# Why it pays to have your cinch tight!



## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

I'm extremely guilty of keeping my girth loose because I think I can balance without one.  Honestly, I _usually_ can, but sometimes things go south! Therefore, a snug girth is a plus.


----------



## Caitlinpalomino (Nov 16, 2010)

i am always worried about the girth not being tight enough because on my dads first ride of his new horse the girth was really loose and when he went to get on the saddle slipped completley to his left side!!! my dads horse went crazy and now he gets really nervous when my dad goes to ride him!!!!!


lucky neither of you were hurt!!!


----------



## cher40 (Nov 19, 2010)

Glad you are okay. it would have been good for a laugh after the fact. lol


----------



## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Bahaha. I'm sorry. I had to laugh. 

I have a similar story. One day this summer, some of the wranglers took the other counselors on a trail ride. (I wasn't with, but I was told about it a handful of times.) Someone forgot to check one of the horse's cinch and they were going along about their business. One of the girls who doesn't ride often and therefore doesn't know how to keep herself balanced had this horse. While they were walking, the saddle just slid to the side..with her on it and she just hit the ground. She was fine and thought it was hilarious.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

You know, I have had three falls in recent months and the good thing is that it keeps the whole experience of falling in the "oh well, that kind of stuff happens, no big deal" catergory. If I went a long time without falling, then I might get all upset when it did happen.


----------



## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I am terrified to fall because I've only fallen once ever. Well, legitimately. I slid myself off while trotting bareback and got back to on to resituate myself. I'm not sure why I'm so bothered by it. When I did fall, I was loped over. I stood up and was more concerned whether my friend got a picture. I was sore, but that was it. 

Ugh. I just want to ride Abby bareback. I'm just pretty sure has NEVER been ridden bareback and doesn't get it if I put any pressure on her back without a saddle. She's fine with a saddle, she just doesn't get what I'm trying to do. I kind of just want to jump on and let her dump me. I'm just scared. poo.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Good thing about falling is that usually, once it starts, there's not a thing you can do about it, so you don't have to worry, . . Just fall. Simple as that.
Stops the worrying right there.


----------



## Delfina (Feb 12, 2010)

I ended up sideways on one very spooky horse at a full gallop. Luckily the horse that spooked at everything imaginable wasn't at all bothered by the saddle and I slipping.... go figure, just slowed to a stop and looked at me like I was nuts! Her owner had saddled her and I hadn't checked, I now check before getting on any horse, even if I saddled them!


----------



## Arksly (Mar 13, 2010)

Hehe, I guess you learned your lesson, lol. My friends little brother had been riding for a little while and had amazing talent. He'd only really been riding for a couple of months and had a sturdy seat, could easily post, pick up the right diagnol and was very soft in the hands (however, his mom was the coach). Anyway, one day he had brought out one of the older horses to ride and his sister (my friend) asked him where the girth was. His response, "What's a girth?" I have to say it was one of the funniest things I've ever heard. I still wonder how he forgot...


----------



## candandy49 (Jan 16, 2011)

To loose a cinch happened to me one time, but I have come off for other reasons also. The one time it was a to loose cinch I was riding 2 different horses with my one Western saddle. One of the horses was an older QH mare. The other was a mare in foal. When I rode one horse or the other I had to adjust the length of the cinch straps on both sides of the saddle. After having had rode the mare in foal and tacking up the older mare I was shortening the cinch strap on the offside/right side and saw I had a small loop of slack in the cinch strap, but didn't pay mind to it. I completed saddling up and everything went fine up until I was doing some figure-8's at the trot and all of a sudden I was on the ground and the saddle was on the underneath side of the mare. Luckly the mare just stood still and don't spook at the dangling saddle. It was totally my fault that I took the fall.


----------



## Tymer (Dec 28, 2009)

There was actually a situation at a barn I used to ride at with a too tight girth. The horse was sensitive and got aggravated by the girth and threw a rider, trampled them, and was extremely difficult to catch. All this from a normally pokey back-of-the-group horse.

And on the other hand, I had a friend riding at a jumper show and during it she just sort of...Slipped off. Turns out you could fit two fists between the girth and the horse's belly!
Girth safety 101.


