Help - Girth Rubbing!

zola89

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After riding last night I noticed a small spot of blood on my mare's girth and felt extremely guilty as there was a small raw patch behind her elbow. The thing is, it's a sheep skin dressage girth, one that is all fabric and no leather and super soft, without elastic straps!

I do ride use a leather girth with her GP saddle but only use this once or twice a week and haven't specifically noticed this one rubbing. I'm not sure which girth caused the rub in the first place but the sheepskin girth either caused the rub or caused an old scab to rub off.

I've tried lots of different types of leather girths or girths with sleeves and they all seem to rub! Does anybody have any suggestions as to what I could try next?
 
Ginger? :p

My own boy is terrible with leather, much better with plastic (like the thorogood type, had a harry dabbs wavy waffle one on GP/aerborn on Dressage.)
Probably best with a pro choice ventech. I say probably only because I never got the opportunity to hunt with it to be super sure!
 
Try using a normal girth, not a dressage length one. It's most likely rubbing at the point where the end of the girth is due to uneven pressure.
 
yes was going to ask how long it was and what shape. My horses are most comfortable with fairly long girths (almost reach up to the saddle flaps) that are cut back from the elbow.
 
It's the le mieux integrated dressage girth (the older style) which is shaped. Looking at a picture I'm thinking now maybe it is a bit short and too tight behind her elbow, although I'm on hole 3 both sides. Maybe with it being fluffy it's too bukly? To be honest though I didn't think the sheepskin would rub at all with it being so soft.

I did try the prolite girth but found that rubbed her.

Not sure how to post a picture....
 
The best thing i have ever purchased for my horse (besides my Dually) is a Professionals choice girth. I was browsing in a saddlery and as soon as i put my hands on it i thought wow! it felt so soft compared to all of the other girths leather, plastic, rope ect. It has a super soft neoprene layer that is removable to wash. It doesnt slip and my horse is much happier having it put on compared to his old thorrowgood one.
 
So having had a little look, I think I need a shaped girth so that it is cut back at the elbow, with the buckles at the end of the girth so that I can use a longer one and it doesn't interfere with my saddle, which is probably synthetic or has a sheepskin cover. So if anybody know of one like this (preferably not too expensive), that would be amazing!

So many dressage girths have an inch or two extension above the end of the buckles....
 
I've not an an issue with the buckle protection/extension particularly you just have to make sure it is sitting over the saddle flap rather rucking up against it?
Re shapes, where did the prolite rub? Does she have a forwards groove (mine does and has got lines down the back of his elbows at times but I couldn't quite place where the problem was with yours, if so some people get on with crescent shapes too. (Mattes I think have a pick the shape of your girth for horse confo chart).

Re. photos they need to be on a third party site like facebook, or imgur etc, you then copy the image location and add
to either end and they show up.
 
So having had a little look, I think I need a shaped girth so that it is cut back at the elbow, with the buckles at the end of the girth so that I can use a longer one and it doesn't interfere with my saddle, which is probably synthetic or has a sheepskin cover. So if anybody know of one like this (preferably not too expensive), that would be amazing!

So many dressage girths have an inch or two extension above the end of the buckles....

one of my horses just didn't get on with dressage girths so when I ordered a new dressage saddle I had it made with normal straps and I now use a leather anatomical girth its a kentaur one they are not cheap though about £90 but lovely girths.
 
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