14/07/2026
Wise words from Poppy Webber about getting advice from you saddlefitter about the best fitting girth for horse’s individual shape.
The Performance Saddlefits Store also has a saddle fitter available to give you recommendations on the full range of quality girths we offer.
📞 0461 543 091 for assistance or email [email protected]
As Saddle Fitters, there are certain questions we get asked approximately ninehundredbillionty times.
One of the biggest is:
WHAT IS THE BEST GIRTH TO USE?
And the unhelpful but completely correct answer is:
The one your horse actually needs.
There are SO many girths on the market, and they all do different jobs.
Saddle slides forwards? There’s a girth for that.
Saddle slides backwards? There’s a girth for that.
Horse gets rubbed behind the elbow? There’s a girth for that.
Horse is shaped like a potato with legs? Yeppo, a girth for that too.
Your saddle fitter should be helping you choose the right one, because buying a random 'anatomical' girth because the advert looked fancy is not quite the same as solving the actual problem.
I can, however, tell you which girths not to buy.
Avoid anything that crumples into a fishing wire once tightened.
Remember those basic cotton girths that started off wide, then scrunched themselves into a strip about an inch thick?
Pressure-tastic.
You want a girth to stay broad and spread pressure across the areas where it contacts the horse.
Do not use a girth that is cracked, rough, filthy, crusty or greasy. The edges should be smooth, the surface clean, and it should be checked before every ride for anything that could pinch, chafe or rub.
Please also don’t buy a specialist girth without speaking to your saddle fitter.
I regularly see horses whose saddles slip backwards wearing girths designed to stop saddles moving forwards.
Which is the equivalent of putting your sat nav on upside down and wondering why you’re in Scotland.
And finally, choose a girth with rollers on the buckles.
Rollers make it easier to tighten and help protect your girth straps. Without them, you can cause unnecessary wear and damage.
And girth straps are quite important, what with them being one of the main things stopping your saddle launching itself sideways into the hedgerow.
So, the best girth?
Not the prettiest one.
Not the most expensive one.
Not the one your fave influencer is currently shouting about.
The one that suits your horse, your saddle and the actual problem you’re trying to solve.
And for that, ask YOUR saddle fitter!
