Girthiness is never normal
Unwanted behaviour while being tacked up includes everything from biting and kicking, to ear pinning, tail swishing, head tossing, staring intensely, windsucking… the list is a very long one.
How many horses do you know who are »girthy«? Unwanted behaviour while fastening the girth is such a common sight in barns that many people don't even notice it anymore. »He's always done that« or »That's just how he is«, are lines we hear all the time when it comes to this kind of behaviour. But even though it's very prevalent, this kind of behaviour is not normal and it shouldn't be taken as that. While some horses are right down aggressive when the saddle goes on, others protest by pinning their ears, swishing their tails or tossing their heads. None of this is normal. In some extreme cases, horses can look like they're falling asleep or as if they are about to pass out. In these cases, it's most likely a nerve impingement issue.
There are many reasons why a horse might be sensitive to fastening the girth. Among the more common ones are pain from an ill-fitting saddle, stomach ulcers, a dysfunctional thoracic sling, lumbar pain and pectoral muscle injuries. The area where the girth lies is a very complex one, from a muscular, fascial and nerve point of view. Adhesions in the fascia around the girth line are very common and can be a reaction to dysfunction in the front end of the horse's body. Very often the unwanted behaviour goes away when we restore functionality of the thoracic sling, but very often this problem is multi-faceted. A dysfunctional thoracic sling, for example, is very often seen hand in hand with stomach ulcers. In those cases, we can try to restore thoracic sling functionality, but if the ulcers are not dealt with, the same problem will come back. Same goes if saddle fit is not addressed.
When we look at the fascial lines running across the horse’s body, we can see that the girth line crosses many of them, so it is no wonder that this area is a very sensitive one.
So, when we are dealing with a »girthy« horse, we need to do five things:
Realise this behaviour is not normal and commit to starting the journey to get to the bottom of the problem.
Check for stomach ulcers.
Address tightness and dysfunction in the body through bodywork and active physiotherapy.
Check saddle and girth fit before continuing with ridden work.
Slowly reintroduce the saddle and girth once all the above has been addressed.
Saddle fit is a huge factor in how comfortable the horse is while being tacked up.
With horses, things are rarely straightforward and sometimes we feel like we've done everything we could, but the unwanted behaviour still persists. There are horses who, after all of the potential issues have been addressed, will still show issues with the girth being fastened. You might say they have developed a sort of tick. While this does sometimes happen, it is more the exception than the rule, so don't give up too fast.
If your horse has always been ok with the girth but has recently started showing signs of discomfort, here is a bodywork technique you can try. Sometimes just a gentle release of the fascia in the girth area can make a huge difference. Try this move once a day for a week on both sides of the horse. If the issue persists, get a good bodyworker out and they can give you further advice.