New Custom Saddle - ? Cinch Placement

[goldpony]

Hi all! This saddle (and tree) was custom made for my horse. I am concerned about the cinch placement pinching/digging in to his shoulder muscle. Any suggestions? Thank you very much!

[Tkleather1]

Personally I would chang sides with the Latigo. And then put a Mohair cinch on it. That bulk under the ring of the cinch will cause some problems.

[kseidel]

The rigging placement on the saddle is fine for the horse... it is in the correct position. The fault lies with how you set the cinch when saddling your horse. The saddle is in the correct position, however, you have placed the cinch too close to the horses leg, and have the latigos running at an angle forward. This is incorrect. If you place the cinch straight down from the rigging, the cinch will be about 3 inches behind the leg where it is supposed to be.

TKleather1 is correct in that the long latigo is supposed to be on the left (or near) side of the horse, and the billet should be on the right side. when running the long latigo around the rigging, it should go over the top of the hardware, and not through the slot a second time. A longer cinch is also in order for this animal. It would be best at least 2 - 3 inches higher on each side. The cinch should be 4 - 6 inches longer. The wear piece under the cinch buckle will not be a problem when in the proper place on the horse.

These changes will put the cinch in the proper position, and your horse will be able to perform painlessly in this saddle.

Respectfully,

Keith Seidel

[goldpony]

Thank you both for your comments. I reversed the front rigging to see if it would make a difference, but it did not. The cinch will not stay in a straight line, it angles forward. I have tried a longer cinch (but not mohair) and it still angles forward. I've owned four western saddles (one custom) and have never had a cinch issue. Thank you for the suggestion of a longer cinch (mohair).

[BondoBobCustomSaddles]

Thank you both for your comments. I reversed the front rigging to see if it would make a difference, but it did not. The cinch will not stay in a straight line, it angles forward. I have tried a longer cinch (but not mohair) and it still angles forward. I've owned four western saddles (one custom) and have never had a cinch issue. Thank you for the suggestion of a longer cinch (mohair).

Gold, without question, the info from Keith and TK, is correct. Hang that nice leather cinch on the all and let it look pretty. Use a good quality mohair cinch of proper length, if it ends up a little forward, it won't bother the horse and your horse will enjoy the comfort afforded by a well fitting new saddle.

Happy Trails,

Bondo Bob

[Billy H]

Goldpony, Congrats on the new saddle!

I can not tell for sure, but it looks like you have a Fjord saddled up. Those horses can be a challenge to fit well, your saddle looks good up there.

Keith made a real good comment on the length of cinch, TK also made a good comment about bulk.

Bob I think is right on about once you get a good mohair cinch of proper length--- if it moves forward a little I do not think it will bother the horse.

Get some miles on that new rig!!!

Billy

Edited October 3, 2010 by Billy H

[goldpony]

Again, thank you for the advice! Yes, this is a five year old Norwegian Fjord gelding. He is short-back, wide with a big barrel and a honking thick neck. He has personality-plus and very smooth to ride. I have spoken to a cinch maker, and he has suggested a 38" mohair roper cinch. I trail ride and it rains a lot here. Time to do some research on how to keep a mohair cinch clean in a wet environment. I have never used a string girth/cinch before. I am very grateful for this forum with its wealth of hands-on knowledge!

[Tkleather1]

The rigging placement on the saddle is fine for the horse... it is in the correct position. The fault lies with how you set the cinch when saddling your horse. The saddle is in the correct position, however, you have placed the cinch too close to the horses leg, and have the latigos running at an angle forward. This is incorrect. If you place the cinch straight down from the rigging, the cinch will be about 3 inches behind the leg where it is supposed to be.

TKleather1 is correct in that the long latigo is supposed to be on the left (or near) side of the horse, and the billet should be on the right side. when running the long latigo around the rigging, it should go over the top of the hardware, and not through the slot a second time. A longer cinch is also in order for this animal. It would be best at least 2 - 3 inches higher on each side. The cinch should be 4 - 6 inches longer. The wear piece under the cinch buckle will not be a problem when in the proper place on the horse.

These changes will put the cinch in the proper position, and your horse will be able to perform painlessly in this saddle.

Respectfully,

Keith Seidel

You are much better at the explantions than I. You said everything I wanted to but didnt wuite know how to spit it out without sounding like a know it all.

Well Said Kieth.

[GrampaJoel]

Goldpony

I ride a Fjord as well. My mare is such a great ride. She is quite a bit taller than her sister, but that works just fine with my height. 6'1".

I have had a hard time getting a saddle to fit her wide flat short back also. But the saddle you have looks like it fits well. I suggest that you go with the mohair string cinch and when putting the saddle on let the cinch strap hang loose enough to "self place" itself before tightening. I usually go to her front and raise her front leg to remove and wrinkles that may get caught under the cinch. Looks like you have a white. My girl is a brown dun.

Edited October 3, 2010 by GrampaJoel

[Billy H]

Hey Goldpony, This is just a thought. You might want to get some rear billets put on and use that leather cinch there. What do you guys think?

I am not sure how many strands a roper mohair is, but I ride alot of Haflingers with same build and a 19 or 21 strand works real well for me.

I always enjoy seeing the saddle on the horse instead of on a stand.

Keep us posted! Billy

[roo4u]

the moisture shouldnt be a problem with a mohair cinch. just make sure you hang it so it can dry between rides.... mohair is very comfortable for horses and wont burn them when wet like a leather or neoprene cinch sometimes can.

