The Equestrian Blog

Saddle Girth – How tight is too tight?

Are you guilty of doing up your horse’s girth as tight as you can in the belief it gives your saddle and you the best security? Well Australian researchers have found that a girth done up too tightly can have a negative effect on your horse’s performance.

The usual tension applied to a saddle girth to keep a saddle on a Thoroughbred racehorse is around 13kg but researchers found anything over 10kg could alter the horses performance.

Although they still have to work out why, it’s thought that it may force the horse to adopt different breathing patterns involving a greater use of the diaphragm which in turn affects performance. Alternatively, the soft tissue and fluid in the thoracic wall (the part between the neck and abdomen, enclosed by the ribs) could be displaced during exercise.

As yet, no-one knows for sure. Some horses don’t seem particularly affected by girth tightness but others do. Saddle placement also played a part, so more research is needed. Whatever the effects of your saddle girth just make sure you don’t leave your girth too loose.

Good To See British Vaulting Heading To Aachen

Posted by admin | Filed under Equestrian News

Equestrian Vaulting A full British contingent of two senior teams, three female and two male individual vaulters and six horses are off to Aachen this weekend for the annual CVIO at the World Equestrian Festival from 26th June to 5th July.

There will be around 150 participants with almost 40 individual vaulters from the individual nations that were placed 1st-12th at the World Championships in 2008 or at the European Championships in 2007.

Joanne Eccles leads the British hopes and the British vaulting squad includes the first and second-placed teams from the two British selection trials and sisters Joanne and Hannah Eccles, who competed last year as individuals. They are joined by Lucy Phillips and her Austrian horse Pitucelli and male vaulters Ross Foreman and Phillip Beasley who are making a comeback following a year off.

Hopefully the British Vaulting Team will do well and continue to encourage local vaulters like the team at Grove House in Misterton, Nottinghamshire...

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If you're interested in equestrian vaulting check out http://www.vaulting.org.uk/ .

The annual CHIO Aachen World Equestrian Festival in Aachen Germany, has been a major fixture on the international equestrian calendar for over one hundred years. You can find out more at http://www.chioaachen.com/default_e.asp