03/12/2024
This is a fabulous summary of girthing research and advice from Centaur Biomechanics. Thank you Russell and team.
**𝟱-𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰𝘀**
𝗚𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝘀
The girth plays a vital role as part of the equipment used when riding, so when we are considering saddle fit, we need to consider girth fit too.
“Riders spend a reasonable amount of money on a saddle and then don’t always consider the girth shape or design,” says Russell MacKechnie-Guire. “You can reduce the performance of the saddle and the horse by having a poorly-designed girth, so the fit and suitability should be considered similar to the saddle and the bridle.”
𝗚𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀
When we think about where the girth pressures are, previously, we believed it was mostly in the sternum region, but in a study in 2013, it showed that the areas of repeatable high pressure are in the region behind the elbows and not on the sternum.
“We used an electronic pressure map placed underneath the girth, robustly measuring the pressure of the girth during locomotion,” says Russell. “The other intriguing thing is that these pressures are related to the movement and timing of the limb, so every time the hoof is loaded, we get pressure behind the elbow which we found in all gaits; walk, trot, canter and gallop, and when jumping. This means that pressure is repeatable every stride. So, if a girth doesn’t fit, or is a poor design in relation to the horse’s conformation, the horse is subject to those areas of high pressure every stride. We found that this can influence joint range of motion, and create asymmetry in the horse and what we know from other research is that horses will develop strategies to alleviate any discomfort caused.”
There are various designs of girth on the market which means horse owners have plenty of options.
“However, what we must be mindful of is designs that claim to alleviate force or pressure on the sternum when they haven’t looked elsewhere on the girth, for example behind the elbows,” says Russell. “If we cut away something, the force has to go somewhere else – you can’t get rid of the forces. That’s something horse owners should consider when interpreting such claims – specifically the social media “literature”, not the scientific literature - because there are a few companies that have cut away parts of the girth which at first glance appears to have “removed” any pressure, which is great, but you still have the total force that has to be distributed somewhere. By removing parts, you are in effect distributing the same “total force” over a smaller area.”
𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Every horse has a different conformation when it comes to the girth area, and assessing it isn’t always easy.
Russell suggests: “Stand in front of the horse if safe to do so, with the horse standing square, and look at how the legs come out of the chest. Look at the distance between the two forelimbs, and if at the top it looks narrow (like a “V”) this would indicate that the base of support is narrow, in which case the horse may need a girth that is of an appropriate design to suit that conformation.
“You then need to stand on the side of the horse (standing square) and visualise the girth groove. Influenced by anatomy (sternum length), some horses have a forward girth groove which creates quite an angle for the girth to be positioned, and some horses can have a rear girth groove.”
In these cases, girth fit and design in important, but it is essential that riders speak with their saddle fitter, as a girth alone is unlikely to prevent the saddle from travelling forwards or backwards.
Always have that discussion with your horse’s saddle fitter to see what is most appropriate for that horse.
𝗘𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱
“We found no biomechanical differences when using elasticated girths, and found, in some situations, some riders could over-tighten the girth because of the quality of the elastic, so our general comment is that, if you don’t need elastic, don’t use it,” explains Russell. “However, there are a group of horses that do appear to prefer (defined as go better by their owners) in a girth that has short (1/2 – 2cm) strips of elastic on each side. We don’t know the reason for that – work is on-going – but if you need/prefer elastic, have short elastic of good quality strength.”
If you have a saddle that slips to one side, you could try a non-elasticated girth to see if that adds stability, or if you have a girth with elastic on one side and the girth allows, change the side that the elastic is on, and see if the saddle still slips. In the majority of cases, saddle slip is induced by the horse, but a girth that has an elastic component may contribute, but it is unlikely to be the cause.
𝗚𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀
If using girth covers, Russell suggests using those made from natural fibres/materials where possible.
“What we have to remember with a girth sleeve, is that, while they can add an element of comfort (or satisfy the rider’s fashion), they can also add a lot of extra bulk, so as the limb is coming backwards, you need to check that you aren’t creating pressure due to the increased bulk of the girth cover,” says Russell.
𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵
A poorly-fitted or inappropriate girth can cause sores, discomfort, reduce the horse’s performance, and compromise welfare.
“Observe the horse’s behaviour when tacking up, look for reactivity when girthing up such as nipping, ears back, tail swishing and pawing, and any sensitivity after exercise as well as sweat patches under the girth,” Russell advises. “This behaviour is likely indicative of clinical issues that need to be investigated – these subtle indicators when girthing up could be an early indicator that needs looking into, and must not be over looked as “normal.”
𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵
𝗔𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱
The girth shape and design need to be appropriate for the horse, particularly cut away behind the elbows to allow freedom of movement. We also need to consider the conformation of the horse. Some horses are quite narrow in front and we have to be careful of the degree of the anatomical shaping of the girth that it doesn’t actually cause pressure on the pectoral muscles. That is why it’s important to have a girth fit discussion with your saddle fitter.
𝗟𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵
The position of the buckles and length of girth is another consideration – have the buckles up as high as possible. The buckles should be up as high as possible to remove them away from the high-pressure area behind the elbows.
𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀
Girths that have a pressure-reducing/distributing material lining are more advantageous than a girth that doesn’t because that can help distribute and dampen some of the forces. We can’t remove the force but we can distribute it more evenly across the girth and reducing the high areas of pressure.
𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
Also be mindful that training aids or martingale straps wrapped around the girth will add pressure to the sternum area of the girth, so it’s always better to attach them to a ring on the outside of the girth.
𝗚𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵
Check the condition of your girth. It’s not acceptable to be riding horses in a girth that has girth cracks on the inside – that is going to cause discomfort.
Have thoughts, questions or comments, share them in the comments and they will be discussed in next weeks 𝟱-𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗖𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗨𝗥 𝗕𝗜𝗢𝗠𝗘𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗦 - 𝗩𝗟𝗢𝗚
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