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| on not under |
Here's a thing about me: I really have no concept of what a too-tight girth is. People be like "I wouldn't want my girth too tight" and I'm just like "bitches, I have had a saddle roll on me 3 times and that is three really bad experiences I DO NOT WANT to repeat".
So I really don't ever worry about getting my girth too tight. I'm not asking for maximum athletic achievement here. I just want to not end up under the horse.
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| long girth, short girth, saddle staying on |
But I see things like
this article floating around and in general, I think Dr. Hilary Clayton has good things to say.
Is that normal? Do people worry about too-tight girths? How would you know if your girth was too tight anyways?
We had a horse in college who would pass out if his girth was too tight. So... um .. that's too tight.
ReplyDeletePig gets very pissy if his girth is done up one hole too tight. But, his withers are extremely pointy, so his saddle doesn't move an inch whether the girth is super tight or dangling like crazy. I usually err on the side of too loose.
I did have a County sales rep tell me saddles fit better and hurt backs less if girthed up so tight your horse basically has to poop to make room. I don't believe that for a moment, unless your horse is actually part whiskey barrel. (I've ridden the whiskey barrel horse. It was awful. Nothing could keep that saddle on. Nothing. Obviously, horses just shouldn't be built that way.)
My horse is a whisky barrel with four legs and a head. It's practically impossible to keep the saddle in place, but we try our hardest!
Deletebonita of A Riding Habit
i've heard people argue against both too-tight and too-loose girths, and had other people say that shorter style girths are better (but then in the next breath dismiss monoflap jump saddles)... generally tho, as someone who has also had a saddle slip and then consequently get dragged (no fun), i like a snug girth. as always tho, i think it boils down to common sense.
ReplyDeleteI have a much longer list of real life concerns to worry about. My girth sits at the same holes every ride and yet I continue to not slide off.
ReplyDeleteI always tighten my girth before I get on (obviously!) and then check it after I've walked a few laps. If its tight enough, I can't put it up another hole from the saddle. I've never really contemplated 'too tight', although I did know a horse like Austen described. The vet told us it happened because the girth was pressing on something (a nerve?). I always assumed that was based on position more than pressure.
ReplyDeleteRule of thumb has always been two fingers slid between the girth and the horse.
DeleteAt a dressage clinic last year, the clinician stopped me and asked, "Do you always ride with your girth this loose?" I tighten it what I feel like is an appropriate amount, then check it before mounting, but apparently it loosens A LOT while I'm riding. At any rate, I don't think Moe cares one bit how tight his girth is, but Gina tries to bite me if she thinks it's too tight.
ReplyDeleteMine does this too. Murray is SO TENSE when I get the girth on at first that it seems snug and then halfway through our ride my trainer can usually put it up 2-3 holes without any discernible effort on her part. But my saddle also doesn't go anywhere... and once my girth was so loose you could see air under it and we were still fine. #skyllz
DeleteI'm wary of making a girth too tight because I've seen the damage and discomfort it can cause. Honestly, girths with elastic at both ends are the least stable and the easiest to overtighten. I switched to a non-elastic girth with stabilizer ends for dressage and like it a lot. It's impossible to overtighten but still stable. Granted, I still use my double sided elastic one for jumping, but I use a breastplate to help stabilize my saddle so that I don't have to get my girth super tight to keep my saddle in place.
ReplyDeleteOk I'll bite. What damage and discomfort? I'm legitimately curious.
DeleteI haven't seen damage from too-tight firths because I use double elastic and make the girth even on both sides. I also only use anatomical firths now. Girths go on loose when first tacking up, get snugged partially after placing the bridle, and finally before mounting up. Neither mare is girthy thanks to this. Girths always loosen while riding; if we dismount on trail, they don't get re-tightened.
DeleteI have seen more damage from too-loose girths than too tight ones, in my particular sport and I've been guilty of it too: you try to leave the horse room to breathe and not overtighten the girth, but riding for hours and hours and hours over up and down terrain at trot and canter WILL cause a saddle to shift around. Saddle shifting will cause the girth to rub and you WILL end up with horrible girth galls and heat friction. Lily's girth area was sore for almost 2 weeks after riding with a too-loose girth at our last 50 mile ride.
In conclusion: every horse is different. Some girths work for some horses and others hate specific types of girth. Some horses hate snug girths and others don't care. Some have bad associations with girthing from having been cranked tight suddenly. Saddle fit will also play a huge part in how much a girth needs to be tightened, as will the sport the horse is being ridden in and the type of terrain they are being worked on.
DeleteI tighten the girth to where it is snug but there is still some give. Word of warning if you ride in a memory foam half pad double check it. I forgot and there *might* be video of my saddle turning. (Only humorous because no one freaked out) :)
ReplyDeleteMy horse simply won't tolerate a too-tight girth. He also won't tolerate his saddle slipping forward from a too-loose girth. I solved the problem with a Le Tixerant. Doesn't pinch or constrict + keeps my saddle very stable. Pricey but well worth it if you have a princess-and-the-pea horse like mine.
ReplyDeleteI've heard so many different things about this and have no idea what to think. For TC, he goes better if the girth is really snug- he doesn't feel comfortable being forward when the saddle isn't strapped on there. I've felt the saddle bouncing on him in response to his bouncy trot so I don't blame him if it's banging around up there.
