# Cinchy?



## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Ok, so I've definately dealt with my fair share of cinchy horses. My Arab mare is about as cinchy as they come, and I've figured out it's from extreme sensitivity. I purchased her a soft sided padded Western cinch and she has a fluffy sheepskin cover for her English girths, which pretty much solves the problem. I always do her cinches/girths up very slowly, and by degrees (tightening her saddles usually means doing it a minimum of a half dozen times before I mount, and then once more after warmup).

However, my 2 year old is now "becoming" cinchy and it's concerning me a bit. She seemed to do fine in the beginning, I got the usual slight tension and maybe a step or two to the side, but nothing big, I'd spend a great deal of time slowly tightening it and praising her.

Now, she's gotten a ton worse. She's fine when I put the saddle on her, and I always begin by stroking her behind the legs first and rubbing my hand where the cinch goes. She tightens up instantly. I slowly bringing the cinch under her (same padded cinch my Arab uses) and spend some time just holding it against her belly and stroking her until she relaxes. As soon as I begin tightening it though, she starts the pony tap dance. She'll swing herself right into me, step back until her halter is taut, and generally do as much as she can to get away from it.

Once it's tightened she's fine, and she actually has zero issues with me tightening it after warmup. She stands like a doll.

The saddle fits her well, and she does the same thing if I use a surcingle, so I don't think the issue is with the saddle, just the girth itself.

I know she had some bad experiences with the people who started her training. I've done my best to take it as slow and gentle as I possibly can, it's just the fact that she seems to be getting worse about it that concerns me.

Any ideas or opinions?


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## PechosGoldenChance (Aug 23, 2009)

I'm not so sure what you should do but my mare is cinchy too. Not as bad as yours tho lol. She just stretches out her neck and bites the air repeatedly, she has never tried to turn her head to bite me tho which is good lol


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## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

Don't really know what you can do, but my mare is also slightly cinchy... she sidesteps into me when I tighten the girth, though it may also be because I pull really tight... my three year old gelding will raise his head and arch it and 'bite the air' when I tighten the cinch, but he doesn't move or anything...


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

My mare, Magic, came to me really cinchy... at first she would actually turn around and try to bite me, and after awhile of being reprimanded for biting, she got to biting down on whatever is in front of her... which had left some nice shiny scratches in the trailer a time or two. 
I got to where I'd put the saddle on her and tighten the girth just enough that the saddle would stay on her back, then I'd take her for a walk a bit... just a couple little circles, backing, sidepassing, and trotting at hand some days. Then I'd tighten it just a bit more, and take her for another walk. On average, I do that three or four times before I even consider mounting her. Then, just before I mount, I do these 'stretches' with her... I basically just pick up her front legs, one at a time, and stretch them out in front of her and move it up and down, like we're shaking hands, curl it up under her belly, then extend it again. It helps to make sure there aren't any wrinkles of skin under the girth that are piching, along with limbering her up a bit.
She's still a little dancey at times, but she's getting better.


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## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

I have yet to have a cinchy horse. When I saddle the horse I then do the cinch and do it loose so it is just touching the horse. Then I leave it like that until I get the leg gear on then I tighten it up a bit more not a lot just so it is snug. I then bit the horse take them out to where I ride on my way out I tighten it up again but not all the way. I finish my walk out to where I ride then once I get there I finish tightening it all the way up and then walk a bit more so the horses skin is not all bunched up under the cinch. Then I ride and do not have a problem at all with a horse being Cinchy. I could tell that when my mare came home from the trainers she was a tad on the cinchy side and with in a few weeks of riding and cinching her up like that she has no issues at all.


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## Lobelia Overhill (Nov 3, 2009)

I've never heard the term 'cinchy' before, but I know what you mean  
My horse used to get cranky at me when I was tightening his girth so I checked under his belly and found he's got a wart, or something right where his girth goes, I do the girth up slowly one side at a time and he's fine about it now


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

walk them as you tighten the cinch... if you can't do it by yourself then have someone walk to horse in circles as you slowly tighten the cinch... if you can do it by yourself then through the lead rope over your shoulder and proceed.

this really does work wonders


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## PechosGoldenChance (Aug 23, 2009)

Hmmm...i might have to try a couple of your guys' tricks too!


