Sensitive to girthing, ideas to overcome?

horseywelsh

horseywelsh

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I have a rising 6 year old mare, i've had her since she was 4 and backed her myself. I am wanting to her advertise her for sale shortly and would like to nip this girthing issue in the bud. Any suggestions would be appreciated on things to try and how to go about it.

She seems very sensitive to the girth been initially put on, it has got worse over the last couple of months as it's the first time she has been clipped out in this area. Plus it's colder, I wondered if this bothered her. She doesn't do anything major, but she won't stand and will shuffle side to side, she does sometimes cow kick to the side (not directly kicking at you but it's something I don't want her doing). Once the girth is up she's fine, as soon as I get on her I can tighten it with no issues, it just seems that inital putting it on. I have a WH saddle on her with a leather girth (alternate with and without sheepskin cover, probably slightly better with cover), also have a dressage saddle with a thorowgood girth (oddly better girthing this up then WH saddle). At competitions I tack her up the lorry and she stands like a pro with no fussing so it obviosuly doesn't bother her too much hence why I want to break the habit. Both saddles have been professionally fitted to her and no worries re this as she is working under saddle very well.

Any thoughts? Is it something i'm just going to have to put up with and tell potential buyers that is one of her very few faults? Thanks :)
 
Ny daughter's very slightly cold-backed pony does this. We put the saddle on and only grth extremely loosely until she has been led about a bit. Then she is fine to slowly tighten the girth up on. Unfortunately if the horse is slightly cold backed there is not a lot you can do to overcome this, only manage it sensitively.
 
Thanks for your reply, that's interesting. Not really considered it as a cold back thing as she's fine when I get on, but like you she may feel it very slightly. Will go and have a read up on cold back and see if I can pick up any ideas to alter my routine for tacking up. Will try what you suggest, putting it on loose and having a walk round inhand next few times I tack her up to see if this helps.
 
Having spent a fortune on a beautiful Lemetex leather girth, my mare decided she didn't like it. Some horses prefer the softness/warmth/ slight give of neoprene - we use thick neoprene cinches on our western saddles, and madam tolerates this better. I bought a Professionals Choice neoprene lined English girth which also has elastic at both ends, and she much prefers this. Expensive, but worth a try - they do occasionally come up on Ebay.
 
Yes I would pop saddle on first when tacking up, and pop a rug over for ten mins, then tighten girth one hole at a time one side then the other, you must take time and and see how it goes, I assume you have a warm dry numnah and the saddle fits, and she does not have ulcers, and it not a TB which likes to kick and bite when you tack up and groom, nothing to do with current tacking up, more to do with memories.
 
I also meant to say that the same pony mare hates those gel pads with a passion, again probably something to do with cold backed sensitivity. She is the same with rug straps and athough she won't actually bite you she snaps and grinds her teeth :)
 
Well she is a TB (but has never raced or trained, I bought her unbacked). She's also not had a bad experience, not whilst i've had her anyway, previous owner did start lunging/long reining her in a roller so may well have had a negative experience at this stage. I always use a standard polypad under the saddle, they are clean/dry but do get stored in the tack room which isn't heated or anything so at this time of year they do have that cold feeling to them (same goes for the girth). I'll try and make sure they are warmed on her before I put the saddle on.

Will try all the suggestions. Would just like to break the cycle if I can and make it less of an issue and more comfortable for her.
 
Get a sheepskin cover for the girth, that helped my mare no end. Do as others have suggested and do it up really slowly/gently. You can pick covers up on ebay really cheap.
 
i saw a back guy called Andy Andrews (long gone now) work on a SJ pony years ago, it was very very girthy (twitchy, bitey, obviously very unhappy even with him just running his fingers gently over the area). he worked on the horse patiently and gently and afterwards there was no reaction at all in the area.
so, i'd look at getting her checked over, it might not be anything to do with the type of girth etc.
 
ironhorse said:
Having spent a fortune on a beautiful Lemetex leather girth, my mare decided she didn't like it. Some horses prefer the softness/warmth/ slight give of neoprene - we use thick neoprene cinches on our western saddles, and madam tolerates this better. I bought a Professionals Choice neoprene lined English girth which also has elastic at both ends, and she much prefers this. Expensive, but worth a try - they do occasionally come up on Ebay.
Click to expand...

I think it's Bridleway that makes a similar girth, with both neoprene and "sheepskin" liners you can attach by velcro. They are very reasonably priced and after a client had good luck with one, I've recommended them to a few people. Perhaps they aren't the prettiest to show in but a good trial to see if it works and anyway, outside of showing, I don't really think that matters much. I think if I had to outfit a new horse I'd probably go with them from the outset now.

Re the reaction, there is quite a lot going on under where the girth goes - a very neglected area, if you ask me (which, fair enough, no one did ;) ) and it sometimes doesn't take much to make a problem. Gradual tightening of the girth is, I think (again, I know no one asked :) ) a very good standard "problem avoidance" tactic. I'm amazed how many people crank up their girths then wonder why the horses get snappy and once that's happened it can easily become a habit, particularly if it happens early on. Not saying this to the OP but just to the fact that it's one of those issues that can crop up quickly and take a lot of time to fix.
 
