Girthiness. The moment you start to tighten the girth, your
normally placid and well-mannered horse
It’s a frustrating and challenging problem to deal with. Saddle
fit, back pain, gastric ulcers and innumerable other causes have been
implicated.
A recent retrospective study looked at the clinical signs
and final diagnosis of horses referred to a university clinic for girthiness.
Esther Millares-Ramirez and Sonia S Le Jeune went back through
the records of horses examined at University of California, Davis between 2004
and 2012. During that time 37 horses had been referred for investigation
of girthing problems.
The research has been published in the Journal of Equine
Veterinary Science.
The authors report that the final diagnosis was gastric
ulceration in twelve horses, and orthopaedic problems in ten horses. Ill-fitting
saddles were responsible for three cases. Other diagnoses included reproductive
tract neoplasia, liver abscess and urinary tract infection.
Not all horses were subjected to gastroscopic examination,
but of those that were, 92% had gastric ulcers.
The authors conclude that determining the cause of girthiness
remains a challenge, but they recommend that as gastric ulcers were commonly
involved, investigation should include gastroscopy.
For more details, see:
Girthiness: Retrospective Study of 37 Horses (2004-2016).
Millares-Ramirez EM, Le Jeune SS.
J Equine Vet Sci. (2019) 79:100-104.
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