# Fairfax dressage girth-article in H&H, what do we think?



## Prince33Sp4rkle (30 August 2012)

do we think its a gimic or worth the ££££?


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## mrussell (30 August 2012)

Ofcourse I think its likely to make your horse more comfortable...  we all know (well us ladies anyway) how the shape and placing of your own bra strap can make or break a party frock and leave you will indigestion all night !) so why shouldnt it be the same for a horse ?

That said WHY OH WHY does it have to be so damn pricey ?

Its the same as the Point 2's...  if these things are in the interests of health and safety of human or horse, why make you decide between comfort and cost ?

Tschhhh.  Rip off.


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## Tempi (30 August 2012)

I've not seen H&H yet - does anyone have a link or a picture of the girth please?


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## Prince33Sp4rkle (30 August 2012)

http://www.fairfaxsaddles.com/fairfax_performance_girth.html


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## KatB (30 August 2012)

Looks good... how much are they?


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## ArcticFox (30 August 2012)

I've seen shaped girths like this before, its nothing new, they've just done some research on their girth (which is very good as I'm a fan of research!)


Prestige do a nice one, Amerigo have one, Tekna have one, aerborn have one.

think its nice, not sure about price as I can't see it.  what is their RRP?


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## Tempi (30 August 2012)

I dont see the different in that and any other girth shaped the same? (Of which there are a lot)

It looks nice, and v comfortable.  Wouldnt mind trying one to see what difference it made, or seeing one in the flesh would be interesting aswell.


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## ihatework (30 August 2012)

What is massively different about those compared to others on the market?
There are plenty of makes with a similar shape available.
Obviously the fairfax is prolite lined, but is this any better than wool lined?

I have one in similar shape, I'm not convinced horse is any better in that than a normal one to be honest.
In fact I had a shaped jumping one, which I have swapped for a pro choice one and seen really improvement in girthing comfort on that.


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## Prince33Sp4rkle (30 August 2012)

£220 for dressage girth, up to £390 for stud girth.

from what i can read, the diff between this and the others is the way the edge aginst the horse is formed, i think it moves (says "floats" on the website) to avoid pressure on muscles?


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## ihatework (30 August 2012)

I think I'd want a try before you buy at that price!


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## Tr0uble (30 August 2012)

It looks very similar to the Ideal Lynx Pro girth I just bought with my new saddle, which has lovely rolled edges and is very padded.


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## Tempi (30 August 2012)

Prince33Sp4rkle said:



			£220 for dressage girth, up to £390 for stud girth.

from what i can read, the diff between this and the others is the way the edge aginst the horse is formed, i think it moves (says "floats" on the website) to avoid pressure on muscles?
		
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Wow, it would have to be something seriously special for me to even contemplate that price!!!!!!!!!!! 

I'll stick with my wintec girths for the moment!!!!!!!!


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## dee378 (30 August 2012)

Would also be really interested to see if anyone has had any experience of these, looking to get a new girth as my horse is very sensitive round that area.  But definitely not going to be spending that kind of money if it does the same job as any other well made, good fitting leather girth!


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## Sol (30 August 2012)

For a girth?! They look nice, but not quite that nice!


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## imr (30 August 2012)

the shaping doesnt seem new, so must be the "floating" bit, but remember valegro had dead sheep under his anyway, am wondering what that does to it??


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## Prince33Sp4rkle (30 August 2012)

imr-was only Mistral Hojiris and Uthopia that wore them IRC.

trouble-do you have any pics, am very interested thanks


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## Tr0uble (30 August 2012)

I'll take one later...can't find it anywhere online yet (new model of saddle it was made for) Ideal don't have any pics of the Lynx pro saddle or accessories!


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## mtj (30 August 2012)

I have ridden in this girth.

My horse is freshly diagnosed with ringbone, so I'm not in a position to say if the girth assisted  his paces.

The girth is much wider than anything else I have seen.  My horse has an Albion humane dressage girth for comparison.

You can feel the prolite in the girth and no doubt this does assist comfort.

As well as being lame, my horse also has what appears to be a grass wart in the area covered by this girth (his albion sits behind), so I didn't give it serious consideration for purchase.

Just re-read this and want to point out horse was intermitently lame at the time.  Not obviously lame when I rode in the girth.


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## charlimouse (30 August 2012)

Having just looked at one in the flesh at Burghley they are nice. But not for £390! I'm on the hunt for a stud girth, but left that stand very quickly when I found out the price!


