Would you go XC with studs in but WITHOUT a stud girth?...

[Chloe_GHE]

OK so last night I tried Santa_Claus's Fairfax girth and even though it was just a little w&t in the arena the change in D was instantly noticeable/feel-able.

So I thought....'in for a penny, in for a pound', reached for the savings a/c details and bought one myself! Yikes!!!!

but....I have bought a normal long girth (for a GP saddle)

so.....as it will be a while till I can afford the stud girth, would/have you been XC with studs in but without a stud girth?...

In my clueless days I have done this and not noticed any studding injuries, but that was then and this is now.......what is the norm?...I haven't been on the eventing circuit for a few years and so I'm a bit out of the loop

What would you do?...

Use the FF girth for better performance and risk potential stud injury?...

Use normal stud girth and have worse jumping technique/less comfortable horse?...

decisions decisions.....

 

[Santa_Claus]

yes but then I don't actually stud infront! I have a 52" stud girth you can borrow which I don't use BUT its brown

Edit to say I would have a look to see what his technique is like without the FF when jumping particulary at a gallop. Would be handy to video it so you can evaluate where he picks his feet up to. If he is tight in front he will actually be touching his elbows so a stud girth not providing much benefit, whereas if loose infront he 'might' hit his belly

 

[frazzled]

Have same dilemma. Have a fairfax girth on dressage saddle and love it. Would love to put one on jumping saddle but stud version is mega pennies. Only tend to use studs in back feet so wondered if we cold get away with it.....

Sorry that isn't much help!!!!

 

[Lolo]

Reg doesn't snap up enough like that- he's more likely to get his legs than his tummy with studs. Admittedly, he's rarely studded though!

 

[wench]

Couldn't you get one of those stud girth "attachements" to slip onto the girth?

 

[Holidays_are_coming]

Same with mine, the way she jumps she is unlikely to hit her tummy!!

 

[Northern Hare]

In the days before stud girths were commonplace, most people would have gone XC without a stud guard - I certainly did.

If your horse needs a stud guard, an alternative would be to get a "Leather Stud Guard" to attach to the Fairfax girth. They're around £35 so possible an alternative?

 

[muffinmunsh]

I do. My mare is so delicate that she won't have the big stud girth pad on her belly... She does lift nicely in front but her feet are not where the stud girth would be anyway.

 

[Baggybreeches]

I have never yet owned a stud guard or a stud girth and never had a studding injury in at least 25 years of jumping (and mostly over decent size fences). I understand the principle but I don't actually like the idea of a stud guard for xc at all

 

[Mel85]

I never use stud guards unless they are so snappy you need to!!

 

[RCP Equestrian]

I used to event my mare without a stud girth and studs in front, we only competed at BE90-100. I use a stud girth on my showjumper now for grass shows but to be honest I havent heard of many injuries caused by studs hitting their belly. To be quite honest I would do a back flip if I knew my boy was tucking up that well!! I'd say the legs need protecting and the coronet band with good over reach boots are more important as I've heard of horses standing on themselves whilst out XC

 

[quizzie]

I always stud in front for XC, but with as small studs as I think I can get away with....I have never used a stud girth, & have never had stud injuries or even bruising......in fact I dislike the "flappy" nature of most of them, & suspect my horses would have objected to that!

Current horse snaps up with a very forward knee, meaning that a normal stud girth would be in the wrong place anyway....he needs elbow guards!

So for him, the Fairfax girth is actually in the right place for protection anyway ( & yes..he is lucky enough to wear one!!!).

 

[RachelFerd]

I have never used a stud girth and do not think it is neccessary to use one for XC unless your horse actually has a history of giving themselves stud injuries.

 

[kerilli]

tbh I think the regular Fairfax girth is wide and padded enough in the middle to do a fairly good job of protecting them anyway, so I'd just use that and see how he goes.
I evented for yonks without using a stud guard, on horses with 2 studs in each foot in front and very good front end technique, who never studded themselves and never lost their technique either...

 

[BeckyD]

Glad someone else asked this and also glad to see the answers. My fairfax dressage girth is on order and I was hoping to use it on jump saddle as well (both have long girth straps). I normally use a stud guard and it is quite trashed where he's caught it with studs so I might keep it for days when he has sharp studs in e.g. hard ground. He needs elbow pads more than a stud guard anyway

 

[georgiegirl]

I know a lot of showjumpers wont jump without one (studded up or not) as they believe in encouraging the horse to pick up in every way possible (I did a lesson with Tim Stockdale once who said the same thing) hence I use one ALL the time.

That said I very rarely stud in front at all (only doing BE100 though) as I believe the front legs are supposed to slip forward a little on landing from a fence - it acts as the horses natural 'shock absorber'. If conditions are slippy and its a hilly course the biggest I would use in front would be some road studs or similar.

horses for courses whichever you decide I guess!

