My Experience
I have a good deal of experience with a number of riders who choose to use a mohair cinch/girth. My own gelding has skin issues that make using other cinch/girth materials hard on him. He has been ridden with cinches and girths made from leather, fleece and neoprene, and each of them caused issues of some type. I finally decided to try Mohair cinches and girths on him and very quickly his symptoms started to subside. Now, so long as I only use Mohair, he no longer suffers from any of his previous issues. For Clifford, Mohair is the most natural and easily effective ways to prevent skin irritation, galling, bald patches, excess sweat/overheating and skin flaking.
Why does Mohair work when the other materials didn’t?
There are several factors that contribute to Mohair being an excellent material for Cinches/Girths. Mohair is a natural fiber produced by the Angora Goat. A cinch/girth made from 100% mohair is soft, breathable and has a wicking action, aiding in the removal of excess sweat. This makes it feel comfortable to the horse, unlike other materials that can bunch, collect moisture and cause overheating. Other factors that make mohair great cinch material is that it is naturally antibacterial and very strong and resilient. It actually is hair, not wool, so any shrinkage and felting is limited. Mohair is washable and relatively low maintenance.
Why should you get a handwoven cinch/girth versus a commercially made one?
Buying a handmade cinch assures you the material going into the product is 100% mohair. Some commercially made mohair cinches and girths can contain blends with other fiber types and still be labelled as simply ‘mohair’.
Additionally, If you require a cinch/girth in a unique size or with specific buckles etc these can be made specifically to suit the horse in question.
The last but the most fun part is that mohair takes on dyes very readily, making a lot of colors available to work into cinches, girths and other mohair items, to create that special, one of a kind custom piece.