Wednesday 15 June 2011

Shires Elasticated Girth Review

So I tried this girth on Diesel on Monday and I was very impressed with the look and the fit. The padded girth seemed soft and supple and the girth looked smart on Diesel. It fit beautifully and the 44" girth's shaped section fitted perfectly behind his legs. A few negatives came up at this point however, the girth was very difficult to do up, although I think this is because I am used to the extra 'reach' from a humane girth. The girth is also very wide and the width of the 44" is the same as that of the longer girths, so on my 13.2hh pony it does look rather wide, this may well just require some time to get used to the girth. The elasticated segment is cream, which is a major negative for me as it really stands out on my black pony with black tack, and I think a darker elastic would be more in keeping with the girth.

Overall view showing the elastic insert



Close up of elastic insert


 Close up showing the width of the girth compared to the saddle


Yesterday and today I rode with this girth. Yesterday as I mounted from the ground the saddle slipped despite the stirrup being held for me, as the elastic grip is not enough to off set the roundness and lack of withers on Diesel, which is a drawback as it makes mounting from the ground impossible. I had a better ride in it today (see my previous blog post), and found the fit to be very good and the girth stayed in place without slipping forwards or back while riding. After untacking I noticed that the girth area was very sweaty, and as we had not worked hard and it was not a hot day I can only think that it is the material that the girth is made from making him sweat.

Overall I am not overly impressed with this girth. It does fit nicely, have a nice amount of padding and look smart other than a few minor concerns. In practicality it makes Diesel sweat, so may rub despite the padding, and the elastic inserts make the saddle slipping a problem. I cannot judge yet how the girth is affecting Diesel so I will reserve judgement on this for a few days.

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