# How to prevent cinch sores.



## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

My gelding I'm riding daily is getting cinch sores. Using a fleece type cinch, kept fairly clean. Every day after riding he's rubbed raw. Put Alusheild on it every day after hosing him off. 

Anything other than Alusheild to help it heal faster. Leaving Wednesday to go riding/ camping for 6 days with a freind. Much needed break from the kiddos, hubbys off so he gets to, watch kids and rest of critters.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I have never used a fleece girth that did NOT gall my horses. Switch to a regular mohair girth.


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## Ashley Bright (Aug 26, 2018)

How does the cinch fit him? Is it too small? or too big ? Because I know when my cinch that I got when I got my boy, was too small and he got sores as well. I like the shoulder relief girths, or the neoprene ones. Or even a smart cinch. I would have it check and made sure it isn't too small. If you're unsure, I would ask a close friend, that rides.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I vote for mohair. That's all I use now. I've had it rub long winter hair, but NEVER made a sore on the skin.

I had a neighbor who insisted on using neoprene and it galled one of her horses every single ride. Ugh! So I wouldn't try neoprene on a sensitive horse. 

I suspect it is at least partly a saddle fit issue because it's not typical to sore a horse every ride, that is very abnormal actually. It also might be your horse's conformation. (I've found horses with big bellies will sometimes cause the cinch to ride very close to the armpits).

One thing you can do just for the vacation, is if you can get a soft piece REAL sheepskin fleece and make a sleeve for the part of your cinch that is rubbing, that can protect the area. But you will probably need to find a saddle maker to find some scrap real sheepskin with the fleece attached.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I prefer mohair for western and leather for english. But I know people who use other types that don't sore their horses. 

Where on your horse does your saddle sit. Can you share a photo?


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

@boots yes I can take a picture tomorrow when he's saddled to ride. @Ashley Bright ,Neoprene girths don't work ended up with big sores on both sides. My cinch fits not to small or to big. 

Saddle is full quarter horse bars, as far as I know it fits him. No dry patches on his back after a hard ride. 

I'll see if I can find real sheepskin to cover current cinch. Is there any ointment to put on sore to help it heal faster? ? Don't want it getting worse, has 6 days of long hard riding coming up here.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Have you gently pulled his front legs forward to release the folds of skin caught under the cinch?
A skin fold constantly abrading/rubbing together can cause a sore in minutes...
Gently stretch his legs, go slow as it is also stretching tenon, ligament and muscles fibers not yet warmed up and small tears can occur in the tissues if not a gentle approach.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

horselovinguy said:


> Have you gently pulled his front legs forward to release the folds of skin caught under the cinch?
> A skin fold constantly abrading/rubbing together can cause a sore in minutes...
> Gently stretch his legs, go slow as it is also stretching tenon, ligament and muscles fibers not yet warmed up and small tears can occur in the tissues if not a gentle approach.
> :runninghorse2:...
> _jmo..._





This + are you giving his skin time to heal before riding again?


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## charrorider (Sep 23, 2012)

I use a 17 strand mohair on my two horses and they have never developed sores. Also, I've seen riders tighten the hell out of the cinches. Mine are loose enough that my wife doesn't understand how my saddle stays in place.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Yes I stretch his front legs after tightening cinch. No time given for skin to heal before riding again. He gets one day off a week sometimes two days off.

This time of year is heavy use for trail riding, camping trips.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Try V rigging your saddle. There are 2 options for v rigging.
V - RIGGING

Try a mohair girth with the V rigging.

If that fails, buy a shoulder relief girth. They have western ones now as well. I just bought one last week and my mare did great today. Expensive but worth it.


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## SwissMiss (Aug 1, 2014)

At boot camp, my trainer used a neoprene cinch and my mare galled really bad within minutes. Even after letting it heal completely, the area remained sensitive/thin and galled with my usual mohair cinch.
Switched to a sheepskin shoulder relief cinch and finally the area _really_ healed. 

But even now, a year later, a too tight of a cinch, too forward, not stretched out right etc will gall her badly...


Switched to a v-rigging style, where I can move the cinch as needed - work even better than the shoulder relief cinch.


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## Dixiesmom (May 26, 2013)

No actual skin rub is going to heal overnight regardless of what's used. If you ride daily, then it's not going to heal which may be why it ALWAYS rubs and makes sores. I'd give it time to heal regardless of rides scheduled, but that's me.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Will definitely try the V Rigging need a lot longer Latigo, then current one. Time off isn't happening this time of year ,so not an option. He'll get plenty of time off come winter. I'll do what I can to make horse comfortable, and keep cinch sore from getting worse. 

