately argue (and prove) that this is an incorrect perception.
Most horses are unevenly muscled - how then can a straight saddle ever fit?? And if you think it does, well then perhaps it's your horse which has 'accommodated' itself to a straight saddle - doesn't mean it really fits or is actually ideal for that horse! (although there are some straight horses out there, these are definitely in the minority!)

There is a new video coming out by and with Dr. Gerd Heuschmann called "if Horses Could Speak" which will open a lot of people's eyes to possibly thinking at a whole new level about what we do to our horses every day with poor training and poorly fitting saddles and tack. It's horrendous. The German media is much more open about exposing what in effect amounts to 'torture' of these animals than the North Americans. There are almost 'expose' type articles appearing in all of the top German equine magazines.
But I digress from the topic at hand...
Lieslot: Schleese travels all over the US to do saddlefitting and they are represented by Skylands Saddlery in NJ. You might want to try them. There are lots of used Schleeses available (try ebay) which might work and could be adjusted.

[hollyhorse2000]

Lieslot -- I worked long-distance with Trumbull Mountain Saddlery. Their Web site explains the different panels, etc. Kim Peterson from Ocean Heights has taken a sort of leave of absence due to personal issues, from what I last heard.

[Romany]

Thanks 3s.
I checked out Schleese's website, but figured they are located in Ontario, so that'll be a no-no. They'd never come out for 1 saddle somewhere in some backyard barn in NJ.
No way do I get another saddle over the phone by faxing wither tracings & mailing pictures. If I can't get the fitter to see my horse in person, it is not going to work.
BTW, what's the avg cost of a custom Schleese, probably pretty expensive?!


Back to the girth issue, with regards to long gp/cc girths and short dressage girth. I always figured if a horse is more girthy in a dressage over long gp/cc girth, the pain is probably located near the sternum (girth nerve). If on the contrary the horse is more girthy in long girth vs short dressage, then I'd be more inclined to think it comes from the nerve endings near the withers.
Have you tried applying pressure to the sternum with a girth held by two people each on opposite sides of the horse and both pull upwards hard (no saddle in place). Then also try having saddle on horse with loose girth, stand on very high mounting block and lean over saddle like a bag of potatoes or just pressing down hard on the saddle in the pommel region to see if you get a negative reaction.
What's the horse like when you get on. Does he move his inside front leg or drop his shoulder when you put weight in the mounting stirrup? If so, definitely saddle/wither pinching.


Try contacting Schleese; they do have local reps, and they do travel. I've heard that the quality of service varies hugely depending on which rep you get, however.

You can buy used Schleese saddles for OK prices, and the resale isn't too bad.


I'd second the chiropractor/RMT, to see if there are any underlying issues, pain, discomfort, etc, that are affecting such rapid change in your horse's behaviour.

Girths...did you try a mohair one? eg Montana Cincha http://www.montanacincha.com/

I find the {-shaped girths (Logic, et al) tend to pull out hairs along the edges, which must be uncomfortable for some; would be for me, certainly!

[Kathy Johnson]

Sometimes girthy horses get that way because of girthER. Not to say that is the case here, but it bears mentioning since we're on the topic.

When I see a horse start to pin his ears or get grinchy, I look at how I'm girthing. Barely buckle the girth the first time, just enough to keep the saddle from rolling. Walk the horse out of the tie area. Tighten one or two more holes. Sometimes it helps to longe the horse in the saddle first, then tighten the girth more. Walk to mounting area, tighten one or two more holes. After mounting, check the girth, or better yet have someone on the ground tighten it again. After a good warmup, check the horse again.

Because I girth every single horse I ride this way, I have never had a girthy horse. When dealing with crabby old school horses, every one of them improves when treated with this respect. The second the horse pins its ears or swishes its tail or drops its back, stop tightening. Walk the horse, then tighten, gently, again.

I have seen horses fall to their knees when someone jacks the girth up. I have seen thin skinned TBs collapse if the nerve is pinched. I have seen sensitive horses get enormous swellings on their sides when the saddle is tightened too fast or too tight. Be aware and considerate and you will soon know if you have a behavioral issue or a soundness issue.

[cuonxc]

Just an update for those searching and finding this thread....


the Passier all elastic dressage girth did the trick!