blowing put when doing up the girth

[texansunrise]

Has any one any tips on how to prevent a horse from blowing out when tacking up? After adjustments to my saddle my old girth wont reach to do up as the sod is blown out so much ( it was fine previously, but saddler has replaced the worn girth straps) .. once on it goes up amazingly 4 holes but its getting it to reach the first is the problem!! I have tried the next size up in girth size but this is way to big once im on board :shocked.. please help , its a nightmare tacking up now .. and embarrasing

!!

 

[Bexaco]

you can get things to make your girth straps longer -

web page

Last item on page ^

I don’t like to ride in them, but you can use them to get one side of the girth high enough to do the other up normally, then remove and do the other side up properly too. as long as you don’t over tighten your girth once on board so that your horse is comfortable this method will soon make the horse stop doing it as he will not achieve anything.

hope that makes sense!

ets - if you don’t want to invest then perhaps try using a stirrup leather attached to the girth strap instead?

 

[picolenicole]

As dafft as it sounds try having someone standing at his head and giving him polo's. When he gets better only give him one when he does not blow out, I had an arab that used to bite when you did his girth up and this worked brill.
Also you prob already do but do the girth up really slowly and talk to your horse all the time, that may help.

Good luck

 

[junglediva]

How about walking him round in a cuircle. To 'loosen' him up and then stop him. Push him back, stretch his front legs. basically make him think hes just doing normal 'ground' exercises and then stand him up quickly grab then girth and do it up. Or you could just keep a carrot in your hand and give it to him before you do the gith up so whilst he's chewing you can do the girth. just a though x

 

[Chico Mio]

I put the saddle on (no girthing) then do other things (eg boots). Drop girth down, do other things (eg bridle), reach under draw girth up to first hole, do other things (eg put brushes away). I never do girth up fully until just before I get on, by which time he has gone back to normal and I just crank both straps up to the right place. He usually loosens off nearly another hole when we ride but I never tighten up again as we have a breast plate and I like him to be able to breathe.

 

[4leggedfurries]

D bucks and rears when i put his girth on (psychological, more than pain) so i put the girth on one side, come round and just hold it across his belly, then move it up his side, telling him what a good boy he is, then put it through the loop on the saddle cloth, the back girth strap then front girth strap. Once its on he's fine, then i walk him round do one side up, walk him round do the other side up etc, till i'm ready to get on.

 

[texansunrise]

great advice, thankyou so much for that - will have an attempt tonight now armed with lots of new ideas and if all else fails will bribe with food ! Thank you x x x

 

[Bowen4Horses]

my old instructor used to knee the ponies hard in the belly.... it used to make me wince just watching it.

i put the saddle on, and faff about so much until he gets bored of blowing out and deflates to a normal size so i can get the girth round. otherwise i'm about half an inch off the girth reaching... once he's stopped blowing i can get up to about 4or5 holes on each side... that means my horse blows out about ten holes!

 

[laura_nash]

I have the exact same problem. I do up on the first hole, faff about with breastplate etc, do up a bit more, walk around to yard, do up again, get on and then do up again. By this point he's 5/6 holes on each side - so he blows out 12 holes!

I had to use one of those girth extender things Bexaco mentioned when I first got him, but he's got better enough now that I don't need it. I've also got a Kentaur Aachen girth with elastic at both ends, which helps a bit to reach the first hole.

The other problem I have is undo-ing, as soon as you get off he blows out again. If I forget to loosen the girth before I get off I end up with the saddle stuck on my horse - have to either get on again or wait until he gets sick of blowing out.