Mattes Athletic Girths

[Steerpike]

Does anyone have one of these? I've been looking at them but have a couple of questions, do they have elastic ends and can you get extra sheepskin covers for them or is the sheepskin actually attached to the girth so you have to wash it all? I'm a bit dubious about definitely buying one as it's quite a lot of money!

 

[Steerpike]

Bumping incase anyone knows anything about this girth!

 

[TotalMadgeness]

I have a Mattes girth and the sheepskin bit is removable. I'll need to check about the elastic buckles but I'm pretty sure they are.

 

[Steerpike]

That would be great, thank you!!

 

[sbloom]

They used to make both removable and fixed versions, but I think now only the removable version, and do the spare sheepskin parts, and yes they have elastic straps.

 

[Steerpike]

Thank you, I was looking for non elastic so will stick to my prolite ?

 

[sbloom]

I would say don't avoid elastic for the sake of it, depending on your reason. Plenty of fitters, and general information such as from Centaur Biomechanics, warn against elastic but my fellow fitters and I have nearly 70 years collective saddle fitting experience on wider horses and ponies and recommend strong elastic girths all the time, they work better than fixed girths with the way we fit. I also see fixed girths, over tightened, causing more adipose and even muscular tissue damage than elasticated.

 

[Steerpike]

I always try to have my girth on the looser side of tight, he's not a chunky monkey and even though he's an Arab he has got more like a TB body, I'm finding his saddle slides back on him, it doesn't so much with his prolite girth was just wondering if the Athletico would work better than the prolite.

 

[sbloom]

I always try to have my girth on the looser side of tight, he's not a chunky monkey and even though he's an Arab he has got more like a TB body, I'm finding his saddle slides back on him, it doesn't so much with his prolite girth was just wondering if the Athletico would work better than the prolite.

So hard to say, every horse varies. I've not tried one, but I'd say you have no reason to shy away from strong elastic in girths unless your fitter has expressly said not to. I'd still debate it as I see it applied as a blanket rule, but every fitter has the right to the way they fit and their advice to go along with it.