# What cinch for my horse?



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

My horses are trail horses. I have used 27 strand roping girths on all of my saddles for any body type for as long as I can remember.

They come in all blends of materials.

https://www.statelinetack.com/item/...MI9N7o95XG6QIVC4rICh3tzQ5fEAQYASABEgKQz_D_BwE


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Wider cinch distributes pressure over a larger area to me reduces chances of sores.
Just as in English girths, western cinches once snugged...
Gently stretch the front legs forward from the knee lifting gently forward and up so the folds of skin caught under the cinch/girth are removed = less chance of sores.
:runninghorse2:...


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Just an FYI don't order from stateline tack. I ordered a fly mask it took a week and half ,before they shipped. 

Another four days before I got mask. Ridiculously slow. 

When I can order from Big D's and get item in 4 days. There shipping time is only two days slower then before covid-19. 

If cinch is something you want in a timely manner ,stateline tack isn't one to order from.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I like roping cinches. Mohair is my preferred material. 

I'm not a fan of neoprene. They hold heat, and dirt, weed seeds, etc tends to build up on the edges where the horses' sweat gathers.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

rambo99 said:


> Just an FYI don't order from stateline tack. I ordered a fly mask it took a week and half ,before they shipped.


_That's not fair Rambo..._
I've never ordered from Stateline and not had fast order fulfillment & delivery occur.
Most of the time if a delay it is because they are out of stock The website puts a warning of _estimated_ extended fulfillment/delivery time...or if you phone in your order customer service advises. :frown:
:runninghorse2:...


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I think it depends on where you are Rambo and what warehouse it comes out of. I have ordered from there several times because of those little gift certificates. I've had items here the next day on a 3 to 5 day ground ship but most shipping notification came that day or at least within 3. Seems to be if I order later in the day it is on top of next days pick list. Earlier in the day and it drags out. My one bad experience was over a $3.50 jump bat. I ordered in March and didn't get it until May. Long story of bad customer service to go with that one. It was an item I supposedly received next day except someone confused jump bat with $200 incubator. It has the word bat in it right? I did receive the incubator next day on a 3-5 day ship.

A many strand mohair would be what I went with.


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## ClearDonkey (Nov 27, 2016)

I for one love Stateline tack - the only place I order my winter blankets from. Their customer service has always went above and beyond for me. The snaps on one of the blankets I had all broke within the first month of wear, and I just sent an email just so they would know that a manufacturing error may be happening...I didn't expect anything to come from it. Instead, they emailed me back saying that a set of snaps were on their way. That blanket had two snaps on it and they sent me 6 replacement snaps. Great place!

Anyways, on the topic of cinches, I am one of the few on this forum that do not like mohair cinches, but I do know that they sometimes work on the horses that nothing else will work with. I just do not like cleaning them.

I have used a Professional Choice Ventech cinch that I really like, though it is neoprene. I have never had things collect around the cinch because of the material. Yes, my horse sweats a bit more, but he has never been bothered. I also have one of the Professional Choice felt cinches that I also liked, but I don't like that felt likes attracting weed seeds to get tangled in them.

The real question is - why the heck aren't there a lot of leather western cinches on the market? I love leather English girths, and I think I would like the results of a leather western cinch.

This anatomical leather girth may fit your needs:https://www.actionridertack.com/Barefoot-Leather-Anatomical-Western-Cinch-p/g-wes.htm

I've also heard good things about Total Saddle Fit girths, they come in lots of different materials while being anatomical: https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Total_Saddle_Fit_Shoulder_Relief_Western_Fleece_Cinch/descpage-TSFWFC.html


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## ksbowman (Oct 30, 2018)

rambo99 said:


> Just an FYI don't order from stateline tack. I ordered a fly mask it took a week and half ,before they shipped.
> 
> Another four days before I got mask. Ridiculously slow.
> 
> ...


 Like Rambo I have had slow shipment from Stateline, But I have had very good customer service from them when I had a problem with an item. I just try to order when it is something I need now. For those items I buy local. When buying online Stateline and Chicks are my favorites to deal with.


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## RMH (Jul 26, 2016)

We had a very wide mutton withered mare and I don't think the type of cinch made much difference in holding the saddle in place. I much prefer a mohair cinch with a felt cinch as my second choice. I have found neoprene to be hot and crack with age. The only downside to mohair is it collects hair and will need to be cleaned frequently.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Statelinetack is very slow recently. IIRC they say their shipping is being delayed due to the virus stuff. I just bought a cinch from them...in stock, but it didn't ship for over a week and now UPS is taking another week to move it across the country.

Roper versus straight: Roping can put a lot of stress on the saddle and the wider cinch may be needed. For trail/arena riding, if your narrow cinch it putting a lot of stress on your horse, you need a better fitting saddle and a looser cinch. If the saddle fits right, you can mount from the ground without a cinch. If it doesn't fit right, you can sore a horse regardless. IMHO.

I ordered a roper cinch, BTW. The D-rings on a straight cinch can get snagged between the skin and the cinch if you aren't looking, while the roper designs I've seen make that impossible. But I've used both and my horses don't seem to care either way. Just a trail rider, though.