Husband planned his time off so I could go riding/camping. This trip has been planned for months.


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

rambo99 said:


> Yes I stretch his front legs after tightening cinch. *No time given for skin to heal before riding again. *He gets one day off a week sometimes two days off.
> 
> This time of year is heavy use for trail riding, camping trips.


Ultimately, you need to* give him time off* and* let him heal.* It's not going to heal if you keep reopening it every day.And will probably make it scar down worse.

If you had a blister on your foot, and kept wearing the same shoes, and walking every day --- it too would never heal. And would be quite painful. Imagine what it feels like for your horse.




rambo99 said:


> Yes
> He'll get plenty of time off come winter. I'll do what I can to make horse comfortable, and keep cinch sore from getting worse.



So if he shows up one morning with his leg cut off, would you still keep riding him and wait until winter to give him time off? :think: Sorry, I just feel really bad for your horse. Surely you have to have a backup horse?? It sounds like you are running a business with giving trail rides? Is there a horse that you could borrow or lease from a friend while he heals?

When we bought Dexter almost 2 years ago, he had 2 huge cinch sores on both sides. And he was not ridden until they were fully healed. We could never do that to him. All year this year I've ridden him in a Professionals Choice Shearling cinch and he's not had one rub. We suspect his previous owners used neoprene, which rubbed him raw.




rambo99 said:


> This trip has been planned for months.



Horses get hurt and need time off. It's just how it goes.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

I use mohair string for both English and western.


Having proper saddle fit is important. Also having a saddle with more than one rigging option is helpful. Many horses require a cinch to be set back a bit and not be tucked up behind the leg. I have such critters. A V rigging would also work if you have no second option with your saddle. The important thing is that it be comfortable for the horse.


I agree with Beau that the horse needs time to heal,


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

My reaction is to agree with @beau159. We have backup horses, and when one is hurt it is laid off. I thought I remembered you talk of more than one horse. Then I realize I am not seeing a picture of what you are calling a sore, so my imagination might be of something different than what you are talking about.

If it isn’t bad like I assume it is, and you can get the cinch off of it by changing set ups, and you can doctor it without rubbing it anymore then I would take him too. Whatever the case I definitely would change cinches. Mohair hasn’t rubbed any of mine.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Its a cinch sore not a broken leg is a needs to be pts immediately. Not lame not off in any way its a dime size cinch sore. 

Not a business my own personal trail horse. Have two other horse's ones a pony other horse just popped an abscess so needs this week to heal. 

This gelding gets cinch sores every summer about this time of year. Last summer ,gave him time to heal and once back to work sore was back after two rides. 

Will do the V Rigging ,will get a mohair cinch and will use that on trip. Will pickup latigo and cinch tomorrow can also pickup the shoulder relief cinch, just in case the mohair one doesn't work. 

Leaving tomorrow night instead of Wednesday, gives us an extra day of riding.


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## SteadyOn (Mar 5, 2017)

rambo99 said:


> Its a cinch sore not a broken leg is a needs to be pts immediately. Not lame not off in any way its a dime size cinch sore.


There are things in between "nothing" and "broken leg" that still require consideration for your horse's wellbeing.

I understand being hesitant to cancel a trip you've been looking forward to, but is there any reason he couldn't have been given a chance to heal before this, other than you not wanting to give him a week off because riding him takes priority for you?


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

A cinch sore is painful, and the horse NEEDS TIME OFF. At least a week. At the first sign of a sore, he should have had time off and a different cinch. A new cinch will make no difference on an already-open wound. I would not be able to enjoy a ride knowing I was knowingly making my horse sore. It's basically a blister-- now rub a blister with every step and sweat into it. It hurts!

A horse prone to sores after a ride or two likely needs a different saddle arrangement. Get that cinch off his sore spot, or don't ride him. I worked on a guest ranch for several years, and even there where the horses were crucial to income, one with a cinch sore was not ridden until it was healed.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

If you ride with the sore, make sure to use something to lubricate the area. Neosporin over the sore and show sheen around the area. If the cinch is moved back far enough, it should not be touching the sore at all and should be okay for riding. 

I find cinch sores tend to be a problem with gaited horses. A shoulder relief girth and the v rigging have worked for every horse i have known with that problem.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Thank you everyone! I"ll take all replies into consideration. Need to finish packing and getting everything set up for hubby, to take care of kids and critters.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

@boots here's a picture of horse with saddle.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Your cinch is too close to the forelegs. It should be back an inch or two (if not more). Nearly any cinch on the planet is going to rub in that position. You also have an awful lot of pad on there. From what I can see, it also looks like your breastcollar is pulling the saddle forward. Is this taken before or after a ride? 

