Posted: 9th July 2020 | Back to news feed
Many riders rightly put a great deal of time into selecting their saddle. But sometimes the choice of girth doesn’t get the same attention, though it is an integral part of saddle fit, and has many functions, influencing your horse’s comfort, performance and protection. As many riders are bringing their horses back into full work following lockdown, it’s a good time to check that your girth is the optimum one for your horse.
The most obvious thing is that it should not cause any chafing, either under the girth or behind the elbow. Chafing under the girth may be due to a number of reasons, including use of an unsuitable material for the horse. The butter-soft premium leather used in WOWs most popular girths, like the Soft Straight girth, eliminates this problem; it rolls with the skin rather than acting against it.
Richard Davison riding Bubblingh 2017 – image courtesy of Karen Chaplin Photography
Chafing behind the elbow can be due to the shape, the material, or the position of the buckles but can also be caused by the girthing arrangement driving the saddle forward. This is a particular problem when the horse naturally has a forward girth groove. The WOW Soft H Girth™ has proven to be a brilliant innovation for saddle stability without having to over-tighten the girth.
Lara Butler at Olympia 2017- image courtesy of Karen Chaplin Photography
Perfect for sensitive horses as it too uses the softest premium leather for the straps, it spreads pressure over a large area of the sides of the horse and removes pressure from the transverse pectoral muscles either side of the sternum, allowing greater shoulder movement. Used in conjunction with a fore girth billet position, a saddle can be held back in place on horses that would normally always push saddles forward up the neck. It gives excellent saddle stability on round, well-sprung rib cages and is an essential component of all saddle fits where the girth straps need to be widely separated.
The third in this family of girths is the new Release Switcha Girth, which takes the concept of the Soft H Girth™ sternum plate, combines it with the Soft Straight girth, and adds a removeable stud guard, making it perfect for anyone who needs stud protection on occasion but wants a conventional girth for everyday and flatwork use.
The finishing touch is that the plate in the middle hides a secure carabina for attachment of martingales or breast plate. This adaptable girth with its innovative features is exactly the type of product WOW is renowned for, worldwide.
For more details, visit http://www.wowsaddles.com/products/accessories/ or discuss with your local WOW retailer. Find them at http://bit.ly/wowretailers
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