is in season, since this excess pressure on her ovaries may
cause her to show extreme discomfort or resistance when
being saddled and ridden.
What causes improper billet alignment? Frequently, the
problem is that either the width or the angle, or both the
width and the angle of your saddle tree is not the correct
size for your horse.
There are many sizes, shapes and designs of girths. When
you girth a saddle with long billets, the girth should be at
the last 2-3 holes of the billets. One of the highest points of
heat and friction occurs where the billets lie against the
edge of the horse. Less distance between the bottom of
the flap and the top of the girth means less irritation. Every
saddle has a different flap and billet length depending on
the manufacturer. Try different lengths, shapes, and materials
to see what girth works with your horse.
A common mistake
is not considering
the
shape of the
girth. A horse
has a curved
shape with relief
needed in the
elbow area, an
Girth B is preferable to Girth A.
area easily chafed by the girth. It is necessary to have a
girth that has an area cut out behind the elbow. Girth B is
preferable to Girth A.
This allows the horse to move the front leg without being
inhibited by the girth itself. Girth A is very straight with only
one strip of hard leather through the center, putting all of
the pressure onto that thin leather strap and acting like
a ‘knife’ across a horse’s sternum and pectorals. Girth B
has cut-outs for the elbow. The stiffer leather goes all the
way out to the edges with a soft leather backing which
disperses the pressure over a much larger surface area,
making the horse more comfortable. The wider center also
helps stabilize a saddle from slipping side to side or going
forward. A correctly shaped girth should displace pressure
as evenly as possible along its length. Ideally, it should
have a wider surface area along the sternum of the horse,
which is the strongest point of contact. These ‘diamond’
girths are anatomically accommodating, narrower at the
ends where it sits under the elbow area, and widening to
between 4-8 inches at the sternum to displace the pressure
evenly.
Elastic or no elastic girths on the ends?
With no elastic there is no give at all once a saddle is
girthed up. This means that we have a solid leather band
around the horse’s ribcage and around the horse’s lungs.
A horse may be short of breath or irritable after being
ridden in this type of girth because of breathing issues. A
girth with at least one side elastic is both better and worse.
The advantage is that the ribcage has room to expand;
the downside is that give is only on one side and therefore
can pull the saddle off to that side and cause unevenness
in the horse’s movement and development. Best is a girth
with both sides elastic. If the elastic is too weak or too long
the girth loses stability and stretches, allowing the saddle
to move around on the horses back. On a short girth the
elastic should be maximum 1” long and on a long girth the
elastic should be maximum 2 ½” long. This gives the
ribcage room while keeping the saddle stable. Watch for
fraying at the elastic and buckle attachments.
The girth is the most important saddle accessory as it
directly affects saddle fit and how it feels to your horse.
Whether or not a saddle fits properly and lie balanced on
the horse’s back has a lot to do with both the girth and the
saddle pad. Some slipping or instability issues are caused
by these accessories. The function of the girth is to keep the
saddle in place within the saddle support area. There are
many different types, lengths and versions of girths available.
They have different forms and functions, paired with
saddle billets in their necessary
length. A girth has the potential
to put immense pressure on
the horse’s musculature therefore,
it should displace this pressure as
evenly as possible along its length.
Be aware the
This girth is too short for the
girth can be a
horse; you can see that the
girth buckle will irritate him
significant
at the leg and elbow during
cause of skin
movement. This is easily
irritations,
tested when positioning the
which can
leg as if the horse were in
occur when:
motion. Photo courtesy of Dr.
Joanna Robson. DVM.
• the billets are
not in the right spot
• the girth is the incorrect shape
• the girth alignment does not match up
The area where the girth is positioned and buckled is an
area where several muscle groups converge and have
their sensitive points – an area we should avoid irritating.
The longer girth used with jumping and eventing saddles is
usually bucked on the sweat flap, which means there is a
relatively thick second leather layer protecting the horse’s
flank from the buckle.
Where the two yellow lines intersect
is where the triceps and the latissimus
muscles cross. There these
two lines cross and behind the red ‘X’
is the best spot for the girth buckle to
be (the right back region of the “X” as
per the arrows shown on the diagram.
Photo courtesy of Schleese Saddlery.
In dressage, short girths
with long billets are the
rule. A huge advantage
is the girth’s buckles
don’t bother the rider at
his thighs and allow the saddle to be fastened more
securely. However the girth buckles are located at a very
sensitive area of the horse’s rib cage. A short girth is buckled
directly on the side of the horse, so the buckle (which
may be protected minimally with one layer of leather) may
cause pressure. The girth should be buckled to the billets
as close to the widest part of the horse’s side as possible
(as high up as possible) so the buckles are ‘pulled away’
from the rib cage and won’t put unnecessary pressure on
his side and the insertion points (edge) of the M. Pectoralis
profundus, but rather on its mass (flatness) – for example,
the pectoralis or latissimus. The buckles should never cause
pressure points to the horse or rider or interfere with riding
and moving freely, without pain.
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