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## Spirithorse (Jun 21, 2007)

This is really an easy thing to fix (if the person has patience! lol). Start all over from the beginning. Allow her to sniff the saddle pad and investigate. Put it on and if she shows any signs of tension take it off, put it on, take it off, put it on, etc. until she is relaxed. Rub her all over with it. Do the same with the saddle (except the rubbing lol). Then when you're ready to do up the cinch, put the strap through one time and pull it and hold it until she relaxes. If she moves just drift with her. Once she is relaxed let go. Repeat until she shows no signs of cinchy behavior. Continue to do up the cinch in several cinchings, and make sure when you tighten it you go nice and smooth, no jerking or anything rude like that. 

The worst thing you could do when she acts cinchy is to just tighten it anyway. She isn't giving you permission to tighten it and she's letting you know she doesn't like it, so if you do it anyway she sees that as you not caring about her feelings (even though you do, she doesn't know that). Make sense?


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

Thanks guys!

I've attempted the walking with her as I cinch up, but to be honest, that is simply not behavior I want to encourage. As SpiritHorse is basically saying, I want to know WHY she is feeling this way and come to an agreement with her, not just find ways around it. If she feels it neccesary to be walking circles around me or walking away in an attempt to evade, the problem isn't solved.

I'll try that SpiritHorse. I definately have patience out the wazoo, I've sat on her briefly a few times and gotten her walking around the ring with me on her a few times, but I really could care less if I'm riding her as I intend to save all serious ride training for next summer anyway. I'll go back to basics and see if that helps, thanks!


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## Spirithorse (Jun 21, 2007)

You're welcome, and good luck! I'm sure you will get this worked out, I can tell you have the dedication to do it right


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

MacabreMikolaj said:


> Thanks guys!
> 
> I've attempted the walking with her as I cinch up, but to be honest, that is simply not behavior I want to encourage. As SpiritHorse is basically saying, I want to know WHY she is feeling this way and come to an agreement with her, not just find ways around it. If she feels it neccesary to be walking circles around me or walking away in an attempt to evade, the problem isn't solved.
> 
> I'll try that SpiritHorse. I definately have patience out the wazoo, I've sat on her briefly a few times and gotten her walking around the ring with me on her a few times, but I really could care less if I'm riding her as I intend to save all serious ride training for next summer anyway. I'll go back to basics and see if that helps, thanks!


The walking or cinching up in stages prevents any pinching that might be happening as well as it is bad practice (in my opinion) to cinch up all at once where you are tacking up... to each his own.


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## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

I do not let mine walk when I am taking or cinching but in between the times I make it tighter. I do not want them to get the idea they can walk off or around. They must stand still for tacking and mounting.

Most of horses bad behavior such as being cinchy or walking when being mounted or barn sour is mad by the human not the horse. Do not go there and you will not have that problem.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

kchfuller - I agree, and as I stated in my post, I always do my cinches up extremely gently and in degrees. I'll snug the saddle while they're tied, then walk them and tighten and then warm up and tighten. I was merely saying I don't want her walking in circles around me being the only way I'm able to get a saddle on her.

nhareiner - Can you elaborate? I fully agree they are man made problems, but how would you go about resolving it? I am fully open to suggestion and if you think perhaps it's me causing this behavior, I'd honestly enjoy the insight. I'm more then open to the fact that it's ME making the mistake, because the sooner I can identify the problem the sooner I can work towards fixing it


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## tealamutt (Aug 21, 2009)

My gelding came to me super girthy. He'd even bite at me when I'd go to tighten it (I always did it slowly and gently, he was obviously just anticipating). After going back to basics, as Spirithorse described, I now have no problems whatsoever with putting the girth on. One other thing that helps is to pick a foot up after you've done the initial fastening. Tanner would forget to hold his breath, let out a deep sigh and then I could gently take it up another notch or so. He even bit me at first when I was just gently brushing him in the girth area (to make sure there were no sores or dirt that would rub) but now he loves having it brushed and scratched. Incidentally it really only took a week or so of patience and restarting to get him to the point he is at now. Best of luck, as you said, you have a ton of patience and it will serve you well.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

> My gelding came to me super girthy. He'd even bite at me when I'd go to tighten it (I always did it slowly and gently, he was obviously just anticipating).


