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  Discussion on Horse bloating when cinching
Author Message
Member:
Juliedon

Posted on Friday, Feb 21, 2003 - 11:14 am:

Hello,

Generally I ride with Western gear. Well I have decided to start riding english. My horse has been trained for both western and english diciplines. Well I purchased a english saddle and a girth. My mare is a 14 hand tall Morgan cross. She is a great little mare but boy can she bloat up. It is very easy to cinch her in a western saddle...walk around...she lets out air...the cinch can go up a hole...walk around...she lets out air...it continues. She is 20 and has been doing this for years. Anyway this is so difficult with an english girth. I bought a 46 inch for her and can't even get it on the first hole with her at a stand still. So I called up the tack store to ask if they had a 56 inch in stock. I measured her and I need another 10 inches before I could get her to the first hole. The girl at the tack shop thought I was crazy as she has seen my horse. ie. she thinks a 56" is a draft size girth. My question is: how far can a horse really extend its belly while holding air? Can they really add 15 inches to their girth size? Any tips for the proper size of an english girth?

Thanks for your advice,

Pesty Pony
Member:
Chrism

Posted on Friday, Feb 21, 2003 - 2:55 pm:

It sounds like you may have trouble getting the 56" girth tight enough when she finally relaxes - it is rather large.

Attach the girth on one side and bring it up to attach on the other side. Is it really 15 inches too short? More likely you need about 2-4 inches.

My 15 hand round mare takes a short dressage girth that is any where from 26-28, depending on the brand and a long girth around 48, depending on the saddle I use. I've found a smaller saddle or a close contact saddle will need a longer girth.

You can also try adding a girth extender to your 46 inch girth for just a few dollars if you can't return it.

You want to be able to attach the girth to the first billet hole or two on each side of the saddle without much trouble. Do this and then put on her brush boots, sliding the girth up a billet hole every so often. Then put on the bridle, check girth. Then walk to riding area, check girth. Walk again, check again. Mount. Check ... do you see a trend?

A girth with an elastic end can be helpful.


Member:
3rsatsmf

Posted on Saturday, May 3, 2003 - 9:36 pm:

Good ideas! Start with a double-end elastic girth. That way, you have both sides to work with. My 16H3 Friesian wears a 52" english (not dressage) girth and his western cinch is a custom-made 42 inch-er. But he has room to grow in his Western because he is only 4. MYy 15H3 Paint wore a 50" english girth and 34" western cinch, if that is of any help...
Member:
Bara

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 - 11:52 am:

Julie,
You are going to think this sounds a little silly. I just switched to English myself but I had a quarter horse when I was riding western that would bloat up everytime. Im using a quarter horse now that really does the same thing. Real bad. I havent tried this with this guy yet and the english girthing but with the other horse I would keep a couple of horse apple cookies in my pocket and before I even pulled the cinch Id pop that cookie in his mouth and let him start that first chew and then pull that cinch. It worked. I dont remember who even told me to do that. But it did worked I guess because horses live for eating. When they are eating even for a moment they dont even think about anything else but munching and they dont bloat as they are munching and have a one track mind in this manner I guess. Try it and let me know if it works for the English girth. English girths have elastic pulls too. You might want to change that to straight leather or web without the elastic too. Im going to try mine this week and Ill get back with you. I swear it worked with the western saddle. Just thread the buckles holding it and pop the cookie or carrot or whatever into his mouth and immediately pull the cinch as soon as he starts that first chewing. With the elastic you my have to do it a couple of times. Some people will say you are treating before riding a biggy no no. I found that my horse didnt look at it that way. He never refused anything for a treat first. I think he would just start the chewing action that horses live for and it got his mind completely away from the cinching. Oh, also when you give him the cookie or whatever, make sure you are standing at his side at the cinch. dont walk to his head or look him in the eye. He may take is as treating and expect it. When you stand at his side just do it as mechanical movement as part of his tacking process. Let me know. Its worked for me. It might be good to try on cinchy horses too. Its a distraction I guess.
best of luck. Kristin
Member:
Cowgrl

Posted on Friday, Mar 19, 2004 - 4:53 pm:

Hi Julie,
I ride western and my horses bloat as well. What I do is after I put the saddle on and cinch snugly even if he is bloated, I leave the stirrup hooked over the horn and go about my normal pre-ride activities - lock the tack room, put away grooming tools, etc. Put on his bridle, finish pre-ride chores, then cinch tight just before getting on. I don't know any horse that can hold his breath that long. After riding a couple of hours (trails) I get off for a break and always check my cinch before getting back on. It is usually looser by then but I don't have a problem with bloating at the beginning.

I also like the idea of giving a carrot. A horse can't hold his breath if he's eating.

Some people knee their horse in the belly to get him to let out air but that is not my style if I can do it without causing the horse discomfort.

Hope all the suggestions help.

Holly
New Member:
sodmonst

Posted on Sunday, Mar 15, 2009 - 5:55 pm:

I like Holly's way of doing things. It seems that kneeing the horse in the belly would teach him to hate being cinched. I suspect that someone did that to my horse at some time in his life. He was a wreck at saddling time, he would brace and step into my space, then startle strongly every time I moved my hands. It used to take me half an hour or more to just get the cinch around his belly and the latigo threaded! Treats were out of the question, he was too scared of my hands.

This is what worked. I've switched to a tackberry in order to lower his anticipatory anxiety, and never tighten the cinch all at once. I slide my hand under the cinch and massage his ribs gently with my knuckles during tightening. At first he hated that, but I kept it up, and now he likes it. I can feel his muscles let go and relax, and often he'll let out a big sigh. Then I massage for a minute or two more before slowly slipping up a notch or two, then massage a bit more. When he was really defensive, I would loosen a couple holes, then tighten a bit, then loosen a bit. It seemed to break up his anxiety cycle.

These days he's happy to be saddled. He'll follow me over to the tack shed without a halter and stands without being tied, and with no halter for grooming and saddling. He doesn't grab his breath and brace himself very often any more. He's 17 years old, and it took about a month to change is ways, but that's not bad considering how many bad experiences he probably had.

I don't think horses grab their breath that way to be ornery, they are just doing what has helped them in the past. I have never saddled a colt or filly for the first time and had it hold it's breath to avoid cinch tightening.
Member:
stek

Posted on Monday, Mar 16, 2009 - 12:45 pm:

Julie, I would try an english to western girth converter that gives you the benefit of the gradual adjustment of the western girth on an english saddle. I think going for a bigger english girth will result in you not being able to tighten enough when she finally de-puffs.
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Monday, Mar 16, 2009 - 2:32 pm:

Hi Julie,

If she's bloating so much that you can't get to the first hole of the right-sized girth (when de-bloated), you might try rigging an over-girth to use for your initial tacking up. I doubt they sell them big enough, but maybe you could buy one and extend it. You would use it like so:

Put the saddle and pad on your mare. She puffs up like a blowfish. You put the over girth over the saddle and cinch it to the first hole. Then attach your real girth on the right side, and flip it over the saddle so it's out of the way. Walk your mare, feed her, do whatever helps her relax. When she de-puffs (good term), DrOp and hook the real girth to the first hole, and remove the longer over-girth. Reward her every time she lets you hook the girth. She is clearly defending herself against prior bad experiences, and needs some re-conditioning to think positively about her tack. Take your time and she'll come around. Let us know how it goes.

- elk
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