How did you know when a pony is blowing there belly up when you are tightening the girth?

Paige C: How did you know when a pony is blowing there belly up when you are tightening the girth?
Sometimes when I go into the ring with my pony I tighten the girth then get on and then all of the sudden i check the girth and it is very loose. If anyone has had this problem with there own pony if you can give any tips ill be happy to try them.

Answers and Views:

Answer by girly but tomboyish!!!
my horse does the same and…im sorry i just think their WAY smart……..dont thinks their r any cheats on this one

Answer by LaPri
Make him move a little before you tighten the girth, just a step back or forward. You can tighten it and then stop before the ring and tighten it again.
Get him good and relaxed before you saddle him by brushing and some massage. Have your saddle checked for a good fit he may be uncomfortable.

Good luck

Answer by Brookie
any horse does that, they do that on purpose because they don’t like getting there girth tightened. when you do up the girth tighten it as tight as you can and then when you go to ride you Pony check the girth again and it will be lose, just tighten it all the way then it should be fine.

Answer by i_hate_rocks
Check what hole your girth is on when you get off. If he doesn’t seem to have put on weight and you can’t get it to that hole or the one closest to it then he is blowing up his belly. Tighten the girth only a little when you first put it on and as you tack him up (or put on the rest of the tack) slowly keep tightening it. Then walk him around a bit before getting on and recheck the girth.

Answer by fishable12
almost all horses do that!
What I do it tighten it once
then I walk around for maybe 5 mins (you could start doing warm ups)
then I tighten it again and then begin to ride

Answer by d
after you tighten it walk him around then tighten it again.

Answer by rkay
hmm i’ve never really heard of anything you can do. you just kind of have to learn and remember which horses do it. just get your girth as tight as you can at first and always check it before you get on. sometimes if you put your girth on really quick after you’ve put on the saddle pad and saddle and just make it swift YET smooth so your horse has less time to blow their belly up.

Answer by barrel racer
every horse and pony does this- just when you tighten up the girth, tighten it up as tight as it can go and then wait for a couple minutes and tighten it again- then lead the pony around and it will become a little loose again so tighten it once more. then get on and ride it around for a little bit and then get off and tighten it once more.
its totally normal and happens to everyone. hope i helped good luck in all that you do and best of wishes!

Answer by galloppal
With a horse that does this, tightening the girth is a 3 stage process, so you have to allow the time it takes for that. First tighten it enough to keep the saddle from slipping, and take him for a walk. Then, tighten it again, and take another walk. Then tighten one more time, making sure you can still get three fingers between the girth and him. after the final tightening, pull each of his front legs up and forward, which will remove any wrinkles that may have formed in his skin under the girth. Now, mount him. It’s best to mount from a mounting block, instead of from the ground, especially with a “cinchy” horse. Good luck!

Answer by Courtney S
i always walk my horse a lap around the ring before getting on, and it usually loosens him up so i can quick get the girth up. or, if that doesnt work i give him a nudge in the stomach and he sucks in.

Answer by Rosi M
You know your pony’s bloating when after you’ve tightened the girth, walk the pony around and put your foot in the stirrup and try and mount and the saddle slides off to the side.

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist that! But to be honest, after you’ve tightened the girth, walked the pony around, put your fingers between the girth and the pony and check if there’s a LOT more space than there was when you first tightened it. Then you tighten the girth up more and walk your pony around a bit more. Check it as before and if there’s no change, THEN mount up.

Answer by Dawn M
My ponies used to do that also..I would tighten it up as best as possible and then I would nudge their belly and they would release and I would retighten it. Ponies are so smart they know what they are doing. I think its quite funny. Good luck and enjoy your animals. I sure do miss mine.

Answer by katey
Walk a few steps because your horse won’t be able to hold in that air while they are walking. Stop walking, and quickly tighten the girth. Your pony won’t expect it and won’t have the time to blow out.

Answer by B.M.
You need to tighten the girth slowly at first and then after you mount your weight tends to make the girth a little looser so I always pull it up a hole after I mount. Horses will expand their stomach if they are anticipating the pain of tightening a girth quickly. So tighten it slowly!!!
Good Luck!

Answer by CowGirl22
Take time looking at their stomach like you do their legs,usually you can tell if its much more bloated.Give a slight knee to make him breathe back in or give a hard jerk on the girth and you can usually hear the air flow. lol

Answer by Barefoottrimmer
Unfortunately, most horses have had poor girthing experiences so they try to protect themselves by expanding their muscles. In properly saddling your horse, just bring the girth up to be barely snug and walk your horse around a bit, ask him to release his hind quarters or step over in front. then tighten a second time as he exhales (gently). More walking and tightening repeated 3-4 times. This enables you to safely secure your saddle without insulting your horse. And be careful never to over-tighten the girth/cinch. It doesn’t have to be cutting through the skin to be snug enough. You should be able to slip 4 fingers flat easily behind the tightened girth. This procedure is so much kinder to your horse and he will begin to not dread the process so much. It has to be all about the horse. Don’t you think??