# Question on Aussie Girth/Cinch setup



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

My guess is yes. Just check the leather and rings to ensure it hasn't cracked or been damaged, and you should be good to go. Cinches and girths should not be high stress items. At least with the overgirth, you can easily see the entire thing you are trusting.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

I used to have an Australian saddle whose previous owner also had the overgirth replaced with a western system. It seemed very stable, but was a pain in the butt to tighten properly due to the flap being in the way.


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## MuGGzy (Feb 24, 2012)

Kind of what I suspected but the lady at the Australian Saddle website CS line made it sound like it was REALLY unsafe, but... I can ship my saddle to them and for $300 they will sew in some different rings.

I found a pic, the "Under Girth" is directly ahead of the "Over Girth" (I think they are both technically called some type of circingle) but under the topmost layer of leather so they are side by side when they come out the bottom.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Subbing ^^


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

The surcingle (over girth) is not designed to be used alone. 

If anything people do it the other way around, using just the under one and pulling out the over. 

The two girth design is for safety and its best to use them both. They should be sitting next to each other - so the surcingle goes under the outer flap to sit in the inner. Sometimes it can have a strap and a ring.

I'm not quite envisioning what it looks like. Or what you are doing.


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## MuGGzy (Feb 24, 2012)

Ok after a few mins of horrible photoshopping..

I know IDEALLY I would have two surcingles, but as I am about to leave for a week of camping and only ordered ONE, I am basically asking, if I am only going to use ONE Surcingle, which is the better idea to use?

Right now I have (on both sides):








With these attached (which basically make it too long):









I want to remove one of these:









To hopefully end up with a SINGLE D Ring version of this:









Once I get home I plan on ordering a second D Ring Surcingle to attain the above but for now, to ride average trails for 5 days, I want to know if I can safely use one, and if so, would the front, or "over" be the better idea. Keep in mind I will also be using a aussie breastplate and a crupper so it's not like I am just using a rope to hold the saddle on and praying for the best.:icon_rolleyes:


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I tried using just the overgirth with a D-ring on each end. It seemed reasonably secure, but the D-ring was high enough that it was difficult to use the latigo due to interference from the flap. After a few weeks, I went back to using an Australian girth.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Given your circumstances (ie you can't use the original system of over girth plus buckled under girth; you don't have sufficient material to revamp the girthing system at the moment), I would use the buckled under girth rather than the over girth. 

My rationale for that is that the buckled one will have a more stabilizing influence on the position of the tree assuming (and this is a biggy - the assumption that is) that the over girth alone would twist out of position reducing the stability of the saddle not too mention possibly irritating the horse.

While I like the idea of an over girth, I don't get why the Australian system uses the odd sized buckle set up. To me it would make better sense to have both girths made so that a regular English girth would work. Perhaps someone will be able to enlighten me on that aspect.


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

My aussie saddle was converted the straight western rigging (no overgirth or undergirth, just a D ring on either side). I HATED it. There was a ridiculous amount of bulk under my left leg from the latigo and regardless of what size cinch I used, it always crossed over onto the flap and was just a pain to tighten.

I do, however, like the tackaberry system. I have a friend who has a Muster Master made by the Australian Stock Saddle Company that has the tackaberry system and it is SO easy to use.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Seems like a lot of mucking around when you could just buy a correctly sized girth that suits the saddle? Is there a reason why you need to use a western type cinch? 

For the next few days I would use the strap that goes through the guts of the saddle. 

FYI only the strap going over the saddle is called the surcingle. 

I don't know about all the U.S. Imports of 'Aussie' saddles (a lot of them bear little resemblance to an actual stock saddle) but the way most are set up here is that the surcingle allows a bit of pulley action to assist in getting the girth tight enough. The leather and buckles are large and heavy duty to give added strength - I use mine for work and the leather is a bit stretched out, I hate to think what leather the same size as my all purpose saddle would look like after a year working in the hills we have here.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I have no information to add to this discussion as I have only ridden in an Austrailian saddle once before and just for a few minutes.
I have wondered about the surcingle that goes over the seat of the saddle. Does it ever pinch or rub the rider if they are sitting on it? Or is it uncomfortable sitting on the ridge of the surcingle where it meets the seat of the saddle. They look like comfortable saddles and I know they are meant for long hard hours on horseback but I always wonder about that surcingle.


