Saddle Fit and
Girth Choices
The Two Go Hand in Hand!
Q: What do you recommend as far as girths? I have heard string girths usually work for even the most
Asensitive horses, but there are so many options out there now that it’s hard to make the right choice. Accessories such as the girth can affect not only the feel of your saddle but how the saddle fits the
horse. However, one cannot really discuss girths without consideration of how the girth is attached to
the saddle – billet alignment is a crucial point I would like to briefly address first.
Ask yourself...
Does your saddle slide forward no matter what kind of girth you use?
Have you ever had to stop in the middle of your ride and reset your saddle because it
has moved forward onto your horse’s shoulders?
If you answered “yes” to either of the above questions, you may be faced with a billet
alignment issue – which is a crucial consideration regardless what girth you choose.
Unless the billets on your saddle are positioned correctly, your saddle will not stay in its proper place on your horse’s back.
And no matter how many times you stop and reset the saddle, or what type of girth you use, your saddle will continue to
slide forward.
How do you know if the billets on your saddle are aligned properly for your horse? Place your saddle on your horse’s back,
making sure that it is correctly situated behind his shoulder. The billets should hang perpendicular to the ground in the
girthing area. If they hang too far back, gravity will pull them forward into the girthing area, which will pull the entire saddle
forward.
TRAINING & Showing
66 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
The girth will always find its position at the narrowest point
of the rib cage behind your horse’s elbow, and the unfortunate
result is that the saddle either gets driven forward
into your horse’s shoulders, or is driven clear on top of his
shoulders.
Why does this matter? The horse’s shoulder blade (scapula)
consists of both bone and cartilage. At the very least, a
saddle that is pulled forward onto his shoulders acts like
a straitjacket: your horse will be unable to move freely
through his shoulders and his movement will be compromised,
sometimes severely.
At worst, a saddle that constantly drives into your horse’s
shoulders first will produce a buildup of scar tissue on his
scapula. If the problem persists over the long-term, the
tree points of the saddle will begin to actually chip away
the bone and cartilage. Horses with this kind of irreversible
damage often have telltale “holes,” particularly on their
left shoulder blade.
If the billets hang too far forward into your horse’s elbow
area, they may make him sore in the elbows. And once
again, gravity will drag them (and the girth and saddle
along with them) back into the girthing area. You might
think that this is not a problem because now at least your
horse’s shoulders are free. However, there will be too much
pressure on the panels at the rear of the saddle. Too much
of the rider’s weight will be on the horse’s lumbar and kidney
area. This is especially problematic when your mare is
Continued...
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com