Why Girth Type Is Important To Your Horses
As a regular rider, you’re probably so used to your saddle and its accessories that you don’t even give a lot of thought to items like the girth. All riders owe much to the girth, an exceedingly crucial part of a horse’s saddlery. If there was no such thing as the girth, you’d be compelled to ride bareback. That implies you’d need to have the sense of balance of a pro skier.
Next time you tighten the girth on your horse, think about its result on the pony. The girth is a tiny but essential part of saddlery that may give great discomfort to the horse if not fitted right. This means your girth should be just a good fit for your pony, and you should tighten it just the right way.
You can take advantage of a gigantic assortment of girths on the market. But when you do make a decision to get a girth, you have to pay attention to certain purchase factors.
Your first area of concern is your girth’s size. Your horse’s current girth would be the best measure for the new one, and if not, you need to use any girth, fit its just right on your pony and measure that. A 3rd option is for you to measure around the pony from girth strap to girth strap, but the accuracy of this technique might be questionable. You could also consider girth extenders for girths that are too short, but all done and dusted, it is best you get a new girth and take pains over the measurement.
Like with any saddlery item, the material your girth is made from will make a big difference to how well your horse adjusts to it. A girth of top quality won’t irritate or chafe your pony. Customarily leather makes for the best quality, but new leather girths can chafe the horse’s elbow crevices. This is because new leather is stiff. You can get rid of the stiffness with a speciality leather cream. Flexible leather moulds to your pony better and quicker, without aggravating the pony. A good cream maintains the leather in first class condition; if you’re undecided about the best cream to buy, ask for the guidance of the retailer where you buy the girth.
If a girth continues to chafe against your pony, it could be best to abandon using it. You could also try out girths with neoprene layers designed to give maximum comfort. They’re very effective in maximizing comfort, though they may lead to heat build up where they lie against the horse’s skin. Webbed girths are extremely cheap and do not hurt your pocket, but you want to take extra care to see that your horse is ok with them. These girths also need continued inspection, as they’re not so durable and can crack or maybe snap with some use.
What type of girth and accessories you buy will be set by the discipline you utilize your pony for. A stud guard is a total must for show jumping and eventing, as is an overgirth. If you are earnest about dressage, you may go in for a girth specifically made for dressage; this kind of girth permits freer elbow movement and optimizes dressage performance. Don’t get confused by the huge variety of girths you see in the market. Just keep this in mind: the broader the girth, the better it will be at spreading out force on the horse, and more comfy the horse will feel.
And lastly, when you are girthing your pony, make it a slow but steady process. You don’t want any kinks coming up because you girthed up in a hurry.
Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers visit HorseHorses
