Looking for a new girth or cinch for your horse? I suggest you check out the products from Total Saddle Fit. In particular, their Shoulder Relief Cinch.
I first purchased one of their cinches in 2017 when my previous girth from a different manufacturer became worn. I was intrigued by the Total Saddle Fit claim that their English girths and Western cinches are more comfortable for horses based on their design.
“The Shoulder Relief Girth™ actually changes the position and angle of the billets to prevent the saddle from interfering with the shoulder. The center of the girth is set forward to sit in the horse’s natural girth groove. While the sides of the girth are cut back to meet the billets 2 inches behind where the horse’s natural girth groove lies. This brings the billets from angling forward, to becoming perpendicular to the ground (in the case of a forward girth groove horse), which reduces the saddle’s tendency to be pulled forward into the shoulders. With horses that have shoulder interference without angled billets, it simply moves the billets back to keep the saddle farther away from the shoulders… The secondary benefit to this shape, is that it is cutback at the elbows. This gives more room for elbow movement as well, and prevents galls in the elbow area.”
From the Total Saddle Fit website
I can’t say for sure if horses in general prefer them, but their design claims seem reasonable. I have been happy with how the cinches have performed for me and my horses. Happy enough to purchase a second cinch so I have an extra on hand.
The cinches strike me as very well made with quality material, including the stitching. Not surprisingly, the cinches are priced accordingly. They vary from $140-170 depending upon the type of liner selected. As an alternative to the pricier leather cinches, their website now also features a synthetic cinch for under $90 that I have not yet tried. To save money, I purchase my leather cinches during their annual Black Friday sales at a substantial discount.
Besides the quality materials, attractive design and choice of black or brown leather, the feature that I most appreciate is that the liners of the leather cinches are replaceable! They offer fleece, felt, neoprene liners. I have tried both the fleece and the neoprene liners but not the fleece yet.
For about $25, I recently purchased a new neoprene liner when I noticed the old neoprene had finally developed substantial wear and cracks. I simply pulled off the old liner and replaced it with the new. And I can switch them between my two girths. I feel like I have a nice, new girth without having to replace and pay for the entire thing!
Total Saddle Fit also features a very generous 90 day return policy. You don’t even have to return the girths/cinches in pristine condition. It is really difficult to properly test a piece of tack and yet not get it somewhat dirty. I feel better purchasing something that is pricey when I know that I can return the item if it doesn’t work for me.
To top it all off, Total Saddle Fit offers free shipping on any size purchase. As someone who is budget conscious, that’s something I really appreciate as shipping costs can add substantially to the price of an order, especially for a small purchase.
For more information or to purchase one of their products, go to https://www.totalsaddlefit.com/shoulderreliefgirth/.
Disclosure: Please note this original product review was unsolicited and uncompensated by Total Saddle Fit. After this post was published on The Backyard Horse Blog, Total Saddle Fit kindly sent me a thank you note accompanied by a Total Saddle Fit pendent after they read the review. Thank you to Total Saddle Fit!
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