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| totes a dressage bridle. note sparkle bonnet. |
Anyways. The last time I owned a dressage saddle was with the hellmare years ago. I sold it around the time I sold her and never looked back. With Cuna, I never bothered to buy one, and with Courage, I was convinced we were just going to be jumpers so I didn't even think about it. I've long since sold/dispersed all the dressage things I had, because why hang on to crap I won't use?
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| just because my horse is adorable |
It's ghetto-tastic, but I'm making it work.
Here's the thing. I am a sucker for good advertising backed by solid reviews and I will buy new if the right item comes along. And Courage really does need a contoured girth because of where the billets on our saddle hang. And contoured girths are really expensive, except that one with good advertising and solid reviews.
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| pictured: current girth. too long. |
The Total Saddle Fit girth, of course. I've always been intrigued and the pricing is completely reasonable and then Stacey over at the Jumping Percheron got one and did a review. Sigh.
I really want one, but I'm not quite in the right place financially to pull the trigger, even though I own the dressage saddle free and clear now. I'm stalling on the purchase by trying to figure out what size I need.
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| jump ogilvy ftw |
What size do you think Courage needs in the TSF model? I want to go shorter, but not crazy short. 28"? 26"? 24"?
I've never been a proper DQ. Help a sister out?
There's some math that's supposed to help with this that revolves around the length of your jump girth. I can't remember it so I'm no help there, but maybe someone else can chime in with it.
ReplyDeleteAsk Allison of PONYTUDE, I think she just bought that same girth too....it might be the jump girth that she just bought, but she knows all the things and I'm sure she can help you out with sizing! :)
ReplyDeleteAka, I will never step foot into Dressage Land, so I'm not help haha
Worst tack ho... Noway! You're the BEST tack ho!!! No one does it better than you! Can you just get both, check out the fit and return one? Don't make it too tight since he's clipped now, it's amazing how a little fuzz makes the girth get tighter! Good luck! I want one of those toooo!
ReplyDeleteSorry and by both I mean a 24 & 26, 28 might still be too much.
DeleteI have one and I love it. I think you would likely need a 28". The girth you have now seems to extend quite a bit past the buckles and the TFS is shorter in that regard so it shouldn't interfere with your pad.
ReplyDeleteI don't own a contoured dressage girth, but mine is a size 28 and I regret not buying a 26. The 28 works, but it is a bit long.
ReplyDeleteI don't own a contoured dressage girth, but mine is a size 28 and I regret not buying a 26. The 28 works, but it is a bit long.
ReplyDeleteI want a total saddle fit girth too...or should I say, "Benny needs one!" I've always done half of my long girth size so for me it's a 48 long girth and 24 dressage girth.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to know without seeing the girth but I would go with a 26. I use 22 and 24 and have big barrelled horses, of course it depends on how long the billets are too.
ReplyDeleteDo it, do it, do it!
ReplyDeleteKlein is a 32" in her TSF dressage girth and a 56" in her TSF jumping girth. You should totally buy your new dressage saddle a gift ;)
ReplyDeleteCan't help you too much. Pig wears a size 22 straight dressage girth. He used to have a 26" with my other saddle. This saddle has different billets and a longer flap, so he needed a shorter girth. I think as long as you aren't on the first or last hole of your billets, and the buckles don't hit your horse in the elbow, you're okay.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand, the TSF girths fit true to size, so you just order the size of your regular straight girth.
:-p my regular straight girth is a 52". For my jump saddle.
Deleteoooh happy shopping!! i just picked up an anatomic girth for my (new!!) jump saddle and am in love with it :)
ReplyDeleteTypically you go with half the size of your jumping girth, but obviously billets can affect that. I found that most average size horses wore a 26"-28". If the thirty is above the hem of your pad, I'd go with a 26" as you will probably need it to be at least 2" lower on each side. Maybe even a 24"/3" lower on each side would be better. I've been wanting the same girth because it seems like everything else pinches Indy.
ReplyDeleteOops, most average horses wear a 24"-26".
DeleteI agree with Jodi -- you should go with a 26 or 24. You want to make sure the buckles don't hit C-rage in the elbows (though one would think that the shape of the TSF shoulder relief girth would help with this also). If I understand correctly, TSF has a pretty generous shipping/returns policy, so you could always order both and just send one back!
ReplyDeleteGET ONE. hands down the best. I have one and will NEVER go back
ReplyDeleteI realize I did not answer your question, got too excited about TSF.
DeleteI also don't have an answer. Shorter is better IMO
I got one and I love mine.... worth every penny. I think I got a 26" for Wizard and it fits really well. I know having your dressage girth overlapping your saddle pad was cool once but I dislike it. I think they have free returns and exchanges though don't they? I might be making that up...
ReplyDeleteGo shorter. My old OTTB and my new Zweibrücker (16'3 with no exaggeration) go in a 24" dressage girth. My Arab, who is wider than the other two) sports a 20" girth. My billets are rather long, but you don't want your girth anywhere near the edge of your saddle pad. And as you start to find dressage pads that you like, you'll probably find that they'll be rather generously sized, which means they drop several inches below the flaps of your saddle. When that happens, you need a shorter girth.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing to do is put your pad and saddle on, and then decided if that is the size pad you're going to always use. (dressage pads generally have a drop of 22 - 23 inches per side) Once you know where the bottom of your pad is going to lie, take a soft tape measure and measure two or even three inches below that to the same level on the other side (go under his belly).
Dressage girths are measured buckle end to buckle end, not from the end of the girth. Dressage girths have padding past the end of the buckle. So if you order a 28", your total length is going to be closer to 30".
The best thing to do, really, is measure because dressage saddles vary quit a bit in the length of the billets. Take into account the drop of your pad and the extra material at the end of the girth. Good luck! :0)