UPDATE: Girthing "issues"

Ureventer · 08-13-2007, 06:27 AM

Recently my horse has been experiencing some girthing issues. He stands perfectly fine for putting the saddle on him; however when it comes time for girthing, to put it nicely, it's chaos. I've tried cinching the girth very slowly and then I stretch his front legs, but to no avail.

I currently own a Soft Touch Jumping girth and am thinking this is possibly rubbing him the wrong way (it's essentially like rubber on the inside). Am I off with my thinking, or do you believe there is another problem that needs to be addressed?

UPDATE:
Thank you everyone for your responses

I purchased a new (leather) girth which corrected the issue we had been having. Again, thank you for all your time and valuable information.

JBandRio · 08-13-2007, 06:33 AM

What exactly is he doing?

Are you SURE your saddle fits? Can you take pictures of it sitting on him, not girthed, where you would normally put it?

Ulcers can cause a horse to be girthy.

Having a rib out can be very painful when the girth is tightened.

Temposmom · 08-13-2007, 06:34 AM

http://www.animalchiropractic.co.nz/...rthy_horse.pdf

Saddling and Cinchiness

Ureventer · 08-13-2007, 06:51 AM

First off, thank you both for your quick responses and Temposmom for the fabulous articles

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBandRio

What exactly is he doing?

He is running around (I cannot tie him and I don't have anyone else to hold him currently) and today he started kicking. Just completely undone and very upset.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBandRio

Are you SURE your saddle fits? Can you take pictures of it sitting on him, not girthed, where you would normally put it?

Yes, I have had it professionally checked and it is placed in the proper position.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBandRio

Ulcers can cause a horse to be girthy.

Having a rib out can be very painful when the girth is tightened.

He only has trouble when tightening the girth. After it is on, he is completely fine. Would this still give one reason to believe that he might need medical treatment?

tbtrainer · 08-13-2007, 06:58 AM

I had a filly once with girthing issues... I enlisted help from our chiro, and it turned out that her 4yh or 5th vertabrae was out of alignment, she said this is common with "girthy" horses.

windblown · 08-13-2007, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ureventer89

He is running around (I cannot tie him and I don't have anyone else to hold him currently) and today he started kicking. Just completely undone and very upset.

Just curious...Why can't you tie him?

And yeah, it could definitely be a medical issue. A lot of the time it is with girthiness, at least in my experience. I have a mare who actually sounds kind of opposite about this. She used to be awful when girthing her up in the cross ties (tried to reach around to grab/bite me, tail wringing, dancing, etc.), but if you girthed her without having her tied, she was perfect (never did figure that one out). She's a very anxious horse by nature, though, so we expected ulcers or digestive problems. She's been on Succeed for a month now, and the nastiness in the crossties now is going away each time I girth her. It almsot seems more like a bad habit now than out of actual pain.

08-13-2007, 06:27 AM	#1
Ureventer Senior Member+ Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 5,281 Images: 37 Blog Entries: 45	UPDATE: Girthing "issues" Recently my horse has been experiencing some girthing issues. He stands perfectly fine for putting the saddle on him; however when it comes time for girthing, to put it nicely, it's chaos. I've tried cinching the girth very slowly and then I stretch his front legs, but to no avail. I currently own a Soft Touch Jumping girth and am thinking this is possibly rubbing him the wrong way (it's essentially like rubber on the inside). Am I off with my thinking, or do you believe there is another problem that needs to be addressed? UPDATE: Thank you everyone for your responses I purchased a new (leather) girth which corrected the issue we had been having. Again, thank you for all your time and valuable information. __________________ I've been snowballed...seven times! ♥Formal Attyre's Blog Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux. Last edited by Ureventer; 08-26-2007 at 08:56 PM.

08-13-2007, 06:33 AM	#2
JBandRio Senior Member+ Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: NC Posts: 23,718 Images: 145 Blog Entries: 12	What exactly is he doing? Are you SURE your saddle fits? Can you take pictures of it sitting on him, not girthed, where you would normally put it? Ulcers can cause a horse to be girthy. Having a rib out can be very painful when the girth is tightened. __________________ - JB Acres, owned and operated by Dynamite animals. - It's a wonder horses as a whole don't just kill us all and be done with their misery. - Keep your voice soothing and low - even when things get western (buck1173) - You can't hit me with all those snowballs!

08-13-2007, 06:58 AM	#5
tbtrainer Senior Member+ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 6,399 Images: 354	I had a filly once with girthing issues... I enlisted help from our chiro, and it turned out that her 4yh or 5th vertabrae was out of alignment, she said this is common with "girthy" horses. __________________ Guess What??? SPLAT! you have just been snowballed! More than once even... I have been NOEL'ed and Blessed In His Name "I've been Goosed!" Splatted, Goosed and Noeled, oh my! *In my experience, the best way to slow down a runaway horse is to bet on it...*

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08-13-2007, 06:34 AM	#3
Temposmom Senior Member+ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Idaho, USA Posts: 1,120 Images: 13	http://www.animalchiropractic.co.nz/...rthy_horse.pdf Saddling and Cinchiness