----------



## momo3boys (Jul 7, 2010)

I have to laugh, simply because I had very simliar 'moment'. I was doing EVERYTHING wrong. I had a saddle that I found, on a horse that I had never ridden before and only my 12yo son as back up...of course, the saddle didn't fit and when I got on him he walked fine, then I asked for a rack and he gave me a trot and I promptly started to slide to the right. THe horse thought I was asking him to side step! So of course off he goes while I slowly rotate under his belly!...did I mention I was waering sneakers that got stuck in the stirrups?! 

Thankfully I screwed my head back on and haven't made the same mistakes since! Looking back I wonder.."what the HE!! was I thinking!!!"


----------



## littrella (Aug 28, 2010)

ok, so this may be stupid, but from someone that's never had a professional lession or really been shown anything properly, how do you know how tight to go? Does it vary with each horse or is there a simple way, like if you can slip 2 fingers between, or something like that? When I was a kid, all my friends barrel raced and I was always told "as tight as you can get it"


----------



## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Oh, also. Abby thinks she's oh-so-clever and holds her breath when I cinch her up. Too bad I know how much excess latigo there should be and you can very obviously see her belly puffed up. She also has this really haughty expression like she's outsmarted me. 

Poseidon does that too, but she has such a big belly already, you can't tell until you walk away and let her realize that she has to breath eventually.


----------



## rottenweiler (Apr 16, 2009)

funny how many people have had the same or extremely similar experiences. I did too! I normally ride in an english saddle but this particular day it wasn't at the barn so I had to use a western saddle. I was working with this womans haflinger mare who was doing really well under saddle but was a little spooky in the back of the riding arena, so I was working with her on that. I had her all tacked up and was riding her at a walk, just back and forth across the back side of the arena so she would get settled there. She suddenly spooked at spun and bolted across the arena towards the front, which has happened before. In an english saddle I had no problem staying on until I got her to stop. But apparently I didn't tighten the girth on the western saddle enough and when she spun it slipped to the side a little. I felt it slip and was trying my darndest to keep it from going but on a galloping haflinger, it was no good. I fell off to the side, no harm really since she was small I didn't have far to fall and the dirt was soft. But I saw her continue on, with the saddle slipping more and more to the side, she jumped sideways trying to get away from it and it flipped over so it was on her upside down. She went bucking bronco style through the fence of the arena taking out two boards and then took off into the pasture. All you had to do to find her was follow the pieces of saddle that led a trail to her. Poor girl was traumatized, she finally decided to freeze and just stand still. The first girl to her just tugged on the girth and what was left of the saddle came off. She was huffing and puffing, nostrils all flared. Luckily no one was hurt that day. She had a few scratches and cuts on her legs, probably from crashing through the fence. I felt bad that she destroyed this womans saddle but she wasn't mad about it. I think I'll stick with english


----------



## Ladytrails (Jul 28, 2010)

Our very first horse was traumatized by something like this with the saddle ending up underneath, during his early training. We didn't know at the time that it would take years for a horse to really get over something like this. He was petrified of the saddle for the longest time after we got him and would tremble so much he'd almost fall down. He finally got to where we could ride him but if he ever had anything touching his flanks he was a rodeo ride.


----------



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

If would do me wise to remember this thread. I also walk around initially on a loose rein and girth loose enough to fit a bus under according to my trainer. Think I'll snug up a little more before getting on now that it's so freakin' cold. Glad you're okay.


----------



## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

Glad to hear that you're okay. 

I've only had this happen to me once. Luckily it was on a gelding so old he couldn't take off running even if he wanted to.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

This can happen in an English saddle, too. On Mac, the same super spinner Appy I lease, I was out riding and something similar happened. I was actually out that day trying to work with him because twice early in the week he had spun and dumped me (once bareback). So, I thought I'd work with him. I rode him and kept him busy everytime I saw that he was getting worred. Finally, I felt that he was getting so tense that he needed to let some of the tension out of his body by moving forward. Off we trotted, and by God, he spun again. It was so abrupt and I guess i put too much weight on one side and the centrifugal force was amazing. I moved the dressage saddel off to the side and I went flying, not just rolling. That was a scary and painful fall, but I might not have come off if I had tightened the girth enough.