[goldpony]

He is a gray dun. My other horse is a Haflinger gelding! Both need to have their front leqs stretched after being cinched up.

The saddle came with a back cinch, but it was too small. The saddlemaker is making him a larger one.

Glad to hear mohair can take getting wet. I'm a total newbie to mohair!

[Aggiebraider]

I know someone already replied with what I was going to say, but I wanted to add something. I went to The Boot and Saddlemaker Roundup at Witchita Falls this weekend and met another member of the forum who in discussing using nylon vs horsehair or mohair for mecate reins, gave me some good advice he heard from somewhere else. The cowboys 100 years ago worked out in the rain, muck, and mud on a daily basis and had no means of protecting or treating their gear further than normal, and didnt worry about it getting wet. As long as you properly dry something between uses and dont let a rawhide bosal or a mohair cinch sit around the tack room wet for days, you should have no problems. If it gets rained on, I would just take it off the saddle and maybe hang it up. That way it gets some air circulation and doesnt lay across your saddle wet.

CW

[steve mason]

Again, thank you for the advice! Yes, this is a five year old Norwegian Fjord gelding. He is short-back, wide with a big barrel and a honking thick neck. He has personality-plus and very smooth to ride. I have spoken to a cinch maker, and he has suggested a 38" mohair roper cinch. I trail ride and it rains a lot here. Time to do some research on how to keep a mohair cinch clean in a wet environment. I have never used a string girth/cinch before. I am very grateful for this forum with its wealth of hands-on knowledge!

to solve the wet cinch problem, get 2 cinches then you can dry one out if you are riding every day. I know cowboys around here that ride every day in wet conditions that have 4-5 cinchs to make sure they always have a clean dry chinch on their horse. 5 would not be neccesary for you but 2 might help you out.

[goldpony]

While I am picking everyones' brain - how do I know what width of cinch to get, or do I just go with the cinchmaker's suggetion of the roper cinch? The mohair cinch is 5" below the cinch ring and 10" a the center of the belly. My Norwegian Fjord is not fat, just built like a tank!

[JRedding]

Just throwing in my two bits,and not intending to contradict anyone. You do need a longer cinch I agree but you'll never cinch that saddle up three inches rear of where it is and keep it there, it's not as simple as that, that cinch or any cinch will naturally find it's way to the smallest part of the horse, it's cinched in the girth of the horse in the photo and even if you deliberately move it three inches back it will find it's way back right where it is in the first mile. This is why the old centerfire rigged saddles were so well known for moving all over a horses back, because cinching a horse around the tapered part of his body only happens with limited success. There is nothing wrong with it cinching slightly forward like it is, most saddles appear like yours to some degree unless they're rigged full double. If you're concerned about a dry, cinch I think the two cinch idea is a sure thing. There is a difference between what most call a roper cinch and just a wide cinch, the roper is usually woven solid several inches directly beneath the cinch buckles and then the strands single out. A plain wide cinch isn't woven at all, the strands are loose all the way from the center to the buckles. The plain wide cinch will dry quicker and stay cleaner than the woven together roper style because the strands can separate full length of itself and tend to dry better and also sweat, hair and dirt doesn't build in them as quickly as the solid woven roper style.The roper style seems to be very common and the loose strand wide cinch is more difficult to find in our area but if you're dealing with a cinchmaker and not just shopping what's locally available you should be able to get one if you'd like. Hope that makes some sense.

[Billy H]

JRedding-----------Very well written, great points.

[goldpony]

I spoke with the cinchmaker tonight. He asked me to measure from the horse's elbow (mid-point) on one side then underneath to the other elbow. I will also send pictures of his front-end and side. This will help him decide on the correct width and length to make the cinch.

[kseidel]

I have found that the single ply cinches tend to stay in place on the horse the best. Roper cinches are stronger because the strands are doubled. As Jim said, they are woven together several inches from each ring, and then spread flat in the center. They are usually 29 - 31 strands. The single ply cinches have looser strands, and intertwine with the horses hair and tend to hold their place better than doubled roper cinches. A 19 or 21 strand double diamond or three bar 100% mohair cinch in the correct length would give you satisfactory results. I stock these in my store and can get them for you in extra long lengths if you need additional assistance.

Keith

[AdamTill]

While I am picking everyones' brain - how do I know what width of cinch to get, or do I just go with the cinchmaker's suggetion of the roper cinch? The mohair cinch is 5" below the cinch ring and 10" a the center of the belly. My Norwegian Fjord is not fat, just built like a tank!

Icelandic tank owner here. When I finally finish a tree that fits my guy, I'll be using a joined/pack cinch like this:

http://store.artcord...cinch-p180.aspx

They work quite well on these sorts of horses.

Edited to add a photo of my horse in a borrowed Harwood saddle (93 degree tree). The owner had ridden a couple of Fjords in it the year previously, and said the saddle (and cinch, by extension) fit reasonably well. It was okay for my horse, but could have used a bit more rock I think. I think he would have been a bit happier in the pack cinch, but this worked fine for the clinic in question.

.

Cheers,

Adam

Edited October 5, 2010 by AdamTill

[goldpony]

Took the camera to the barn and the batteries were dead! Thank you for the info on the roper cinch. I would have thought it was just the opposite! There was also talk of using a Y-Cinch.