The cinch will go where it needs to go. It doesn't matter if it is at an angle. It won't "pull" the saddle forward. Bandit was staring at a neighbor taking out trash, but this is how the cinch normally is with him:








​
https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/i...addle-fit-western-compared-to-english-part-2/

https://www.rodnikkel.com/content/s...addle-fit-western-compared-to-english-part-3/ - see Rule 10

I tried neoprene once. Twice, actually, which is how many rides it took for my horse to get a sore. It must work for some folks, but not for me.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

A couple of good videos for someone starting western. He doesn't have his cinch tied in the first video:


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Roper mohair cinches are nice I use one on cinder. Ice hates anything mohair in cinches. He's crabby about being cinched up anyway,but way worse with a mohair. Neoprene cinches are horrible they cause cinch sores. Won't buy neoprene cinches.

Stateline tack had item I ordered was in stock. Wouldn't of ordered had it not been. Said right there shipping next day ordered online. No one local had mask I needed, so pretty hard to buy local. 

Big D's and Schneider's are my go to fast ship times ,and get orders in very timely fashion.


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## Horse Training Cowgirl (Aug 22, 2018)

I really like the Airflex cinch from Weaver leather. You can get it in the straight or roper.
The air flow is amazing and my horse loves it.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I'm a mohair girl all the way! I love them.....very soft, rinses out easy in a bucket of water, and yes, they collect a little horse hair, but what's wrong with that? It gets worked in with the mohair and makes them even softer. I don't have much of a preference for roper vs. straight. I have some of both and use them both. I might have a little preference for roper, but with a horse whose cinch migrates to their armpits, I would probably choose straight. But I don't think you could go wrong either way.

I was lucky enough to witness neoprene through other rider's purchases so I didn't have to waste money on them myself. Some horses do absolutely fine with them. And some get horrible galls. How will a particular horse react........who knows unless you try. But why even spend money on something that gals SOME horses when you can buy something that doesn't (ie. mohair). 

I had a friend who always insisted on using a neoprene cinch on one of her horses and the horse had puffy, hairless spots in her armpits after every ride. Friend would put some ointment on the spots and then do it all over again in a few days. WHY? I don't know. Her other horse was fine with the same cinch. :shrug:

Another friend was bragging on his brand new neoprene cinches a little while back, how expensive and high quality they were, and I was like, "that's nice, make sure to check for galls." That particular horse did absolutely fine with it (yay!) but when he used it on his second horse, the horse all swelled up badly and is now too sore to ride. I told him when the horse is ride-able again, to go back to the mohair cinches I gave him when I sold him his saddle. Mohair is expensive and high quality too! Not sure what possessed him to buy neoprene.......maybe I would have tried it years ago too but I saw what it could do with friend #1.

I did have a friend with two trail horses that she rode a LOT and used some neoprene-type cinches from Professional's Choice. Both of her horses did great with them. I don't know if that's a testament to the brand or just luck. One thing I will always remember though is how they stunk.......sweaty neoprene, if not washed regularly, stinks. I find that a turn-off. I suppose mohair if never washed would stink too, but I wash mine whenever they start getting crusty. But I think the fact they breathe helps a LOT. 

I find Stateline to be slow shipping as well. I had a transaction where I bought some bits and wasn't happy with them, and their customer service was fine, but it took a long time to get them to get them to begin with and I remember worrying about getting the refund because everything was so slow there. But, all's well that ends well. They did make it right. I might buy from them if I had no other place to get a particular item but they wouldn't be my first choice.

Places I find that have stellar customer service AND speedy shipping are Riding Warehouse, Valley Vet Supply and Jeffers.


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

I'm with @boots. :cheers:


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## Elessar (Dec 28, 2011)

I have used most types of cinches over the years and have enjoyed them all but have returned to natural fiber because I believe them to be cooler and softer when properly maintained. Currently, I am using a mohair cinch on both front and rear on my western saddle. It has worked very well because I can clean them both very simply and they are soft a pliable to any situation. My pad came with an "eraser" for removing hair from the pad between washings and I have used it on my cinches to keep them clean as well. When it's time for washing them I can drop them into a five gallon bucket and they dry quickly when the weather is cooperating.

Good luck shopping.


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## gottaquarter (Jun 8, 2012)

40 years ago all you could find was mohair girths but when I started riding again neoprene was popular and it cleaned so easily. My lean mare developed a few galls and I switched to the toklat coolback wool girth,( Toklat Competition Coolback Western Cinch) I’m a big fan of sheepskin products next to a horses skin and I’ve been very happy with it. 

Another fan of state line tack, whenever I go online to order any horse related product I do check most of the well known suppliers and frequent all of them. No gripes about any of them, and I’ve found SLT to be a little better priced on occasion for a lot of items- not by a huge discount but worth looking into. The covid virus has slowed shipping and distribution on many online resources, but no complaints of any ridiculous wait time without upfront notice of something being out of stock or problems related to the pandemic situation.


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## gottaquarter (Jun 8, 2012)

Actually the cool back is medical grade polyester fleece but I find it to be comfortable to my horse and it has solved the gall problem. It is also easy to clean.

Toklat Competition Coolback Western Cinch


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

When I first started riding again, I used the felt lined smart cinch by weaver. The kind with the roller buckles. They worked ok and I never really had an issue with them. Now I use mohair and I have one horse hair cinch. Love both kinds. They both collect hair but I see that as a plus and leave it there only rinsing the cinches when dirty and letting them dry. The horse hair cinch feels prickly but since it has collected hair from my horses it is actually really soft where it touches them. 

That all being said, I don't have issues with the saddle moving around and many times the cinch is relatively loose. The saddle just stays put anyway.


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