HOw much is enough? I just do it by feel and obvioulsly, I need to recheck at some point after riding for a bit. It's just that one has so many uneventful rides that you get to expecting nothing to happen then it does.


----------



## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

honestly i get my girth tight enough so i can stand in one stirrup and the saddle not slip much at all. i'm also 5'1 and 105 pounds lol i did have a run in with a saddle slipping once though... i got it as tight as i possibly could. but the horse was SO FAT that it wouldn't stay in palce so here we are loping as fast as we can up the hill and the saddle slips side ways. and basically i am loping on his side lol. i one rein stop him (he is the kind of horse that has tons of energy! and is always freaking out and is go go go go go go all the time) and get off. and he stands perfectly still like a gentle man while i tighten the saddle and get back on. and as soon as my bottom hit that saddle off he bolted again! luckily it didn't slip again. but wow what a scare! lol


----------



## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I do the same thing a lilkitty: Step up and see how much it slips standing in one stirrup. Then I check the amount of latigo left over after saddling on a few different occasions, and use that as a guideline from then on.

Granted, that's with a western saddle. I have seen an english saddle probably twice ever and that wasn't on a horse.


----------



## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

i do the same with my the english saddle. though it's much harder to tighten so i had to get my manly strong cousin to tighten it while i was in the saddle. and i could easily stand in one stirrup and it not slip! so that made me very happy! lol but i know tightening an english saddle is SOOO much harder lol


----------



## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I've never seen anyone put an English saddle on a horse, so I have no idea how the girth on them works.


----------



## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

you have to tighten each side like a buckle. almost like how you would buckle a belt. and each side has 2 buckles. so it's hard to get tight enough.


----------



## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

Yeah, I've seen them and have always wondered if that'd be a pain to tighten just right since you only have holes to go by rather than a strap that can adjust to anything.


----------



## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

yeah your cinch practically has to be THE perfect length. unlike western we can have a range as long as our latigo is a decent length. plus we can use the same cinch and the same saddle on different horses because it can adjust more easily.


----------



## rottenweiler (Apr 16, 2009)

That's funny, I think completely opposite! I think an english saddle is so much easier to tighten than a western! But probably because I have always been an english rider. I tack up my horse in the barn and then lead him/her out to the riding area and check it again before I mount up. Those horses are sneaky and know to hold in their breath's when you are tightening the girth so it is always a little loose when you are ready to get on. I have never had a problem with an english saddle slipping, only western.
Oh, and someone else posted after my haflinger story about a horse being traumatized by the same experience. Luckily my little pony was only upset right after it happened. I rode her a few days later, in an english saddle, and she was fine.


----------



## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

First time I rode english that happened. I was given an english saddle to play with and didn't know a thing about them. Well after the first jump I was hanging on by the mane because I didn't tighten the girth right. oops


----------



## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

I think the only annoying thing about cinching up a western saddle is if you do a bunch really fast, you skin your knuckles. (We weren't told one day that people were coming to ride and had to have about 25 horses saddled in 15 minutes. There were I think 10 people total saddling. My knuckles were all skinned.)


----------



## lacyloo (Jul 1, 2008)

Poseidon said:


> I think the only annoying thing about cinching up a western saddle is if you do a bunch really fast, you skin your knuckles. (We weren't told one day that people were coming to ride and had to have about 25 horses saddled in 15 minutes. There were I think 10 people total saddling. My knuckles were all skinned.)


 My thing with Western saddles is they are so dang heavy for my 100lb self LOL Putting them on and taking them off is a chore for me :lol:


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I don't know if anyone mentioned this already, but this is where a breast collar really comes in handy!

It's a common myth that you only need it if you ride hills and your saddle slides back. In reality, I have had it save me and my saddle from rolling under the horse on at least two occasions.