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## MuGGzy (Feb 24, 2012)

@wildspot, I am after the western style rigging mostly because of familiarity and all our other tack is western so the cinches and such are interchangable if we want to ride each other's horse. I also don't feel that the buckle style cinches really get as tight as you can get a sliding cinch, although that perception may be totally wrong, I dunno.

My end intent is to have the full Tackaberry setup, I just didn't have time to get the whole setup before this trip and my wife is sick of me tinkering with my tack while ON the trip so I was trying to get it ironed out before so I just looked like I knew what I was doing. :rofl:



@Woodhaven, I have never had a problem with the Surcingle causing any discomfort and I usually suffer from "guy discomfort" when I use a regular western saddle. I personally like and feel much more secure in an Aussie because of the knee rolls and my knees endure the ride much better because of the leg placement in an Aussie saddle, whereas they ACHE after 2 hours or so in a western saddle. You can also get a gel saddle pad that covers the surcingle too.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

If the saddle fit is OK, it shouldn't need a super tight cinch. I forgot to tighten the Australian girth when riding 2 days ago. Got back and I could pull the girth out about 6" to the side...but the saddle stayed in place when I mounted and I didn't notice any shifting while riding. Error on my part, though. With a western saddle, my rule of thumb is that I ought to be able to mount up with the cinch loose. If I can't, the saddle fit is suspect. I do tighten both cinches and girths, but not nearly as tight as I used to do.

The surcingle has never bothered me.

All saddles and riding bother my knees and hips after a couple of hours. For me, what works best is dismounting and walking my horse 5 minutes each hour. That makes a huge difference...and my horses seem to like the practice too! I normally loosen the cinch, walk them 1/4 mile, then tighten and remount. Bandit considers it "snack time":








​ 
The Australian style saddle is narrower than my western one, allowing more leg contact with the horse. I feel more secure in the Australian saddle.

I don't have a preference between western and Australian. Both are fun. Just different.


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## MuGGzy (Feb 24, 2012)

Well the mare I am riding right now is quite...rotund, like almost perfectly round, and somewhat out of shape so she gets super slick and sweaty pretty much right away. I had (what I was told) too thick (at like 1" of wool) of a saddle pad so it wasn't conforming enough and just causing a slick situation. I have a new neoprene "anti slip" pad on the way that should help but from what I can tell the saddle itself fits well it's just hard to keep it in place when you've got a teflon coated horse between your legs. ;-)

I like your walk idea too and I think I'm going to try that this trip.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

^^ I consider myself lucky. My horses have withers. We briefly owned a QH, since then given to a friend, who had neither withers nor sides. When my daughter heard the line in the Hobbit about "Barrel-riders", she whispered, "Oh, they ride Annie?" 

But Annie is now a very reliable, go everywhere and do anything trail horse, so perhaps the joke is on us!

There was a time a few years back when my youngest was cantering Trooper up the trail toward us. Something looked wrong. Yep, the cinch had come loose and was hanging 6-8 inches below Trooper's chest, banging on his legs with every stride. But between Trooper's personality and tall withers, it didn't matter. She just stopped, retied, and went on...

BTW: This pad just arrived. I'll try it out this week and write a review. I like Diamond wool pads, so I'll see if this makes sense with my Australian saddle:

http://www.jefferspet.com/products/aussie-under-pad

Also: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-tack-reviews/bandit-went-australian-review-diamond-wool-598658/


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Quick note - just tried the Australian saddle pad on the stand with my saddle. It goes way past the bottom of the saddle - like 6" past - to the point I think it will interfere with my girth...so I'm sending it back. Happily, Jeffers has a good return policy!


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