The Impact of Girthing on Horses Locomotion

A really informative video for you, all about the impact girthing has on a horses movement. An interesting watch for any equestrian who wants to get thinking or learn something new ! This video also provides a deep insight into the design of the FreeSpace girth.

[@poniesatemypencils]

This is interesting! I always notice that people check the girth at the side and if it's loose they will tighten the girth more - but they never think about checking the tightness at the bottom. I remember telling people this but no one listens to me haha.. I have checked the bottom of the girth after people have tightened it again and it was WAY too tight.... No wonder why some horses end up with biting issues with girthing... I am glad that saddle makers are working on finding better solutions for the well being of the horse.

[@MsBizzyGurl]

I have wondered about this for years. Any woman wearing a tight fitting brassiere can understand these mechanics. Bravo. Now make these a requirement for all show horses.

[@StinkyWorm]

We need more videos like this so people actually thing about saddle fit and other important things

[@jobond3317]

Interesting. We can measure our impact on horses and give them the best opportunity for a great life.

[@KittyKevan]

This seems to be a very well,thought- out. I would really consider trying this and I’ll share it with some experienced riders.

[@AdamTillontheWeb]

Without quantitative comparison it feels like an elaborate solution to a problem of debatable scale.

[@WOWsaddles]

We have done the quantitative comparisons before, however it is not available to the public anymore as some of our less favourable results caused upset!

[@DragonForgeStudio]

@@WOWsaddlesregardless, I’d really like to see the results! A lot of horse gear hasn’t had much innovation in the last 100 years. It’s great that someone’s working on it

[@nohillforahighstepper]

I am very interested in this technology. Have you applied it to western roping saddles? I work on a large ranch in Wyoming. My horses might travel 10 - 15 miles in a day. Freedom of movement has been a concern for me for a long time. However, stability also plays a major role, especially if I need to doctor a bull. I would be interested in seeing some results from working horses on uneven ground, especially while roping. Thanks for the vid! 😊😊😊

[@phubblewubbphubblewubb]

Empathy and imagination is all you need to appreciate the traumas of incorrect girthing!

[@memphis1201]

@@phubblewubbphubblewubb and a dash of good ol' common sense 😉

[@shermoore1693]

Minute 1.15. : you mean diameter, not circumference. The circumference is the entire perimeter. A part from that it's a very interesting video. I ride bareback precisely to avoid squeezing the ribcage. Is this type of girth already in the shops? Thanks for posting.

[@WOWsaddles]

Ah thank you. Yes our FreeSpace girths are for sale on our website!

[@shermoore1693]

@@WOWsaddles Thank YOU!

[@Crystal_Clout]

Doesn't riding bareback, (all the time), put pressure on the back, where a properly fitted saddle spreads the load without pressing on the spine? Genuine question, I'm wondering what the science is.

[@shermoore1693]

@@Crystal_Clout Riding bare back means that the back of the horse has to take only the weight of the rider (I weight 50 kg and ride a 550kg horse) and not a saddle. The distribution of the weight is, as you say, less spread out than with a saddle, that is true, but I have found that my horse moves more freely when I am bareback. I used to use a saddle when jumping more than 60 or 70cm and could notice the difference. I don't do much jumping now, only when we come across a fallen tree or something like that when out hacking. I have found that there are two major pluses to riding bareback: one is that you can feel every muscle in the horse meaning you can either follow/unite with his balance or counteract it depending on whether you want him to do something or if you want to avoid having him gallop away for fun! (I also ride without a bridle most of the time) and the second is that I feel his movement to be more relaxed. Perhaps it depends on the ratio weight of rider/weight of horse, or perhaps the strength of the back muscles of the horse (mine does not have a prominent spine, to the contrary). I just hope my horse is happy, he used to hate it when I tightened the girth before mounting.

[@kittycatdays8719]

@@shermoore1693riding bareback gives you two main pressure points-your seatbones. Even tensing up your thighs to try put more weight around the horses barrel rather than just under your seatbones won’t help much because the pressure distribution area is small and the pressure is uneven. There’s a reason we made saddles-both for our and the horse’s comfort. Please fit a saddle to your horse, bareback shouldn’t be ridden often, it’s basic physics. Close contact saddles (with a tree! A tree is necessary for proper weight distribution, treeless saddles are glorified bareback pads, and the stirrup straps put a shitton of weight around a thin area) might be what you’re looking for. They’re typically mono flaps so there’s less leather between you and the horse, yet they still have a tree and panels for the comfort of the horse.

[@aktanakhmetov]

Have you ever measured pressure exerted by cord girths?

[@WOWsaddles]

We have yes

[@aktanakhmetov]

@@WOWsaddles and what were the measurement results and your conclusions?

[@brogesz]

@@WOWsaddlesinterested in this too

[@Timeisirrelevant]

@@WOWsaddlesthat’s not a complete answer. My guess is you’re running out to check now. 😂

[@phubblewubbphubblewubb]

Use your imagination.....Stubben did this decades ago with their elephant cord design. Even with the movement of each individual cord there will still be pressure and depending upon the 'egg illustration' this will vary between horses.

[@janawagner6540]

Thanks for this new perspective! I know cinches are a point of contention for both of my horses.

[@phubblewubbphubblewubb]

As you say this is not rocket science, trouble is most people don't think further than the end of their noses. As an ex fitter, I've seen the damage too many times, I remember when WOW was born, fantastic concept, most comfortable for horse and rider.

[@celtichorsewoman]

Wow. So very informative and well- made. Thank you.

[@meganfisher831]

I love the immense amount of passion and research behind the design, and the designs available on the site being more than I expected in number. But I don't understand what stud girths mean? Is there a video on that?