Your bigger issue here may be the fit of the saddle, not the cinch itself. Try a shoulder-relief girth and a rear cinch to help stabilize the saddle, but if that doesn't work, you may need to get a different saddle for this particular horse.


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

Agree with all the posts above. 

One other suggestion I have is to coat him with Desitin or other baby diaper cream. My good friend has a TWH who is prone to girth galls and she can ride 30 miles with no problem if she coats him with it pre ride.

Some horses have problems with synthetic fleece. If you're going to keep using a fleece cinch I would try a Woolback. My mare has ridden about 200 miles in hers this summer without issue. The natural fibers seem to do better with sensitive horses.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Breast collar is not tight or pulling saddle forward. Saddle never moves doesn't slide forward. Saddle fits no dry spots. Have always used a thick pad, under blanket is not adding any balk its used to keep main saddle pad clean. 

Having a back cinch isn't necessary saddle is stable. Cinch sits a good 2 inch away from elbows. Cinch doesn't make sores until late summer when his coat sheds out. He hardly has any coat left right now. 

picture was taken before ride saddle never moved even after a 3 hour ride. Getting a new saddle isn't in our budget. Just got done school shopping for 4 kids and buying 2 loads of hay. 

Used saddles at local tack shop are 400$ for decent ones. New are 800$ and up. Maybe later on I could do a different saddle. Right now current saddle is going to have to do. Horse never complains if it didn't fit he'd let me know been there done that. He turns into a bronc if saddle is pinching anywhere. 

Could ride bareback but not on him. He can be silly/spooky gets a bit hot & goey. Needs rode daily or he's a pistol to ride.


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## 4horses (Nov 26, 2012)

Silvermaple- this horse has an extremely far forward girth groove. With a horse like this the cinch will slide forward in to the girth groove no matter what you do. That is why you need a shoulder relief girth. There are tons of anatomical fit English girths, but i believe only the shoulder relief makes a western one.

As for the shoulder relief - get as small as you can. My foxtrotter uses a 22 inch shoulder relief dressage girth. She is 14.3 hands. I originally bought a larger shoulder relief girth and it didn't fit right. I'm not sure if the western one is designed differently.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Coated his cinch sore with desitin.Works great sore wasn't raw even after 6 - 1/2 hour ride today. Shoulder relief cinch was to small. Thanks to poster who suggested the desitin. I'll keep his cinch sore coated for riding.


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

4horses said:


> Silvermaple- this horse has an extremely far forward girth groove. With a horse like this the cinch will slide forward in to the girth groove no matter what you do. That is why you need a shoulder relief girth. There are tons of anatomical fit English girths, but i believe only the shoulder relief makes a western one.


Agree about the forward girth groove, but sometimes a mohair cinch works even better than an anatomical or shoulder relief cinch. The mohair is so flat, that even if the horse's leg sits close to the cinch it can slide over it without moving the cinch or rubbing. The biggest problem with a fleece cinch like that is that it will be pushed forward and back as the horse moves, because it sits so close to the leg.

Horses that keep working normally even with an open sore are always worrisome to me, because that means they will actually injure themselves before letting you know. The stoic types are not my favorite, because you have to be extra vigilant to keep them healthy and sound. If you wait for them to tell you, they may have permanent damage by then. Putting up with pain without complaint is not a good feature in a horse, in my book.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

4horses said:


> Silvermaple- this horse has an extremely far forward girth groove. With a horse like this the cinch will slide forward in to the girth groove no matter what you do. That is why you need a shoulder relief girth. There are tons of anatomical fit English girths, but i believe only the shoulder relief makes a western one.


I have a horse like this. Solved the problem with a good mohair cinch combined with a saddle that fit better, and now the cinch rests happily where it should, not up behind the shoulders even though that's where the groove is.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Saddle fits just fine was fitted by a saddle fitter. Cinch isn't that close to forelegs as picture shows and sore is under cinch. And problem is only this time of year he rode all spring/ summer never a problem. Just finished a 5 hour ride and desitin keeps sore totally protected. Heading out for another 4 to 5 hour ride giving horses a rest and time to eat and have water.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Don't forget to remove the burrs from the cinch before you head out again.


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## tim62988 (Aug 30, 2012)

the center fire rigging works wonders, pulls the cinch way back from that space. 

had similar issues with my twh, i switched rigging as well as bought woolback & coolback covers, don't think i "need" the covers anymore but cheap insurance.


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