I wonder if the 'horse massage therapist' is also a distance rider or has just
decided that neoprene girths are bad news???
My personal experience of using them for a couple of years and getting at
least ten top-10 finishes in 50 mile rides is that they are how we AVOID girth
galls completely! My thin-skinned Arab cannot tolerate the typical felt-lined
girth and other types are little better. The amount of heat held in by the
girth can hardly be worse with neoprene than say, a piece of felt of the same
width. The surface area is relatively small compared to the rest of the
horse's body that is exposed, anyway. Girth galls are caused by rubbing, not
by heat.
Take what so-called experts say with a grain of salt and find out for yourself.
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Dave Bennett
e-mail: idj3q@mhs-tva.attmail.com
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