[@WOWsaddles]

Stud girths are designed for jumping! They have a plate designed to protect your horses belly from their shoes when they jump!

[@dreamcatcher3861]

This was fascinating, amazing work!

[@kymharris269]

Love this idea! I’ve taken a look at your website. Do you make conversion plates for ordinary girths? I can’t afford a full pressure release girth, but it would be great if I could convert my existing girth with a retro fitted pressure release plate.

[@WOWsaddles]

Unfortunately our Sternum plates can only be used with our straps as they are designed specifically to fit.

[@RedHybiscus]

Everything about a horse saddle is about the rider. My vision is to create a saddle that takes into consideration the horse. When people put those giant western saddles on the horse it looks like a rider in itself! I would love to see a super low weight saddle that is as absolutely minimal as possible. I want the horse to be as comfortable as possible even though this is as uncomfortable for a horse as it can be. This is my hope for the future of horses in captivity

[@sylverscribs0490]

i think a bareback pad already achieves this, unless you have something else in mind?

[@RedHybiscus]

@@sylverscribs0490 well there would be limited time riding due to no stirrups- legs hanging is not comfortable - I am just thinking minimum saddle as opposed to 50 pounds of saddle. Just something I would like to see change. Maybe I am barking up the wrong tree - I also am not a fan of bridles either so…🤷‍♀️

[@kittycatdays8719]

@@RedHybiscuswestern saddles don’t tend to be THAT heavy and a properly fitted western saddle with a blanket of the correct thickness distributes weight properly. I’d recommend buying Rod Nickel’s saddle fit course, he goes over the basics very well for western saddles and explains everything. It’s pricey, but it’s absolutely worth it and has been recommended to me by multiple saddle fitters.

[@memphis1201]

@@sylverscribs0490 It's all about weight distribution. Does a bareback pad do that?

[@KitKat-uw2qt]

Wintec makes a Western saddle that only weighs about 10 pounds. it is synthetic, and probably my favorite saddle.

[@emilycorwith1119]

Very interesting!

[@dethmaul]

That's cool as hell!

[@barberton3695]

Very interesting study and solution

[@PartanBree]

Super interesting

[@lupinchenbrause9017]

the plate looks like it works quite well, however what concernes me are the two isolated girth strips. You can even see in the video that in moc+vement it can pinch the skin inbetween. So i think there should be a wide girth instead of two narrow ones. Also i dont really know if the edges of the cussion between muscle amd plate will be a longtime problem, it could really sing into the muscle and lead to an atrophie like some saddles do with. the shoulder support not going all the way down (sorry im german, i dont know how to explain it better)

[@WOWsaddles]

The straps don’t punch! And on the longer versions we have designed girth sleeves specifically to prevent them from doing so!

[@denisedolphinpark]

would you/have you made one alike this for western saddles?

[@WOWsaddles]

We already have :) it’s available on our website wowsaddles.com !

[@mizzwitty1042]

This is pretty revolutionary! 💡💖

[@mariannebarry1033]

Has WOW considered the Western saddles or only Dressage?

[@lilik6945]

if you want to use one, you can use conversion straps on your western rigging to add billets to use with the girth instead of a tie strap

[@anemptyspace]

They have Western saddles of this type on their website, check it out if you're still interested

[@WOWsaddles]

We have a Western version of this girth available to buy in our online shop

[@zaralunden3202]

This is great. Do you know about metal shoes stopping the blood flow through the hoof pumping up the leg to the heart? Flexable glue on shoes along with this flexable girth would go a LONG way to help your horse.

[@1sacoyle]

Is there any info on the western cinch?

[@WOWsaddles]

Available to buy on our website!

[@jaynfontain6635]

I wanna try this so bad

[@Conny226]

Can you use this on a western saddle

[@WOWsaddles]

We have a western version of this girth available to buy!

[@izzylane8416]

Does anyone know if these are sold in regular (not dressage) sizes and if so where?

[@xoxohomes]

Is there a jumper version of the girth?

[@WOWsaddles]

We have a stud girth version. However both that version and this Version are suitable for jumping!

[@becalsop2004]

Are you going to be selling these girth if so where can I find one please

[@WOWsaddles]

They are for sale on our online shop! www.wowsaddles.com

[@simbadlemarin1815]

Wow, I had no idea Michael Caine was so into horses

[@Nina-__]

Is this product for sale?

[@WOWsaddles]

Yes! www.wowsaddles.com/freespace

[@pumpkinproblem]

well, luckily I don't have to worry about any of this since I ride bareback 90% of the time

[@SocialShires]

what type of mat do you use?

[@sonjatheierl1]

GO BARE BACK problem solved

[@silky2204]

I always wondered about the tight girth. Former racing horses cannot stand the tight girth that they were forced to endure in their racing lives. Those horses one cannot ride. I will investigate your new design.

[@user-kt6yx7ox7z]

It must be uncomfortable

[@EthanLloydBarlow]

thats a big kangaroo.

[@rhondaskiles5740]

This is why you want a wide chested horse ut has bugger lungs

[@barbarabrown9269]

Looks like another money making gimmick to me. Anyway to make a Buck - get pet loving women to become all alarmed about an essentially non-issue just to seek more unnecessary equipment. I have been riding for 6 decades in many different disciplines and horses go and win and excel in every one of the divisions without all this fussing and “over fixing” any tack. Content providers love to show off their pretty horses and model looking riders.

[@WOWsaddles]

Not at all, no one is forced to spend money on our products. We have proven that there are ways to make our horses more comfortable, why would we not want to do that? Whether there was an issue before or not we always strive to improve the comfort and wellbeing of our animals.