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.

The Ultimate Equestrian Figure?

Posted by debbie | Filed under General Info, Worth Mentioning

Chinese Tang Dynasty Horse If you're anything like me you don't just like horses, you like everything connected with horses. From horsey clothes to pictures of horses and especially collectable horse figures.

My house is 'tastefully', littered with equestrian figures of all shapes and sizes, made from bronze, porcelain and even silver. My favourite is my original Harriet Glen Jumping Horse, a bronze which cost me just under £2000 at Ascot races in the early 90's and I especially love my small collection of Royal Worcester horse heads.

But, I think the Chinese Tang Dynasty figure up for auction next week is one I would have the perfect place for. It looks magnificent and I am sorely tempted to max that credit card I just paid off and go for it. Have a look and see what you think, the auction is online on the 7th, 8th and 9th February and is hosted by, New Orleans Auction Galleries.

Lot No 178 describes the Chinese horse figure as;

Extremely Rare Chinese Black Clay Tomb Figure of a Horse, Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), the finely modeled figure standing on three feet with the fourth slightly lifted, wearing a riderless saddle, the mane, eyes, nostrils and saddle detail finely etched, the horse dynamically modeled with great strength and presence, presented on an acrylic base, h. 16", l. 17". Provenance: Blackamoor Antiques.

The use of black fired clay is unusual and rare in unglazed tomb figures and combined with the dynamic motion of this figure sets it apart from the mainstream of Tang equestrian figures. This piece has been thermoluminescent tested and the dating is confirmed by the testing.

The Auction Estimate is £3,500 to £5,600, ($5000 to $8000), would that be a wise investment or a ridiculous extravagance given the current state of affairs.