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## Prince33Sp4rkle (30 August 2012)

thanks trouble  (i actually rode in a clients lynx pro on wed and liked it, albeit found the twist a bit wider than my innova)

charliemouse-is it a moveable layer? if its not, then i think the tekna or prestige would be just as good TBH.


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## Tr0uble (30 August 2012)

The twist is quite a bit narrower than my previous Suzannah, but I tried one with a really narrow twist and it didn't suit me...but you're a lot smaller than me across the hips! Lol!

Went for a little bit of bling on mine!


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## Tempi (30 August 2012)

Theres a Tekna on ebay at the moment going v cheap! But still a couple of days left. (26inch)


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## Prince33Sp4rkle (30 August 2012)

client had bronze piping on hers! they are really nice saddles but i just cant do wide twists daily, rubs me up the wrong way in all the wrong places lol! i love the placement of the thigh roll though.

girth looks nice and v.similar to fairfax.

hopefully CM will report back re moving layers, as if there is no magic layer, i honestly think a your one would do the same job!


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## mtj (30 August 2012)

The girth in Trouble's photo is much narrower than the Fairfax.

The fairfax reaches further under the chest, but has curves to give leg room.  I've only seen the dressage version.


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## Tr0uble (30 August 2012)

Girth is wider than it looks...horse is v big!


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## Tr0uble (30 August 2012)

Ok just had a look and yeah my Lynx Pro one is a lot narrower!


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## charlimouse (30 August 2012)

No the layers aren't moveable. It is very curved, far more that the one tr0uble's picture. It is a very nice girth, just £250 more expensive than it should be IMO!


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## Sol (30 August 2012)

I notice it doesn't actually say anywhere how wide it actually is at the widest point? Anyone know?


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## Tr0uble (30 August 2012)

Yeah in my head mine was more curved than it is in reality! (prev girth was totally straight!)


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## PorkChop (30 August 2012)

I have an Albion one which is not dissimilar, just as wide and padded, maybe not quite as curved.  Not worth the extra money imho.


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## Prince33Sp4rkle (30 August 2012)

livery has a tekna one, which i think would be worth trying, if it seems to make any diff i bet my saddler could make me something similar in proper leather for a hell of a lot less.

thanks for pics trouble


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## MillionDollar (30 August 2012)

Well I've just read the article and it's very interesting! I'm not sure, I think I would buy one tbh as the evidence looks very positive.


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## mtj (30 August 2012)

Sol said:



			I notice it doesn't actually say anywhere how wide it actually is at the widest point? Anyone know?
		
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Its almost like a stud girth in reverse.  The centre piece partially sat between my horse's front legs.  Horse, who is opinionated on his tack likes, was perfectly content.  In our case, even if my horse come sound, its a non starter as it covers a lump that sits clear of conventional girths, including albion.

Its a few weeks since I saw the girth, but I'm guessing about 20cm at the widest point.


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## kezimac (30 August 2012)

my instructor has a le tixerant girth and she rates that.

I have a wow girth and i think its fantastic for my mega girthy, KS mare.


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## AdorableAlice (30 August 2012)

How much !! 

I will show my age - and carry on using my beloved three fold leather girth with the navy flannel inside that I pour oil onto on a regular basis.  Must be 20 years old, still as good as new, baby soft and seen many miles in the hunting field and show ring.


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## sbloom (31 August 2012)

AdorableAlice said:



			How much !! 

I will show my age - and carry on using my beloved three fold leather girth with the navy flannel inside that I pour oil onto on a regular basis.  Must be 20 years old, still as good as new, baby soft and seen many miles in the hunting field and show ring.
		
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You're very lucky that it's an old girth - no leather should be subjected to that!  Much better to use conditioner, oil simply stretches and loosens the fibres in leather so although it feels soft it is actually damaged and should only be used in small quantities on new tack, even old stiff dry tack shouldn't be oiled.

There are plenty of other nice wide girths out there that will do the job for most horses WAY cheaper than that.  If it works for the odd difficult to girth horse then great, but I've yet to meet one that needs more than a nice wide padded Atherstone, very occasionally a Stubben type string girth and even more very occasionally an extra wide girth for stability and comfort.  Not even needed a forward curved girth in my years of fitting....


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## Thistle (31 August 2012)

Tr0uble said:



			It looks very similar to the Ideal Lynx Pro girth I just bought with my new saddle, which has lovely rolled edges and is very padded.
		
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My immediate though was that too! Very similar to the Ideal with the lovely padded rollover edge

I also have a Wow girth which is more similar in shape


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## photo_jo (31 August 2012)

If it was that secret and that good would they not all have worn them?
The article actually says
*'This leading edge is then structured to guide the muscles back under the girth, rather than blocking them, which happens in SOME girths.'* -so not all girths then!