 

[noname]

Yep, I agree with Kerilli. The centre of the fairfax is almost as big as a some stud girths.

Never used one for eventing. I would personally not use one unless horse was really snappy or injury prone. I think they are unnecessary weight and likely to increase sweating which is unfair on a horse that snaps up properly anyway. Until 5 years ago, and the monoflap became the latest fad, they were not commonplace in eventing.

Also can use a detachable one that slips on the girth is you need it. Just might need the straps altered to fit round a fairfax.

 

[ajf]

I agree with most.

Look at your horse and how it jumps.

I have one horse that has never been ridden in a stud girth and never will (competed round Int/2* for several years).
Yet another that any time he leaves the ground needs a stud guard (so indoor SJ too!) as does often catch himself. We figured this out when he was younger as he'd jump one well, then dangly and knock next few. Put on Stud Girth and ta da tidy over everything!

If a horse needs one I'd put it on, but if they don't I won't (I hard they are really hard to fit properley as well).

Good luck

 

[meardsall_millie]

Ok I'll be the one to go against the flow then No I wouldn't personally.

Neither of my horses look like they need a stud girth on the face of it but the scrapes, scratches and gouges on their stud girths would argue against it!

If I could guarantee a textbook (or even their normal) style over every fence then I might consider it but sometimes things get a little sticky and there could be a 'legs akimbo' moment!

Even if your horses aren't coming back with cuts from their studs, how can you guarantee they haven't given themselves a good old thud (even without studs) and have got some bruising?

 

[Chloe_GHE]

Thanks everyone that's reassuring.

Think I will carry on with the FF girth and hopefully he will be ok, not jumped enough/big enough yet as he's just beginning to learn how to jump but indications are he's not going to incur studding injuries

So....anyone looking to buy a black leather stud and plain girth? hahahahhaha

So excited to get my FF, I pick it up tomorrow!! Why am I so excited by a girth??? I think I need to get out more!!!!

 

[daisycrazy]

I'm not sure I see the point of them - the only horses I've had who ever studded themselves not only did it infrequently but also studded themselves in front of the girth, not behind it.

 

[Chloe_GHE]

Ok I'll be the one to go against the flow then No I wouldn't personally.

Neither of my horses look like they need a stud girth on the face of it but the scrapes, scratches and gouges on their stud girths would argue against it!

If I could guarantee a textbook (or even their normal) style over every fence then I might consider it but sometimes things get a little sticky and there could be a 'legs akimbo' moment!

Even if your horses aren't coming back with cuts from their studs, how can you guarantee they haven't given themselves a good old thud (even without studs) and have got some bruising?

It's hard, but then how many times xc do they bruise other areas and we don't notice?... I think I will see if a stud attachment can be made, that way it will probably be cheaper than buying 3 diff girths!!!

My stud girth is scratch free, but I did once notice after XC that Soap had a bare patch of skin on the elbow, stud sized.....but then he had the stud girth on, and that area wasn't covered

 

[Santa_Claus]

I would be wary of attaching anything to the ff as it will then lie between the girth and the stomach so cancelling some of the good effects of the girth itself!

 

[meardsall_millie]

It's hard, but then how many times xc do they bruise other areas and we don't notice?... I think I will see if a stud attachment can be made, that way it will probably be cheaper than buying 3 diff girths!!!

My stud girth is scratch free, but I did once notice after XC that Soap had a bare patch of skin on the elbow, stud sized.....but then he had the stud girth on, and that area wasn't covered

I know, and do agree with you to a point, however unless we wrap them head-to-toe in bubble-wrap (now there's an idea ) or simply don't go xc, then you can't cover every eventuality. But you can cover some of the possibilities - and for me, using a stud girth is one of them

 

[tinap]

I wouldn't allow the daughter to take her boy round without a stud guard

With the amount of chunks & dints in the guard its obviously doing its job so can't imagine what damage could be done without it xx

 

[KatB]

I would also only ever jump with a stud guard, purely because it only takes one awkward jump for them to be put off if they kick themselves...however. a lot of 4star horses don't wear them...so it is down to personal choice showjumpers generally won't jump without them, and they are the ones wanting a careful jump time after time....!

 

[Stormy123456]

I wouldnt go without one now if I was studding. Mine is scratched and has lots of dents and scrapes all over the guard.

 

[ElleJS]

Never would go xc with out one. The one time I didn't use one was at a Cci3* the horse studded itself xc and had a massive heamatoma come up over night took a lot of icing to make it thru the trot the next day! The other time I had a horse come in that lost it's confidence and I found the reason was as it kept hitting itself when it tucked up as soon as I put a stud girth on what difference!!! All my stud girths look like they've survived a few drive by shootings! Dents galore.

 

[Chloe_GHE]

Gah!....

Right I'll start saving for the stud version. Guess it's 'better to be poor than sorry'

 

[star]

I stud in front but don't use a stud guard. From photos/videos it doesn't look like he should need one.