Spur marks. We don’t want them, we try not to inflict them upon our horses. . . and yet, all too often, they appear. If you’ve ever seen some poor soul riding around with standing wraps stuffed sideways under the girth, ostensibly creating a barrier between heel and horseflesh, you know it’s a look that’s downright unbecoming, not to mention unhorsemanship-like.

So long to the days of shoving a bulky saddle pad alongside the girth to prevent spur rubs. Thanks to the minds at EquiFit, the new EquiFit BellyBand provides yet another innovative solution to a common daily struggle.

The new sleek, black non-neoprene elastic BellyBand offers full coverage of that exact area where spurs frequently leave unsightly marks and sores. Instead of having to constantly readjust an unwieldy saddle pad as it gradually slides away every time your leg moves, this innovative EquiFit BellyBand won’t move an inch. Adjustable Velcro girth loops make it easy to put on and take off, and the reinforced safety closure guarantees a secure fit with no slippage (win!) It is 12” wide and comes in three different lengths (Cob 73”, Horse 75”, Oversized 77”) to fit all different types of horse.

It’s a genius solution to an everyday problem for many riders, but it’s hard not to wonder why we even have this problem to begin with. Whatever happened to using leg aids correctly and without the need for long, sharp spurs? To the person who first decided to create a makeshift spur rub pad, did you not consider the reason why you needed to place a guard in between your leg and the horse’s side in the first place? (Insert fiery George Morris comment here about riders using their leg aids improperly.)

Regardless of why riders continue to want to use spurs so much that they threaten to rub a horse’s side raw, a product that provides a solution to erasing spur marks is gold. The BellyBand is so thin that it allows for minimal interference between your leg and the horse’s side. No matter the underlying reasons for use, the BellyBand makes the horse’s world that much better. Does this product bring riders one step closer to properly using their leg, while serving as a warning for all to use a gentler spur? One can hope.