From: Kathy
I have read through your archives and I can not find anything that answers this question. "How tight is too tight to cinch a girth?" When I saddle (I use a Wintec Endurance Pro saddle that "fits" my horse) I generally put the saddle on, tighten, "stretch" the legs out, and then re-tighten. When I tighten, I REALLY tighten up the saddle. None of my horses (I have three that I ride) seem to mind it, and I fell more "secure" when the saddle "stays put." I use a Wintec elastic girth and I am very happy with it. My husband when he saddles he doesn't tighten his saddle as tight as I do mine. He has a little "play" on his saddle when he is mounted. He has the same saddle that I do. When we ride everyone's saddle seems to slide when they get on and mine stayes in the same place on the horses back. I seem to notice that the older I get the harder it is to mount my horse and when the saddle is slidding around, I can't get on them at all! Am I hurting my horse by tightening the saddles this tight? After we ride (we ride fairly fast and hard) and I unsaddle, they never have "saddle sores" and they never have sore backs. I am just worried that I might be "squeezing" them a little too hard! Thanks for your help! I really enjoy your newsletter, such great topics! Kathy
A really well-fitted saddle should stay in place even if the girth isn't very snug at all. Some horses need a tighter girth because they lack withers. Some horses can't tolerate a tight girth, and those horses will let their riders know this fairly quickly. If your horses start to back away when they see you with a saddle, or snarl and flatten their ears when you reach for the girth, then you can take that as a hint that they aren't altogether happy or comfortable, and that something about the situation is bothering them a lot. The "something" could be saddle fit, girth tightness, saddle position, girth material, the girthing process (not everyone is as careful as you are), or even the horses' expectation of being very uncomfortable when the rider mounts.
Horses can't give us verbal details about precisely what is bothering them, but they're extremely expressive and can make themselves quite clear. Since your horses haven't fussed or complained about any discomfort at all, I think you're quite safe to assume that they are, in fact, comfortable, and that your tack and your riding both suit them very well.
As a general "rule of thumb", you should be able to insert your flat hand between the horse and the girth without having to struggle. Some horses like their girths considerably looser than that; some are perfectly happy to have their girths tighter. Your horses may just be comfortable with tight girths... or (this is likely) your girths may not be as tight as you think they are. You may want to check your girth from the saddle, the next time you ride. Just fold your body forward, reach down with one arm, and slide your hand between the horse and the girth - and notice whether it's hard or easy to do. If it feels a little bit loose, don't worry and don't change it - after all, this is what it ALWAYS feels like, you just weren't aware of it until now. ;-)
Some horses "blow themselves up" - take a deep breath and hold it - when the rider begins to tighten the girth. That's one reason to take it slowly and to tighten the girth in increments instead of pulling it as tight as you can all at once. But even when a horse does NOT do this, the girth is still likely to be looser once the rider is on board. Saddle trees - especially English ones - tend to flex a little and spread a little when the rider is in the saddle. This means that a girth that seemed "just right" before mounting can need to be tightened another hole or two once the rider is in the saddle - and a girth that seems over-tight before the rider mounts can be "just right" when the rider is on board.
There's no "cookbook" recipe for girth-tightening. As long as you are monitor your horses' bodies and attitudes, and neither of those says "Ouch, something's wrong", go ahead with whatever you're doing, because it's obviously working for you. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. ;-)
Since you mentioned elastic, I'll take a moment to issue a general warning to riders with elastic-end girths: The elastic ends are NOT there to allow you to tighten the girth until the horse faints. The elastic is there so that the horse can expand its ribcage when it needs to make an extra effort - over a large jump, say, or going up a large hill. If the horse takes an extra-deep breath, a too-tight girth can become acutely painful - and a too-tight girth that's in poor shape can break. Ideally, the girth should stay in place without challenging the elastic ends' stretching capacity, and the stretch-factor would come into play only in moments of extreme exertion and ribcage expansion. Remember: On an elastic-end girth, the elastic is there to make life easier for your HORSE, not for YOU!
Jessica
Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE is a free, subscriber-supported electronic Q&A email newsletter which deals with all aspects of horses, their management, riding, and training. For more information, please visit www.horse-sense.org
Please visit Jessica Jahiel: Holistic Horsemanship® [www.jessicajahiel.com] for more information on Jessica Jahiel's clinics, video lessons, phone consultations, books, articles, columns, and expert witness and litigation consultant services.