Prolite girth fit

[MoonlitArcher]

So, after some research I bought a narrow gauge, as my horse measured around 18 - 20cm (although he was very wriggly!) elbow to elbow and I have also been told he has a forward girth groove so prolite fitting guidelines says he would need the narrow. I’ve tried it on him today but it looks so small and thin on him, I always thought a wider girth is meant to be more comfortable?
He is 16.2 and very long in neck and body, but quite narrow when you look at him head on. Should I be worried that the girth looks so small on him? I don’t really know what I was expecting, but given the money it cost I really want it to be the right fit!

Any advice much appreciated!

 

[bouncing_ball]

The width measurement is related to front legs so if he’s narrow there, no matter how wide barrel would need narrow, I think.

 

[MoonlitArcher]

I guess that makes sense. He is quite narrow to look at from the front, it just looked so odd when I stood looking at him from the side as he is not a small horse. Never used a prolite girth before I just always thought they would be a bit wider than that, even the narrow one lol

 

[sbloom]

Yep, narrow is the distance between the elbows, a narrow gap for the elbow shaping ALONG the girth, not the width of the girth itself. I'm not the biggest fan, they really don't suit all horses. There are plenty of wider options that can work well, worth looking at because I agree, if your horse can take a wide girth it's got to be the best option. Even the Stubben string girth works really well for a lot of horses.

 

[MoonlitArcher]

I’ve heard so many good things about the string girths, never used one though! Im debating returning this prolite one to be honest!

 

[holeymoley]

My guy is a narrow fit in a Pro Lite. I managed to try one before buying and I’m glad, one side looked okay and the other looked very strange! I couldn’t really work out why but it just didn’t suit him so I never bothered with one.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I have a mohair string girth that is wider between the legs then tapers a bit. They're also available straight/not shaped. They come in all sorts of colors now (I prefer black) and have protectors at the buckles (my dressage one has sheepskin behind the buckles).

 

[MoonlitArcher]

What is the aim behind the string ones? I’ve never used one, always thought they looked uncomfortable and might pinch but they definitely seem more popular now so I’m open to trying them

 

[sbloom]

Not sure how you can say what the aim is? They're soft, strong, grippy, and work for tons of horses. They only pinch if they fold over in a very deep "pouchy" girth groove.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I think string girth might be the most comfortable for many horses. They don't pinch, unless fitted wrong maybe? But they come on many different widths and shapes.

We used to use them a lot when I was a kid, and they didn't bother the most sensitive of horses. My current horse is very sensitive and anything slightly off will rub him too, so string girths or sheepskin work for him.

Ingrid Klimke also uses string girths quite a bit, and so do many western riders. They've been around for years, so I'd say that they're a good girth.

 

[sbloom]

I think string girth might be the most comfortable for many horses. They don't pinch, unless fitted wrong maybe? But they come on many different widths and shapes.

The Stubben one is wide and will fold over in deep girth grooves, and then it can pinch. The mohair one whose name I can't remember, is a little narrower, but it's a lot pricier. I don't know of any others these days?

 

[CanteringCarrot]

The Stubben one is wide and will fold over in deep girth grooves, and then it can pinch. The mohair one whose name I can't remember, is a little narrower, but it's a lot pricier. I don't know of any others these days?

There are many, at least here.

https://suedsattel-shop.de/produkt/mohair-kurzgurt/

sattelgurtguru.de (I have one from there)

equfaktur.de

https://schnurengurt-cordula.de/Mohair-Kurzgurt

Also "H" style
https://shop.tom-buettner.de/pferd/.../4560/schnurengurt-tomax?number=2749102324109

And some smaller businesses/one person that makes them individually. There's a few on Facebook and elsewhere. I was looking for mohair specifically.

I just Google'd when I was looking and a bunch came up. Many even offer test girths or a good return policy.

I'm not of much use since I am in Germany but I'd imagine there have got to be some UK suppliers out there/smaller names.

 

[MoonlitArcher]

Thanks everyone!