I have had a lot of questions from people lately in regards to this new contraption I have on Dante. From people coming upto me whilst he is wearing it asking what it is, to people asking me where I got it because they want to purchase one.
The Chafe belt as it is actually called, not the belly strap or the leg protector guard, I had some serious problems trying to explain down the phone to companies what I was looking for prior to purchasing!
So what actually is this Chafe Belt & What is its purpose?
Why The Need For This Product on Dante?
Where my leg sits when I am sitting in the saddle is the reason behind this wonder belt. Dante has quite thin skin and after the 3 clips he has had over the winter, I began to notice a lot of chaffing from where my leg sits whilst riding. Whilst my leg does move back & forth, it doesn’t really drastically move from the spot it sits in.
I began to notice the hair around the area get thinner & thinner rubbing leaving almost a bald spot, in turn only aggravating the skin underneath, well he never reacted towards it but I was beginning to feel a lot of guilt. Everytime I finished riding I would put my Botanica Natural Herbal Cream on the area trying to encourage hair re-growth, but the problem realistically came down to the constant pressure on this area from my boot, and from me putting leg on Dante whilst riding.
It would clear if he had two /three days off in a row but as I began to ride again it would begin to look get aggravated so I began searching for a solution to fix the problem. and let me tell you, it certainly was not easy.
Trying to describe what I was looking for alone was quite the task, it didn’t help that I was making up my own names for the product, but upon a visit to local equestrian shop in Maynooth, Equestrian World I stumbled across exactly what I was searching for from their very helpful shop assistant.
The Brand Zandona & The Superior Chafe Guard
The “Superior Chafe Guard Evo” is made in Italy by the equestrian brand Zandona. I accidentally stumbled across this brand, & I am delighted that I did! The purpose of their Chafe guard is to prevent and protect the skin against abrasions in the girth area/the area where your leg would sit whilst riding. It was made to protect the horse in the delicate areas which is often due to pressure from the riders leg regardless of whether or not spurs are used.
The elastic bandage of the Chafe Belt serves as a protection to prevent the area that is subjected to rubbing from being further stressed and weakened. It is made with a resistant high quality elastic fabric with high breathable capacity, allowing the horses skin to breathe and consequently allows any areas effected time to regenerate and heal in optimal conditions.
A reinforcement fabric has also been placed to increase durability and reduce wear from use, since the area is very subject to continuous strains by the heel of the rider.
Whilst I wear the belt quite a good bit, I do give Dante off days with it also, like when I am hacking or doing light work.
How To Put it on your Horse
The product itself only comes with a few image guidelines on the back of the box vaguely showing you how to apply it, I can say that it was very quick to grasp onto the concept of how to put the belt on. definately was not rocket science! See my trust worthy steps below!
- Start by placing the belt over your horses back, use the half way point where your horses saddle should sit as a guideline as to where it should be placed.
- Their is a velcro strap that secures the belt together, once you are happy with the belts placement, secure the belt underneath your horses stomach, by putting the velcro over each other securely holding the belt in place.
- Continue to Tack your horse up as normal with your numnah/saddle. Whilst applying the girth, make sure to secure the girth into the two loops attached to the belt that are either side of the saddle. This will ensure the belt does not slip back giving you a bucking belt, Yes I may have learned that the hard way….. I won’t comment any further!
- Finally for extra security there are also two clips that attach to the D rings either side of your saddle, make sure to pop them out from under your numnah so as they don’t dig into your horse. These are great to ensure the belt doesn’t move around.
My Thoughts on The Product?
This product was amazing. It was a god send, it definately fell into my hands at the right time. I was beginning to feel really guilty riding my horse, after I would get off he would have a slight mark from where my leg would lie, the marks were from just my riding boots alone!
Whilst the product itself is quite pricey, retailing at €130, I found that it was an investment defiantly worth making. Since buying this, I have used the Chafe belt almost everyday. Whilst I don’t ride with spurs, it certainly protects the softer layer of skin around the area where my legs sit.
The quality of the product has stood well, it still looks absolutely brand new. I have ridden in hail rain & snow quite literally last weekend & the belt never deteriorated once, or even slipped being so wet. I have only ridden in my riding boots, so If you were someone who rode in spurs a lot, the product might take a bit more wear & tear.
As far as the product goes, it’s a massive thumbs up from me! I highly recommend the purchase, whilst it may be above some budgets, it certainly was a life saving product & great investment for me. I have linked the product here is you are interested!
As always, Thanks for reading! If you have any questions relating this product be sure to drop us a mail, or ask in the comments below.
This is so cool! I’ve never seen one of these before. So glad you found just what you needed!
Thank you! It certainly comes in very handy