SAME! My TB did the same with me, and if I am not careful, he will do the same.

What I did was I put a fleece girth cover over his girth, which helped. And then I would start to girth up slowly.

While in the crossties in the barn, I would put the girth buckles to the first holes in my billets. 

Bridle him up, put my helmet and gloves on and then I would move the girth up to the next holes.

Then I would lead him to the arena we were going to work in, or the mounting block out by the CC course or the mounting block outside the barn to go for a hack - didn't matter, whichever - I would tighten the girth up a smidge more, to the point where it wouldn't slide when I got on.

Then as we started our ride, a few minutes later, I would tighten it up before work, or our hack or what have ya. 

If I am not careful - such as last night, I was talking away with a friend while I was tacking up, and without paying any attention, I tightened up the girth too soon for him, which resulted in him swinging his head towards me with a chomp to the air.

Ooops. My fault!


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## justsambam08 (Sep 26, 2009)

My gelding is girthy.....I usually take it in small stages, even though he pins his ears at me, he's learned that's the _only _acceptable behavior for showing unhappiness when I start to saddle him. I probably should take it in the three stages (cinch up, walk, cinch up, warm up, cinch up, ride) but since we only do walk-trot, I can skip that third step. Ironically though, he loves the actual act of going around the ring and doing work, he just doesn't like getting there.


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## nrhareiner (Jan 11, 2009)

Like I said in an earlier post. I cinch in 3-4 increments. I start out so it just touches the horse when I am tacking up in cross ties. Then before I take them out I tighten it again but not all the way. Then I walk them about 1/2 way to the arena and tighten it up again and walk the rest of the way out and once I get through the gate to the arena I finish tightening it up and walk to the center of the arena where I will get on. This way it give the horse a chance to understand what is going on and it not hitting them all at once. It also give the skin a chance to flex its way out and not all wrinkled and such. By the time you clime on the horse is use to the cinch and the skin is flat.

In all my years of owning riding and showing horses which have been quite a few. I have yet to ever have a cinchy horse. Cassie is the closest thing to one and that comes from the trainer cinching her up in just 2 times. It have taken no time to get her over what little she was cinchy by doing it this way.

Just go at it slowly. It is when you try and tighten it up all at once that you get the most problems.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

Is it possible she is sore in the girth area? When I got my boy checked up recently he had soreness where the girth sits behind the elbow, so he got lasered, massaged and linimented.

My arab pony is girthy. He's a sensitive boy :]

He has never bitten, etc. But he just hates it - He is not comfortable when you put it on. I put it on in stages, stretch his legs, walk him, he has a girth cover, we keep the hair shaved (he also gets girth gall - shaving helps prevent it) but he still pretends he's crippled once you finish doing it up! He takes these tiny old man steps for about 10 metres, and then he is fine. 

Just one of his little idiosyncrasies!


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

MacabreMikolaj said:


> kchfuller - I agree, and as I stated in my post, I always do my cinches up extremely gently and in degrees. I'll snug the saddle while they're tied, then walk them and tighten and then warm up and tighten. I was merely saying I don't want her walking in circles around me being the only way I'm able to get a saddle on her.


Sorry i must have miss read your post ... good to know we are on the same page 

I have a friend who's horse flips over backwards if you cinch him too fast so we walk him to tighten it up. But he is a major extreme!

I don't let mine walk when I tack them up - just an fyi


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

For anyone that has a horse - mare or gelding - that is cinchy to the point of trying to bite - PLEASE have a chiro look at the horse!