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## Joeyjojo (31 August 2012)

sbloom said:



			There are plenty of other nice wide girths out there that will do the job for most horses WAY cheaper than that.  If it works for the odd difficult to girth horse then great, but I've yet to meet one that needs more than a nice wide padded Atherstone, very occasionally a Stubben type string girth and even more very occasionally an extra wide girth for stability and comfort.  Not even needed a forward curved girth in my years of fitting....
		
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Can you recommend some? I've been looking out for a nice dressage girth for my mare to improve comfort and this looks great.....but way to expensive! I'm kind of hoping I might be able to get something sub £100 that does a similar job.


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## Minstrel_Ted (31 August 2012)

I have one similar to this (made by Heritage saddlery) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HERITAGE-...t=UK_Horse_Wear_Equipment&hash=item2573ceaf7d

Think I will stick with that sort of price... I cannot see the benefit, there also some horses with a small girthing area, how would something that thick work on them?


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## longdog (31 August 2012)

All the girths mentioned - heritage etc are nothing like the new Fairfax girth. Neither in shaping, padding or quality. It is incredibly difficult to find a true anatomically shaped girth for a full length girth. AFAIK Prestige do the only true anatomical girth & that is only available as a dressage girth. We have quite a few customers who are looking for a girth like this, I think it will sell well despite the price tag!


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## Nicnac (31 August 2012)

Interesting thread.  I liked the look of the Fairfax, but not the price tag.  After reading some of the posts, I thought the Ideal girth sounded good so typed Ideal Girth into Google


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## cptrayes (31 August 2012)

Load of marketing hype and twaddle. I second Minstrel_ted with  the lovely English made quality girths by the English Heritage people (Marlow family, beware cheaper Indian made tack under same name. Good value but not the same quality!!)


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## sbloom (1 September 2012)

Joeyjojo said:



			Can you recommend some? I've been looking out for a nice dressage girth for my mare to improve comfort and this looks great.....but way to expensive! I'm kind of hoping I might be able to get something sub £100 that does a similar job.
		
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Tricky as I only supply long girths which are made by us.  My own short girth is a ReactorPanel which I picked up second hand - new they are well above your budget and I cannot recommend the retailer in this country sadly.


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## Sneedy (1 September 2012)

I very very nearly bought one for my girthy horse yesterday, but couldn't bring myself to part with the money!

They don't look that dissimilar to other shaped girthy on the market, and are quite soft but not buttery soft.

I re read the H&H article with my sensible head on and comments like 'some improvement' don't sound that robust (certainly wouldnt be goid enough in a clinical trial ). Also, when testing, they seem to have done the biomechanics testing on their girth after the horse has been ridden in its regular girth first. Just thinking (cynically!)about this, surely the horse would move better for 2nd testing as it would have warmed up properly by then.

Anyway, I resisted buying and the more I think about the less I regret my strong willpower taking over !!


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## charlimouse (1 September 2012)

Well my mother bought 2 of them today, one for Jem and one for Pickle! She is obviously a much nicer person than me, they currently have cheap wintecs! If anybody is interested I can report back, I am a little sceptical, but the proof will be in how the horses perform.


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## Tr0uble (1 September 2012)

I spied them on tne stand today so had a nosy...wasn't massively impressed TBH! I can see how the shape would be comfy, but they weren't that soft.


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## kerilli (1 September 2012)

i checked them out too, liked the feel of the prolite etc, loved the idea, but since i'd need 4 (short and long, dr and stud girth) it's not going to happen! would love to have one on trial and see if it did make a difference.


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## Joeyjojo (2 September 2012)

Lol Nicnac - I did exactly the same thing! Unfortunately I was at work at the time :0


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## Kokopelli (2 September 2012)

They don't come in sizes small enough for my boy, not that I'd have the money to buy one anyway.


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## Foxford (2 September 2012)

Mine is a similar style to Tr0bles' Ideal although it's made by Jeffries. 

http://www.ejeffries.co.uk/product/68292/GIDZ/_/Zenith_Dressage_Girth

I think girths have come on so much in the last few years that there is a lot more choice available if you have a sensitive or top level horse, where everything is potentially an issue. I can't see myself ever paying that for a girth but I guess people used to say that about bits before they were revoloutionised by a few leading brands!