I still fell off, the saddle was on the horse's side, but it physically couldn't roll under the horse because of the breast collar. I always use a breast collar for that reason. And besides, they are purdy. :mrgreen:


----------



## Poseidon (Oct 1, 2010)

lacyloo said:


> My thing with Western saddles is they are so dang heavy for my 100lb self LOL Putting them on and taking them off is a chore for me :lol:


Oh psshhhhhh. The most I've ever weighed was like 120, if that. I weigh 113 now. My saddle weighs..26lbs. I just looked it up online. 

English saddles are uncomfortably light compared to what I'm used to. It freaks me out. I'm used to lugging around western ones. I'm buff. Except not really at all.


----------



## lilkitty90 (Nov 11, 2009)

yes trailhorserider!! i love my breast collar! and my western saddle is a Synthetic Bighorn. and it weighs no more than 10-15 pounds. about the same weight as a english saddle really. i have a hard time myself with the big saddles so i love my synthetic. plus it's easy to clean!


----------



## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

I had that happen when i first got my gelding Blue(i think the first owner thought he was a blue roan, he's actually a grullo) I was riding him in the pasture, i was probably 12-13, and i was cantering around and Blue turned left and i went right and the saddle slipped completely under him before i even knew i was slipping, he stopped, and looked at me(with that typical "when will you learn how to ride" look) while i tried to hold on(as if i could magically get back on top of the horse lol) after a second i let go and got back on, now i always make sure my girth is tight enough lol


----------



## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Only just saw this thread now, are you OK Tiny? 

Seriously, falling off because the saddle slipped is NOT the most dramatic way to come off, couldn't you have done a little better? Like maybe some saddle bronc action? :lol:


----------



## Sarahandlola (Dec 16, 2010)

My mare blows her big belly out when her girth is tightened. So it looks and feels very tight. Then she starts breathing again and the girth gets really loose XD It has to be tighten every few minutes. She can be a bit annoying about it!

The last saddle I had was to big for her so it stuck to her. The girth could be so loose and the saddle would not move an inch no matter how tight your turns were etc. The person who rides her was jumping her about 2'6ft without realizing the girth was not touching the horse at all! Just goes to show that saddle must have been hurting her a lot to be stuck to her! I got a new saddle a few weeks ago and that other person rode her in it for the first time. He never thought about the girth and he was cantering her in a circle. Next thing all we hear is him shouting at us to save him XD The saddle was to the side and he was barely hanging on XD He now comes to tighten his girth every 5 minutes XD


----------



## Fluffy Pony (May 2, 2010)

Warning.... this video is kind of intense for some people.

YouTube - cutting horse made in italy


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Sarah,

I am fine, though I discovered some blue/black spots on my thigh (must have landed on a rock). It was just that momentary feeling when I got up and knew that this could be really BAD if Mac went loco. That terrified me big time. I saw , in a milisecond, that very video that was posted. But thank GOd and Mac's training, he stood like a good boy. We laughed it off and I am so glad my friend was not hurt either. Just good times!

I had another momemt like that , when I am thinking "this could be really bad" when I got bucked off my friend's horse a month ago and got hung up on the horn with my pants waist and was literally hanging on the side of a bucking horse, and Thought ,"I am in deep doo doo now" but was quickly released by the pants tearing. Good times!


----------



## rottenweiler (Apr 16, 2009)

turn that cutting horse into a porky little haflinger and that's what happened with me!


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Did you hear the sound of the the saddle cracking to pieces?


----------



## Azaria (Nov 10, 2010)

Some funny stories here! My is embarassng. Taking the new mare out for our first ride, eery exciting! (She was broke but had a year off before I got her--I'd never even ridden her around the pasture, this was actually our first ride ever together.) Anyhow, saddle up and off we go. Walk half way to the neighbour's house and decide we're ready to trot...wheeeee! I'm having a blast, she's just wonderful! Get to the neighbour's to meet my riding buddy and find that her Dad has company--a group of ranchers and horsemen standing around the arena. One walks over chuckling. "Nice horse," he says, "but what's the point of having a cinch?" There was about four inches of daylight between the cinch and her belly. Oh my gosh, I wanted to crawl under a rock and hide. 

Lesson learned (and really, I had been taught this lesson before)...tighten the cinch, walk for a moment, check it again. Heck, check it once more after you've ridden for ten minutes. LOL


----------

