Making sure your girth fits correctly is essential for both the comfort and safety of you and your horse. We've all been there - sliding around because your girth won't tighten enough, or smacking ourselves in the face girthing up because the buckles wont reach the first holes! Let's fix that. This useful guide has been put together to advise how your girth should fit, whether you ride in a general purpose, dressage or jump saddle.
The ideal fit
Whichever saddle you ride in, your girth should ideally fit comfortably around the middle hole of your billet/girth straps, allowing room for gradual tightening by going up evenly on each side - your girth should not be fastened intentionally more tightly on one side as it may cause the saddle to slip while causing unevenness in how the saddle sits on your horse's back.
Dressage saddles and monoflap jump/close contact saddles are typically designed with long billet straps and paired with a short girth. When fitting the girth, you need an allowance of about three fingers between the bottom of the saddle pad and the top of the girth. This will give the most comfortable fit for your horse, preventing any pinching of the skin and stopping the horse's elbow from knocking the buckles. This will also help to keep the saddle stable.
If you're using a long girth, for example with a general purpose (GP) or jump saddle again you should work on the principle of the buckles sitting halfway up the billet straps when the girth is semi-tight. You don't want the buckles to be only just attached (first hole on both sides) because it's both difficult to girth up your horse and can be unsafe to put so much pressure on the very end of the straps. At the same time, you don't want the buckles to be so high up your billet straps that they are under your thigh because they will be bulky and uncomfortable.
How to measure for a new girth
If your old girth fits well, the easiest way is to use it to gauge the size of your new one. It's worth bearing in mind that if your girth is elasticated, the elastic will stretch over time. However, if you need a girth for a new horse or for whatever reason your old one doesn't fit, it's easy to take a measurement before you buy.
Girths are measured from end of buckle to end of buckle, not the material end-to-end, and usually come in two-inch increments. If the girth's buckles are set back (such as on the dressage girth pictured - bottom) it may affect which size of girth fits correctly due to the girth physically measuring longer than its buckle to buckle measurement. You might find it sits too high on your horse's sides.
To take a measurement...
We recommend using a fabric tape measure, on the inch measurement side (or use string - you'll need a piece about 60 inches long).
Tack your horse up using your saddle and any pads worn underneath (your type of saddle pad will make a difference in the length of girth you need, particularly if it's thick or if you use a half pad).
You might need someone to help for the next bit. Pop one end of the tape or string against the middle hole on the girth straps then pass it under your horse where the girth will sit (approximately a hands' width back from the elbow), finishing on the middle girth strap hole on the other side.
The measurement taken in inches will be the length of girth you need.