ReplyDeleteBut Rico you can ride with a totally loose girth or a really tight girth and he's always the same. I understand the theory behind not wanting to get the girth too tight, but I've never had a horse be all that sensitive to it. A lot of the time I just strap it on and don't even check it unless I feel like I'm going to slip off.
It is an interesting question- I was "raised" by the tighter is better camp but then I worked at a therapeutic riding barn that reversed its rules on that mid stream because a bunch of different, non-horse people tacking horses resulted in a number of very cranky, girthy horses.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have an adage in rowing when you were rigging the boats that every nut should be "two-finger tight" so you could tighten it only as far as two fingers tugging on the wrench would allow. This prevented people from cranking on wrenches and destroying the carbon fiber but kept things tight enough to function in a forceful environment. I like to seek the "sweet spot" because I think one exists. I try to tighten my girth (usually double elastic) to the mid point of the elastic tension (not maxing out the elastic but the elastic is always at a stretch) I suppose this is all a "feel" thing but I like imagining that there is enough room left to allow for respiration but no more.
If I had to carry a backpack with a bunch of weight- I would want the straps tight. Not cutting off circulation, but tighter over looser.
I prefer the girths with elastic on Both ends. For one, I snug it up, but not tight and let it sit there while I deal with the bridle and everything else. My mare can be a twit and sucks in air even though I put it on just to let it sit. I check it before mounting and yes it can go up another hole or two as she inhales deeply again...
ReplyDeleteWith the elastic at both ends, no matter how tight I get it, it still has enough 'give' to be comfortable and allow them to breathe. I also don't like to adjust it too tight since that is putting a strain on the elastic too.
I guess there's a happy medium to be found. I agree though, I don't ever want to be under my horse because the saddle slipped. I've seen it happen a few too many times.
Too tight was fairly easy to accomplish with a western girth because you kinda cranked the loops around. mostly to me, it just made girthy, cranky horses, but it did seem on rough trail rides, they seemed to strain a bit more (hard to catch deep breath?) but these were teen QH string horses so not sure if underlying conditions.
ReplyDeleteOn my mare lately I can't seem to quite get that last hole to normal, and I'm useless at tightening anything once in the saddle. It seems to me the elastic ended girth would be harder to overtighten, unless you really have a lot of arm strength to over torque. I always use the two finger rule.
I mean as a child while being taught I was always told be able to slip a hand under the girth but it should be tight enough that there's no real give. I think it depends on the horse and I didn't realize people actually panicked about this? No t saying you, just in general. I ride in the same hole every time once I figure out my horse and that is that.
ReplyDeleteThat being said I had a ore who would flip herself over if you tightened it too fast...you had to go hole by hole for 15 minutes. JERK PONY.
a horse. not a ore.
DeleteThere's like a ten step process that includes multiple steps under saddle when tightening Bobby's girth and sometimes I still get off and think I probably could have snuck it up another hole. Bring on the tightening, I say!
ReplyDeleteI usually end up leaving mine too loose. I've had people tell me that they can see air between my horse and the girth after coming off a jumping course. But then again, most of the horses I've ever ridden have had nice withers, so unless I have a near miss and almost fall off sideways, I've never had a saddle slip... Plus, Misty does not appreciate a tight girth and the lessor said she was girthy (though I think that was from a terrible nylon girth and rudely tightening it hard and quick) and my old horse Jazz was also girthy, so tightening it loosely has always just been a thing for me.
ReplyDeleteI read someone say that you should check the girth tightness over the point of the ribcage underneath. If you couldn't get a hand in there it was tight enough. I tried it once, the girth was so loose on the sides that it was ridiculous. It was tight over the point of the ribcage though.
ReplyDeleteMy horse has no withers and a flat back. I absolutely can not mount from the ground without serious saddle slippage. So naturally I tried tightening but damn if that saddle still slips and I just didn't feel right when I could see the girth literally digging into him. So I do think you can injure them or at least piss them off by going to tight. Had a fitter out and the saddle isn't the problem - it's just his shape. I've just accepted our lot in life that I snug up the girth and then go look for something to climb on. My friend has an Akhel Teke with shark-fin withers. She could probably ride all day and never even buckle her girth!
ReplyDeleteI grew up riding with VERY loose girths. I remember climbing off after trail rides where we'd done some galloping and had some big spooks and the girth was literally hanging under the horses' barrel. As I've been making progress in dressage though my trainer has been coaching me to tighten it more so that I can put my weight where I need it without rocking the saddle so I've slowly been adapting to having it tighter. I still climb off and find a loose girth sometimes though
ReplyDeleteI generally tighten to nicely snug, get on and do some walk warm up then tighten one more hole. Mr. Sensitive doesn't like the saddle shifting around on his back, so this was the approach recommended by my saddle fitter. Don't know if that helps at all ;)
ReplyDeleteLibby is super sensitive when it comes to her girth area. So she has to have it relatively loose until I get on, and then throughout the ride I will have to tighten it gradually. The Lettias with the clik system is super helpful with this. It is definitely very easy to over tighten a girth though.
ReplyDeleteDepending on how your horse is built, you should always check how tight the girth is directly underneath the barrel. Most people will check the tightness of the girth right behind the elbow, but on certain horses, mostly thinner boned horses, this is not an accurate representation of how tight the girth is on the bottom.