How do I know what size girth & balance strap I need for my horse?

By far the most frequently asked question I get is: How do I know what size girth and balance strap I need for my horse?

You can not just go by your astride girth as side-saddle billets tend to be shorter, have less wiggle room than astride saddles, and don’t typically use elastic. The easiest way is to test with a girth that is too short and add girth extenders. But I know that isn’t always possible. Here is an easy thing you can do using materials typically found in most barns. Let me be clear- this is for MEASURING only. NOT FOR RIDING. This is not a safe setup for riding and I do not encourage people to use stirrup leathers as a temporary balance strap.

Take the 1” buckles and secure them tail-end to tail-end. Make sure they are secure as if not they will pop apart when you go to tighten your “girth”. You can use multiple pieces of duct tape, bailing twine or zip ties are great for this!

Use this buckle piece to attach 2 stirrup leathers together so there is a buckle on either end.

Attach one end to one billet and the other end to the other side. In the case of balance girth measuring- one to the front balance billet and then to the rear balance billet on the opposite side. (I am not using near or off side someone might be using this for an offside saddle). You may need to punch holes in the stirrup leathers unless using really short ones.

Make sure your horse is done puffing and tighten again before taking a final measurement. This is a common mistake. People frequently ask for girths that are too long. I encourage people to measure from 2nd hole on from the bottom to 2nd hole on the bottom for a girth. And from 2nd hole on the short balance billet to 1/3 to midway up on the long (offside on a near side saddle) balance billet. This helps ensure there is enough room to tighten especially if you use these girths hunting! Sometimes people have to use a girth extender on one buckle to get the girth started. This is okay as long as you prepare for that and have one handy.

Take the stirrup leathers off and measure tongue to tongue on the buckles. The tongue is the metal tab that inserts into the billet as seen in the photo above.

This is the most accurate measurement and the one I like to work from best. The girth in the pictures would be 58” tongue to tongue. That’s a really big girth by the way!

Some additional hints: Your girth and your balance strap are not always the same length. I have seen them be up to 4” different. It all depends on the shape of your horse and billet placement on the saddle. If you have outer girthing on your side-saddle you will want to be more accurate in where your girth and balance strap buckles line up. Ideally, they should be within the same plane when viewing the horse from the side. It’s most pleasing to see.