Is your horse's girth causing him pain? Read on for one reader's experience:
Hi Sue,
I just wanted to give you some feedback. A few months ago you mentioned the new Team GB girth from Fairfax. After looking into it, I subsequently bought one for my GP saddle, which I probably use more than my dressage saddle (I couldn't afford both at once!). The symptons I was hoping to alleviate were:
- girthiness when tacking up - eg grumpy face, chewing the door/wall, which had progressed over time to lifting a back leg on about 50% of occasions
- slightly shorter stride than you might expect from a horse of her size/conformation
I had of course had regular saddle checks, chiro and physio visits over the years from trusted professionals, drawing attention to these symptons and also discussing your articles, to try and rule out any other cause. With retrospect, it sounds obvious that just about the only thing I hadn't looked into was the girth - though to be a bit fairer on myself, none of the professionals had suggested looking at the girth either I suppose. (It turns out that my saddlers - Saddle Doctors/Mike Norton etc, I think you know them - had designed a girth the same shape years ago, although it doesn't have the Prolite edge)
The difference the girth has made is both dramatic and immediate: although there is still a bit of displacement chewing, overnight there are no more grumpy faces or lifting of the back leg - ever. The effects also seem to have transferred in part to my dressage saddle & girth, in that there are reduced symptons whilst girthing. I will still get a new girth for that saddle as soon as I can though). She also feels to be moving much better, in particular in her trot stride - although I have to say I am also doing some RWYM training which helps that plus due to the weather she is unfortunately being kept in more which makes her more forward in the school, so it's probably a combination of all those factors.
So purely on the positive effects it has had on her comfort, I would like to say a big "thank you" for your regular updates, and for continually prompting people to think about how we can do things better. We have to keep reminding ourselves that there is always a reason for a particular behavior (& my poor L had no other way of telling me her girth was painful - and being a little Monty Roberts horse it must also have been distressing her mentally to have to act in a "negative" way around us humans), and there is no excuse for just "putting up" with something.
Kind regards,
K
Hi Sue,
I just wanted to give you some feedback. A few months ago you mentioned the new Team GB girth from Fairfax. After looking into it, I subsequently bought one for my GP saddle, which I probably use more than my dressage saddle (I couldn't afford both at once!). The symptons I was hoping to alleviate were:
- girthiness when tacking up - eg grumpy face, chewing the door/wall, which had progressed over time to lifting a back leg on about 50% of occasions
- slightly shorter stride than you might expect from a horse of her size/conformation
I had of course had regular saddle checks, chiro and physio visits over the years from trusted professionals, drawing attention to these symptons and also discussing your articles, to try and rule out any other cause. With retrospect, it sounds obvious that just about the only thing I hadn't looked into was the girth - though to be a bit fairer on myself, none of the professionals had suggested looking at the girth either I suppose. (It turns out that my saddlers - Saddle Doctors/Mike Norton etc, I think you know them - had designed a girth the same shape years ago, although it doesn't have the Prolite edge)
The difference the girth has made is both dramatic and immediate: although there is still a bit of displacement chewing, overnight there are no more grumpy faces or lifting of the back leg - ever. The effects also seem to have transferred in part to my dressage saddle & girth, in that there are reduced symptons whilst girthing. I will still get a new girth for that saddle as soon as I can though). She also feels to be moving much better, in particular in her trot stride - although I have to say I am also doing some RWYM training which helps that plus due to the weather she is unfortunately being kept in more which makes her more forward in the school, so it's probably a combination of all those factors.
So purely on the positive effects it has had on her comfort, I would like to say a big "thank you" for your regular updates, and for continually prompting people to think about how we can do things better. We have to keep reminding ourselves that there is always a reason for a particular behavior (& my poor L had no other way of telling me her girth was painful - and being a little Monty Roberts horse it must also have been distressing her mentally to have to act in a "negative" way around us humans), and there is no excuse for just "putting up" with something.
Kind regards,
K
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