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## HerbiesHuman (2 September 2012)

I think that using the correct girth is very important and can often be overlooked - and I am not surprised that when using an 'anatomically' shaped girth the horses' performance improved. However, I think that the article was very biased and i'm not convinced by the depth of science that they used i.e. Exactly what type of girth were they compared with (it says the horses own, but I don't think is sufficient information)?
I also think that the article was a bit dangerous in regards to almost entirely dismissing the importance of saddle fit - it almost read as though the girth was a 'fix-all' solution and what it was attached to didn't matter.
I did go to the Fairfax stand yesterday and had a feel of the girth, as like many others, I was keen to feel the difference.  Although you could feel the prolite edge, it was much smaller/narrower than I had expected, meaning that actually you could feel the hard edge of the main body of the girth very easily. I had also expected the shape to be more severe and alien looking (as it did look quite extreme in the pics), however I didn't think that it looked particularly more curved than many other girths on the market.
I'm sure that horses will perform better in this girth compared to lots of other types of girth, especially depending on what type of girth they used to use. However, I don't think that there is enough evidence to suggest that it is a miracle girth as yet, particularly considering that the horses in contention for the Olympic teams would have been more meticulously managed than usual and would likely have had more treatments, conditioning in all areas than normal.
I'm glad that it might have raised awareness of the importance of using a well designed girth though and hope that it will contribute towards people thinking more carefully about the design and function of all of their tack and equipment, as well as thoroughly evaluating the science (or lack thereof) behind it.


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## Renvers (2 September 2012)

HerbiesHuman said:



			I think that using the correct girth is very important and can often be overlooked - and I am not surprised that when using an 'anatomically' shaped girth the horses' performance improved. However, I think that the article was very biased and i'm not convinced by the depth of science that they used i.e. Exactly what type of girth were they compared with (it says the horses own, but I don't think is sufficient information)?
I also think that the article was a bit dangerous in regards to almost entirely dismissing the importance of saddle fit - it almost read as though the girth was a 'fix-all' solution and what it was attached to didn't matter.
		
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This - reading the article I had too many questions about some of their testing, particularly as they measured the results by using the girth after a normal one, surely the length of time in work with the first girth would have meant the horse was more relaxed becuase it is worked in.

A question for those who have seen it, is it really that different to other shaped girths on the market? In the article it glosses over the differences rather than set itself apart.


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## cptrayes (2 September 2012)

Can anyone else not see the point of using some beatifully anatomically correct girth on any monoflap or dressage saddle and leaving six inches to  a foot of bare girth straps to pinch the horse on either side as most people seem to do??


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## Roody2 (2 September 2012)

Renvers said:



			A question for those who have seen it, is it really that different to other shaped girths on the market? In the article it glosses over the differences rather than set itself apart.
		
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It looks very similar to the Passier curved girth.

If you have that sort of money to spend why not take a look at the devoucoux dressage girths, they have two styles depending on the girthing of your saddle. If you don't have that sort of money, have a look at the cotswold sport version. 
OK so neither have prolite in them, but both are nicely padded and if you're that worried about prolite then why not invent a prolite girth sleeve and reap the benefits of all of us buying one to make our regular girths like the Fairfax!!


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## Renvers (2 September 2012)

Roody2 said:



			It looks very similar to the Passier curved girth.

If you have that sort of money to spend why not take a look at the devoucoux dressage girths, they have two styles depending on the girthing of your saddle. If you don't have that sort of money, have a look at the cotswold sport version. 
OK so neither have prolite in them, but both are nicely padded and if you're that worried about prolite then why not invent a prolite girth sleeve and reap the benefits of all of us buying one to make our regular girths like the Fairfax!!
		
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Thanks Roody - I think budget is nearer the latter, I will take a look. Good idea about the sleeve, I will give you a share of the profits


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## Roody2 (2 September 2012)

Whoops, I meant Chatsworth saddle co:
http://www.likeriding.co.uk/collections/girths/products/short-elasticated-leather-girth

But Cotswold do also do similar-ish girths.


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## AdorableAlice (4 September 2012)

cptrayes said:



			Can anyone else not see the point of using some beatifully anatomically correct girth on any monoflap or dressage saddle and leaving six inches to  a foot of bare girth straps to pinch the horse on either side as most people seem to do??
		
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I had exactly that problem years ago with a huge ID horse.  All 18hh of him, a normal dressage girth just about reached his elbows.

My saddler made him a dressage girth that looks like a 3 fold type girth, quite wide, very soft and very long.  I wouldn't say it's the most attractive piece of tack but it did the job.  The horse also wore a half panel saddle to enable his massive shoulders room to move.

Both the saddle and girth are still sitting in my tack room, I lost the horse only months after getting him finally getting him 100% comfortable and achieving good scores.  There is no way such bespoke tack will fit another horse so it sits there as an ornament !


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