does anyone use NON elasticated girths anymore?

i use non elasticated girths you can buy some lovely leather human ones also for showing i have a cob with no withers and the elasticated girth make my saddle move and the saddle is a made to measure so my saddle fitter was for ever comeing out to check it but since he told me to buy none elasticated girths iv hd no problems you can also buy cob girths theyr none elasticated
 
I'm another fan of Aerborne humane girths. I did have a Sprenger string girth for the ID but wasn't sure that she was comfortable in it.
I certainly wouldn't use an elasticated girth, the ones with elastic on one side are bound to be unbalanced and thus uncomfortable for the horse, while those which are elasticated at both sides are very easy to over-girth.
In almost 50 years of riding I have NEVER had a girth break while I've been riding. The secret is to check your tack before you get on each time.
 
I use elastic, because I had issues with non elastic girths slipping. Since I got Ned his elastic one, we've not had any issues of doing it too tight, or slipping, even with Ned's hideous spooks, twists and turns!
 
quirky said:
I gave up my elastic girth on the advice of my saddler and physio. They both say they are the work of the devil.
I use a humane girth as I secure one buckle to a balance strap. Haven't found another girth that had the range to do that.
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I have also been advised the same - "elastic girths, work of the devil"!
 
i dont use elastic girths but i do use a wintec chaffless elastic girth - they dont have elastic on the buckles but the whole girth has give in it and enables stretch as and when its needed.

i would never use a humane girth i think they can be overtightened far too easily and strap the saddle far too tightly onto the horse back muscles
 
Stubben string girth on short billets, Wintec dressage on long ones. The Welsh Princess is a 'curvy girl' and the saddles are fine with these two - and more important she likes them!!! Elasticated and neoprene girths are a complete no-no for this particular horse.
 
Yep, I am currently using an old-style Cottage Craft (you jelly, Pitch Black?? :D ) for hacking and a humane leather Atherstone for hunting/competing, etc.

I think the humane girths are the best for comfort and security and the Cottage Craft is the only other girth that fits current pone and I don't like to use my 'best' gear all the time!
 
thatsmygirl said:
I don't like elastic girths and humane ones are bloody dangerous and are banned by our local pony clue due to a nasty accident. Look at the way they go onto the girth straps off the saddle!! if the girth breaks where the girth gos onto the saddle
there is no back up and the whole girth comes off. At least with normal girths u have 2 straps, 1 for back up. Nasty accident locally due to one off those girths. Local tack shop has stopped selling them as well
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I do not see how it can just 'break' the stitching must have been very worn and not checked.

I had the strap running under the seat of the saddle holding the girth straps, snap on one occasion whilst jumping, that, in over 50+ years of riding is the nearest I have ever come to having a girth snap! (There is no way of actually checking it and back then these straps were made of hessian, now they are nylon)
 
catkin said:
Stubben string girth on short billets, Wintec dressage on long ones. .
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Billets are found on bridles and reins, I think you mean girth straps (sorry to be pedantic but tack is a passion of mine! :o:D)

I don't like elastic ones either, much prefer the old Cottage Craft ones or leather for best as you can gauge the fit better. If I remember rightly, some forum horse is off work still after an accident last year caused by the elastic girth being tightened so much it unknowingly crunched his sternum; it took a long time to find what the problem was.
 
OldNag said:
I've just picked up a couple of Cottage Craft-a-likes from my local saddler in the bargain bin!
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jhoward said:
i have a couple of these, and also areborn (sp) do non elasticated.
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marmalade76 said:
Yep, I am currently using an old-style Cottage Craft (you jelly, Pitch Black?? :D )
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Oh I am well jell at all of you! :D

Do Cottage Craft still make those girths, or are they consigned to history? I've never managed to find anything similar to them.
 
Foxhunter49 it was not a old girth so fault maybe when made!!!
But either way there is no back up if that breaks is there, the whole girth is loose and the girl is question had a very nasty accident and the pony dragged the saddle around by the martingale. In any other girth how would that happen? It wouldn't unless you were un lucky enough to get 2 broken straps on your saddle. There is no safety back up on those girths at all
 
Thanks forall the replies. It makes very interesting reading.

I can understand the idea behind elasticated girths but as someone pointed out, we managed perfectly well without them less than 20 years ago... Just pondering really.
 
Maesfen said:
Billets are found on bridles and reins, I think you mean girth straps (sorry to be pedantic but tack is a passion of mine! :o:D)
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I've always known them as girth billets:)
and yes, billet hooks on reins and bridles.
Perhaps it's just one of those things where different words are used for what is pretty much the same item like slice of hay or flake of hay
 
kazhar said:
I Use the Wintec non chafe girth. Never ben a fan of the elastic ended ones, particuarly the ones which only had one elastic end. I did use the humane girth but got put off when I realised that if one girth strap snapped, your entire girth would be completely loose :O
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This happened to me - had checked the girth straps for wear but it came away from the stitching under the flap and suddenly I had no girth! Fortunately we'd just pulled up from a canter out hacking and were walking.
 
I use the Stubben string one on my fat cob. He's a demon for blowing himself out so with an elasticated one I'd be over tightening all the time, probably.
 
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