Fussiness with girth

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Fingerontheneckstrap

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Hi guys,

Just wanted to ask if any of you have experienced this before. I got a TB who had finished up her racing career a few months ago. She has always proven to be a very sensitive horse - had to get bit fitters and saddle fitters out more than once because of how fussy she can be but from about September onwards all tack suited her, she was doing amazing and we were making great progress. A few weeks ago I noticed the elastic on my girth was freying so decided to treat myself to an expensive, nicer, new anatomical one - thinking she’d be far happier in it because it’s shaped a lot nicer… I was very wrong 😂

Every time I have put this girth on her she is super unhappy to ride - acts cold backed when I sit on her, might throw a buck, reluctant to move forward - when I revert back to old girth, absolutely no issues whatsoever. I was actually so worried the first two times i used it that something was seriously wrong so got vet out and got her back checked, and nothing was awry. Physio mentioned that because the new girth was leather rather than the last one which was a waffle/neoprene girth, she might not like how hard/thick it is and it may be uncomfortable… so back to the old girth we go!

Just wondering if any of you have had horses like this before? Any horse I’ve ridden that has been fussy has usually been due to soreness, teeth, and if it’s tack it’s usually something very obvious like the bit or the saddle - my mare might just be a bit of a diva!
 
Some anatomical girths can actually put a lot of pressure on one edge -either the front or back of the girth, depending on your horses barrel shape. There was an interesting article on it - I'll see if I can find it.

She may be telling you she prefers a nice flat girth!
 
Cragrat said:
Some anatomical girths can actually put a lot of pressure on one edge -either the front or back of the girth, depending on your horses barrel shape. There was an interesting article on it - I'll see if I can find it.

She may be telling you she prefers a nice flat girth!
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It definitely seems that way and that’s what my physio had said as well. I’d be interested to read the article if you do manage to find it 😊
 
Kaylum said:
I would scope for ulcers. A lot of off the track tbs are prone to them because of the stress of their lives and high protein diets.
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I did think that when I first rode her in that girth, however I don’t really see a need for that at the moment. She’s on a low starch cereal free diet, a gut balancer, and gets plenty of hay and turnout all day long. She also shows very little (if any!) signs of ulcers to me - I totally know where your coming from especially with her maybe being girthy but with the other girth she’s completely fine. I do listen to my horses so if it’s something that becomes a problem down the line I’d definitely investigate, but at the moment she seems a happy horsey!
 
My lovely cob x connie, checks his tack ie looks it over and sniffs it to make sure it is the girth he likes etc. He is very sensitive and knows which girth he prefers so obviously her old one is super comfy and she is letting you know.
 
I bought a lovely leather padded anatomical girth and in one ride it made a massive rub on my pony. Stick to the one she's happy in
 
My old share had a wool fleece girth sleeve. My present share has a leather type girth like you describe.
Our tack room is unheated and I think the girth may feel very cold to the mare when I put on her saddle. I have no way of warming the girth but before reaching under the mare for the girth, I run my hands down her sides and under her tummy where the girth is going to lie. I feel that by touching her where the girth will be, I am politely warning her to expect something to lie on her skin there. I talk to her while I do this so she is paying attention to me, knows where I am and what I am doing.
 
Funnily enough I was just thinking this very same thing yesterday. My horse who is having problems has always been 100% to tack up, until very recently. It occurred to me yesterday that it probably actually coincides with me switching his bog standard cheap girth to my other horses Fairfax. It looks far better, he has a forward girth groove so the cheapo non anotomical girth kind of bunches up and is a bit hard to get looking just right, The Fairfax just sits perfectly on him. However I'm going to give the old one another try for a few days and see if that has made a difference.
 
Anatomical girths can be really problematic. As long as there is elbow shaping sometimes a straight girth can put much more even pressure on the ribcage and sternum. The Fairfax especially has a lot of pressure on the back edge on many horses, those with very pronounced forward girth grooves where the belly is often a bit, erm, "oversized" 😁 or dropped (posture).
 
I had the exact same with my now retired lad - he detested the £150.00 anatomical leather girth, yet adored the £32.50 waffle girth and his £35.00 fleece lined girth - it always baffled me as I thought he'd really love the anatomical one but I guess horses have their preferences like us humans do :)
 
My older horse is the same - always hated leather girths. He disliked the prolite too. In his case I think it's the bulk, as I've had him in a variety of cheaper 'flat' girths without issue.
 
Okay, thanks for all of your comments so I know I’m not going insane and that you’ve had similar experiences with your horses!! I definitely think it’s either adding pressure points, or it’s a bit too thick/hard, or all of the above - so I’ll just keep it as a spare for one of the other horses for the time being! The old girth will suffice for a few more weeks but once we’re out competing I will definitely be stopping by the tack shop and getting the same one… if I knew she’d like the £35 girth better I wouldn’t have splurged the extra £120 😂 lesson learned - if it isn’t broken don’t fix it!!
 
Yes my old mare was the same. Had her many years and often used to treat her to the very best, softest leather, current vogue of girth. Within a couple of rides I always had to actively revert back to her bog standard fleece lined stretchy girth (I know stretchy supposed to be a bad idea but she always told me it worked for her. ). A bonus was they were relatively cheap compared to the very expensive ones I kept trying for her until I got the message. ☺️
 
My rising 5 year old definitely prefers his leather slim shaped girth with elastic one side with a sheepskin cover to the neoprene prolite anatomical girth which I felt was too “fixed” if that makes sense?
 
Professional choice ventech girths are amazing for more sensitive horses as are the Stubben string girths.

But I would also consider ulcers as he’s an ex racer, something like 90% come out of racing with them x
 
I remember a riding school horse that did not liking his girth being done up but the saddle was a wintec saddle but I hope you can get the situation sorted out soon
 
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