Also had a lot of success with the professionals choice girth with the elastic both ends and removable sheepskin. Roo used to turn and snap at you when tightening girth, now just slight ears back.
Tarrsteps could you post a link to the bridleways one?
 
TarrSteps said:
Gradual tightening of the girth is, I think (again, I know no one asked :) ) a very good standard "problem avoidance" tactic. I'm amazed how many people crank up their girths then wonder why the horses get snappy and once that's happened it can easily become a habit, particularly if it happens early on. Not saying this to the OP but just to the fact that it's one of those issues that can crop up quickly and take a lot of time to fix.
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Yes I agree with this. I have Fritz Stahlecker's Inhand work for Young Dressage Horses DVDs and he is absolutely painstaking about girthing to the extent that he has made a little smooth wooden handle/lever to slowly slowly tighten the girth one hole at a time from side to side.
His website has a pic of it. (brilliant horseman :))

http://www.hsh-fritz-stahlecker.de/Equipment.23.0.html?&L=1
 
Thanks all, she does like all of mine have routine check ups from chiro/physio and i've no reason to suspect anything is bothering her as once tacked up she is sweet as a button, but thankyou I do apprectiate what you are saying and will keep an extra eye out for other twitchy signs.

Completley agree TarrSteps, i've backed a few horses recently and not had any issues with the others re girthing and do take my time (I know you wasn't specifically referring to me) but I have been a bit rushed lately with lack of light so have probably unknowingly been girthing quicker than normal which could be bothering her. Point taken, and will be taking extra care, time and trying the alternatives slower doing it up, rug on, warm girth etc approaches. Those girths sound good, will have a google. Thanks :)
 
ecrozier said:
Also had a lot of success with the professionals choice girth with the elastic both ends and removable sheepskin. Roo used to turn and snap at you when tightening girth, now just slight ears back.
Tarrsteps could you post a link to the bridleways one?
Click to expand...

Here you go:

http://www.bridlewayequestrian.com/shop/product.php?productid=16214&cat=272&page=1

Not crazy money, especially with the two liners, and they look well constructed. Unlike a lot of the synthetic girths, both linings seem quite "warm" and they don't have that annoying "guard" that wrinkles under the elastic sections.

Donkey's years ago there was a study comparing friction and pressure between various types of girths, which made me a complete "double elastic" convert. The best, if I remember, were girths with no elastic at all - string girths, specifically - but I haven't always felt comfortable with those for doing more athletic things with horses. The absolute worst were single ended elastic, which uniformly pulled the saddle off straight and caused uneven pressure. If I have to use one I swap the ends over every ride. My standard practice now (born from "girthiness" being over represented in my target horse market and being trapped in a box with an exploding horse more than once ;) ) is to put the girth on low on the left side, then snug it up on the right, then tighten up again on the left. And I teach the horses to be okay with me tightening either side when I'm on. This also means I don't always use the same holes every single ride, even on the same horse.

Interesting that you bring up rollers, too. There are very few "horse friendly" alternatives now, I think. For years I had one of those huge, heavy old fashioned all leather ones and horses always seemed very comfortable in it but I've not always found the same with the lighter, newer models.
 
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My big boy is very sensitive when girthed - he'll actually try and bite you and waves his front legs around. I've tried a non-elastic leather girth with and without sheepskin, and a wintec stretch girth (with the elastic throughout, not at the ends), and he is without a doubt better in the latter. It also has rollers on the buckles which I find helps as you don't need to pull at it much at all to tighten.

He is cold backed too, so I groom his body, put the saddle on, do up the girth on the loosest hole, and then do mane/ tail/ feet etc, doing it up a hole every now and then. He seems much better with this regime.
 
My older mare was a bit like this. A few months ago I got a physio to look at her - he is uber popular down this way so you have to wait a while to get him. Turns out she had a groin strain and was in a fair bit of discomfort. That was sorted (was a bit hair raising to watch - thought she was going to fall over!) and now she is fine to girth up. She still does the odd attempted nip but to be honest I think thats more habit than pain.

Havn't read the full lot of answers on this so apologies if someone has already suggested this.
 
I would double check saddle fit, with a second opinion if necessary, and at least try a diet for ulcers, which won't cost a lot. If there is a small suspicion of ulcers I'd get her scoped. Obvioulsy with it happening more with one saddle than the othere it's more likely to be girth or saddle than ulcers, but it's not worth the risk. And I agree with girthing slowly and keeping the buckles at roughly the same height, within a hole, on both sides. Also use as long a girth as possible with a short dressage girth, and as short a girth as possible with a long girth. The former is for comfort, the latter for stability.
 
My horse was sold to me as being cold backed because of girthing issues, he would hunch up a bit and blow out.. Had physio look at him, he was just tight on his muscles in between his ribs, all sorted now and no problems! When I picked him up, he came with a tiny pony saddle and he's a 16'1 tb! Could have had something to do with it don't you think????!!!!
 
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