Girth sores?

Question

My horse has girth sores. They're pretty small, but I dont want them to get any bigger. Is there anything I should put on them to help them heal quicker? I should stop riding for a week or two, right? Is it ok for me to ride bareback?

Sorry, I should probably already know this stuff. He's never had them before though.

Answer 1

Okay this is a perfect question. My horse has had gieth sores before it's cool. Well I would start off by having someone help you pick out a better girth that fits your horse better. :) then I would rub a horse type neo-sporin on each sore, it's in a yellow tube with red lettering you can find it at any Farm and Fleet. It will heal it in a matter of days. Yes, riding bare-back is perfectly fine as long as your not touching the sore. Once, the sore have healed get back in the saddle again. Hopefully this helps your baby and you!!

Answer 2

Try using either a fleece on your girth (you can buy these at the tack shop) or using a Neoprene girth. My mare has sensitive skin and is vulnerable to this problem too- that's why my girth is Neoprene and elastic. Also, make sure that you keep your girth very clean- dried sweat and dirt are not only harmful to the leather, but they are also extremely irritating to your horse's skin. Neoprene girths can be washed and rinsed with mild soap and a hose- that's another reason I like them.

To treat the open sores, I would wash them gently with clean warm water, and then apply something like the aerosol Furacin powder to them to get them to dry up and heal. You don't want to use anything which will attract dirt or flies into the wounds- and regular Furacin will do just that, as will Neosporin, because these are both wet gels, and they will keep the wounds wet. The point with girth galls is to get them to dry out and heal as soon as possible- not keep them moist and open.  You can ride bareback-that's perfectly okay. You can also ride with your regular tack, provided that you use a fleece, as I mentioned in the beginning. There is no reason you should stop riding for a week, unless you want to give your horse a vacation.

Good luck, I hope this helps.

Answer 3

well my horse when she had girth sores I stoped riding her a ofton as use to. then my grandparents gave me some yellow ceram that i had to put on he sores everyday

you can ride bareback and you can ride (no as ofton) with the saddle on

good luck!

Answer 4

You can use Furazone to treat girth sores as long as you give them time to heal before riding again.  

The main reason your horse got a girth sore is because the girth is not fitting him properly.  You might want to check into a neoprene girth with no fabric on the edges....just solid neoprene.  These girths tend to be much easier on the horse.  I have used them for my 11 year old trail horse and he has never gotten a girth sore!

Answer 5

My horse had the same problem. All you need to do is ride your horse in a girth with a fleece cover over it, or a fleece girth. Also make sure after you put the girth on pull the front legs out, preventing it from getting worse. You can also put bag balm or vaseline on it.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

I don't know about the healing process, but I do know that to prevent future sores, after you tack up, stretch the front legs out as far as your horse will allow to take out any wrinkles under the girth strap.  Hope he gets better!

Answer 7

MTG or baby oil works the best, also try getting a fleece cover for your girth is will be alot better for your horse :)

Answer 8

Not sure if you're riding English or western, but tend to think you're riding western, so you need to move your cinch back in either case.  

For western, you can do what we old timers used to do using your flank billets and "Vee" your cinch.  Use the flank billets and put them on the buckles of your cinch so that they move the cinch back about 2-3" depending upon where the gall is. Then cinch up using your latigo straps as usual.

With English (Just in case), that's the OTHER reason you have 3 billets on your saddle, so you can move your girth back when something like this happens.  

For Western, I tend to use mohair cinches and have NEVER had a girth gall with one in over 30 years (I had to learn).

English, I use a leather, shaped, padded girth with elastic on one side, they are costly, like the mohair but they last a few decades if cared for.