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## Spirithorse (Jun 21, 2007)

^^ Ditto, and look into the possibility the horse has ulcers. I massaged a horse the other day who was very cinchy, where just a simple touch would send him trying to bite and kick. I told the owner it didn't feel or look like a muscular problem to me and that she should explore other possibilities for his cinchy issues....chiro work and ulcer medication is what I suggested.


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## MacabreMikolaj (May 9, 2009)

kchfuller - Haha, I kind of assumed as much, it just seemed like our wires were being crossed and the message wasn't getting through intact :lol:

I'm definately willing to look into the possibility of a chiropractor, but at this point I'm 99% certain it's just youngster jitters. Definately if she progresses to throwing dangerous tantrums over it, I'll be looking into medical attention to dismiss an underlying problem. She stands perfectly fine for the saddle itself, doesn't mind it a bit, it's just touching her girth area that she tenses up. Also, because she stands fine after being warmed up for me to tighten it makes me think she's just been rough handled in the past and as slow as I'm going it's not slow enough. I'm going to take some time off to just work her as slow as she'd like to go to get her accustomed to it and hopefully that pays off!


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## kchfuller (Feb 1, 2008)

^ yep - good luck and let us know what works!

P.S. i have used a chiro and they work wonders!


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I used to work with a couple really girthy Arabs. They both had extremely sensitive skin, and when we switched their curry combs from a big pokey one to a really soft, rubbery one, they actually improved. That's as far as it went, but they didn't get as upset as usual about being girthed up. Just a thought...


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

I would saddle her like she was an old horse. I try not to treat my colts like colts. When I put the saddle on I don't sneak around about it I throw it up there. When I cinch them I pull the cinch tight enough that my saddle won't fall off but I don't riub it and pussy-foot around. If a young horse is moving around and being nervous the best thing I can do is act like nothing is wrong and saddle up like I would saddle the horse for the rest of its life. I tighten the cinch again just before I get on. Most cinchy horses that I have seen are cinchy from being overtightened. My father in laws horse is cinchy because he puts all 6'3 280 lbs behind tightening the cinch and he really overtightens it.


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## Semperfiwife (Jul 17, 2009)

You might also pay attention to how you tighten it. Don't pull directly up because your grabbing hair and skin. Pull out, so it's away from the horse's fur and skin. 
I also agree with walking them around. I don't believe this teaches them to walk while being cinched because when I tell them to stop and stand still they know. 
Good luck! If it were me, and I understood you right, all your horse's are cinchy? I don't want to offend you, but maybe your doing something wrong? It's crazy how something small can affect a horse. Do you brush out your cinches? maybe there's just the smallest sticker in that cinch.


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## dressagesnob (Jul 16, 2013)

MacabreMikolaj said:


> Ok, so I've definately dealt with my fair share of cinchy horses. My Arab mare is about as cinchy as they come, and I've figured out it's from extreme sensitivity. I purchased her a soft sided padded Western cinch and she has a fluffy sheepskin cover for her English girths, which pretty much solves the problem. I always do her cinches/girths up very slowly, and by degrees (tightening her saddles usually means doing it a minimum of a half dozen times before I mount, and then once more after warmup).
> 
> However, my 2 year old is now "becoming" cinchy and it's concerning me a bit. She seemed to do fine in the beginning, I got the usual slight tension and maybe a step or two to the side, but nothing big, I'd spend a great deal of time slowly tightening it and praising her.
> 
> ...


There is quite a bit of information here:
The Girth Shield Project | Dressage Snob Blog


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

LOL, someone's been browsing the thread graveyard. This thread is 4 years old :wink:.


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Repro problems, thorn under girth going up into body, abscesses, girth too long, saddle does not really fit when tightened down, cracked ribs, girth buckles cut in too much, saddle pad not raised into gullet, saddle too far forwards, skin under girth bunched up, all sorts of things lead to this.

And something in your mechanics when doing up girth.

I've seen maybe handful of horses that would consider as having problem when being cinched up...I'm 57 now, and been working with horses all my life, both my own and as groom, giving lessons, and if you are dealing with that many horses like this?

It may be something in what you are doing.


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