Sometimes, choosing a dressage girth (or any girth for that matter) can be a little daunting; particularly when you have a new horse or the girth you currently have is causing issues.
This blog post has been designed to guide you towards a girth that will suit your needs and work with the horse's shape and conformation. This is important because a correctly fitting girth means the horse will move more freely and be more comfortable. A correctly fitting girth will also decrease the chances of rubbing or skin irritation, which can cause discomfort for the horse.
The four dressage girths that will be discussed are the Kentaur Padova Extra Soft, Geneva, Grand Prix and the Parma.
Kentaur 'Padova EXTRA SOFT' Dressage Girth
Made from extra soft double calf leather and lined with padding, there is not a more
comfortable dressage girth on the market. The soft leather means that elastic girth buckles are not essential, but are still available to purchase.
The Padova Extra Soft Dressage Girth is designed to be wider in the middle of the girth to evenly distribute pressure under the sternum and is cut back around the elbows to allow for greater freedom of movement.
This particular girth could be suitable for horses where the saddle has a tendency to move backwards. We would recommend this for ponies and horses. The Padova Dressage Girth also comes in a standard version, without the extra soft lining.
Kentaur 'Geneva' Dressage Girth
The Geneva Dressage Girth is our most 'anatomically' shaped girth, cut back from
around the elbows and the same width the whole length of the girth. This girth features durable stainless steel fitting, internal elastic on both sides and a D ring attachment in the centre for your training aids. Mostly suited to horses that have a deep shoulder and a forward girth groove, this girth can help prevent the saddle from moving forward. A forward girth groove means the girth sits in front of where the girth points fall. Usually, we would recommend this girth for horses only, however, in some cases, this girth can be used on ponies too (particularly on a jumping saddle). This girth is also available in sheepskin and has the option to be purchased with or without a leather liner. Please note that the Kentaur 'Geneva' Dressage Girth cannot have a separate sheepskin liner attached to it, the Kentaur 'Geneva' Girth with Sheepskin will need to be purchased.
Kentaur 'Grand Prix' Dressage Girth
The Kentaur Grand Prix Dressage Girth is slightly cut back to allow freedom of the elbows. When compared to the other three girths, this would be the least anatomical in style. This girth is thicker than the others, and we recommend it on the larger breed horses with a big girth groove as it helps to distribute the pressure and aids in stabilising the saddle. It still features elastic on both sides and a D attachment for your training aids. Similar to the Geneva, this girth is also available in a sheepskin version and has the option to be purchased with or without a leather liner. Please note that the Kentaur 'Grand Prix' Dressage Girth on its own cannot have a sheepskin liner attached to it. If you require sheepskin, you will need to purchase the Kentaur 'Grand Prix' with Sheepskin.
Kentaur 'Parma' Dressage Girth
The Kentaur Parma Dressage Girth is a banana-shaped girth that provides plenty of
clearance around the embows. This girths is suitable for horses and ponies with a short back and sprung ribs, as the girth is shorter at the front than it is at the back, allowing for the expansion of the ribs. It also narrows in quite a bit at the elbows, making this the perfect girth for small, round ponies. The Parma can also aid in stopping the saddle from moving forward.
Key points to remember about Kentaur Dressage Girths:
- All buckle openings are 2.7cm wide (some brands of girth buckles that are only 2.5cm); this stops the buckles from burring the girth points of your saddles!
- All the girths have D attachments for the convenience of attaching breastplates and training aids.
- All girths are fitted with heavy-duty elastic and stainless steel fittings.
Hopefully, this has given you a little bit of insight an into the types of dressage girths we have on offer, so you can make an informed decision on which type would best suit your horse's shapes and your needs. Please contact us if you have any more questions regarding our dressage girth.
