You wrote:
> I am currently using a mohair string cinch. The felt cinch that came
> with the saddle was a) too short, b) definitely more slippery and c)
> after a 10-12 mile ride my horse had a sweat scald under almost the
> entire cinch. The day after the ride his skin peeled. I tried a
> neoprene cinch that held the saddle the best but I was made a little
> paranoid about my horses reaction from the felt cinch and decided not
> to buy one. The string cinch hasn't bothered him yet.
If the girth isn't bothering him, I would try not to switch! I have
tried the whole gamut of girths, too on my thin skinned mare. The
felt was the worst for burning her! There was immediate hair & skin
loss. She did ok w/ nylon string during the ride, but had a burn
that peeled w/in a few days. Mohair didn't gall her at all, but we
ride along the coast where it is sandy. Sand seems to have an
affinity for getting under string girths. We ultimately switched to
neoprene for her. Our other horses still work well in mohair string
as long as we clean out the sand every 10-15 miles. Their skin seems
to tolerate this much "insult" whereas even one mile with sand rubbed
Rosie raw.
SNIP
> I was told by another SS owner that they really like a neoprene cinch
> that they bought from Horse Works that is fabric side out and has
> elastic on it. Does this also cause the same heavy sweating as the
> rubber side out cinches? Do you have any suggestions to offer about
> pads, cinches, etc. that may help? My horse is thin skinned, thin
> coated, and may be prone to rubs.
I like the idea of elastic for the give and stretch. Also on my wish
list would be stainless buckles, durability, and easy to clean.
I haven't seen their neoprene girth, but fabric out sounds like it
defeats the purpose. For what ever reason, felt seemed to absorb the
sweat and burn my mare. With the rubber-out neoprene, she sweats and
lubricates the girth so that her skin slides past it as she gets into her
"big" trot. No problem w/ galls, burns, or rubs from sand. The
trick with a neoprene girth is tightness and get it wet!!! If it is too tight,
the skin cannot slide past the wet girth. You will have pulling and
tension on the skin which will result in pain and tissue damage. A
neoprene girth is just tight enough if you can slide the flat of you
hand in between the girth & the horse and it feels snug. Any tighter
causes problems. If it is so loose that you can see daylight, 1) Do
you need a girth? 2)The girth should no longer cause rubs,
regardless of the fabric. If it is cool & I think she will be a
while before sweating to lubricate the girth, I will sponge it off to
help it slide.
I hope that this helps. I realize it doesn't address the original
problem of the saddle rolling. I don't use the SS nor plan to start.
I don't have this problem with any of my horses or saddles, so I am
afraid I am not a good resource for that part of the problem.
Linda Flemmer
ABF Challenger ("Rocket") & Eternal Point ("Major")
Blue Wolf Ranch Chesapeake, Virginia, USA
"In case of emergency - Fur side up, steel side down!"