# Weaver air flex cinch?



## Haileyyy

I need a new cinch for my horse, we have nothing that really fits him as well as I would like. I have mainly used nylon/fleece or neoprene and prefer the latter. Mohair and the rope(cotton I guess?) have never really worked out for me...

But I did find a cinch that has caught my eye, and I would love to get some opinions on it before I buy it. 

Saddles Tack Horse Supplies - ChickSaddlery.com Weaver Air Flex Roper Cinch

I have never really ridden with a roper cinch before, but have heard that it spreads out the weight better. I wouldn't consider myself a trail rider(I would have to go on a lot more trail rides!) but I am not a "weekend warrior". I ride 4-6 days a week, normally 1-2hrs. Sometimes more sometimes less. I will be riding more, and a little "harder", as the weather cools down.

Please let me know what you think about this cinch!


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## Joe4d

get the regular size, roper girths are for roping. You dont need em for trail riding and you are just adding more stuff for no reason.


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## Haileyyy

Will do! My neighbor swears by roper cinches so I was considering getting one, but it does seem unnessecary if I am not roping haha.

Still curious about this girth though. Anyone have one? If so, does it not absorb as much heat as stated in the ad? Also, how easy is it to clean?


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## myhorsesonador

I have one, and I love love love it! It does work a lot better, my mare stayed a lot cooler, and she moved out better, than when I was using other types. It cleanse up super easy 2.

I have the roper, because I've always been told that it helps distribute the weight better.


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## flyawayhorse

I just recently got one and so far it seems my horse is enjoying it. So I have had a positive experience so far....


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## tim62988

i'm not sure which models you can get at tractor supply, but I know they carry some at our local store


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## Celeste

I have 2 weaver air flex cinches. I got the regular, not the roper.

First I bought one for my horse. She is extremely touchy and sensitive if anything is wrong, and she does great with this cinch. My husband's horse was getting rubs in her cinch area so we bought her one. There are no more rubs. The saddle does less slipping with this cinch. You don't have to worry about getting things quite as tight because it is not as slippy as some cinches. I think that these are the best cinches I have owned. 

(They should hire me to advertise them.... lol)


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## Saddlebag

Whenever air is mentioned in either a cinch or saddle pad you can bet your booties it is neoprene. If anyone here has worn a wet suit you will know how hot they can get. It is made of neoprene. Air channels on the Weaver. They squash when the cinch is tightened so I can't see how air would move across it. I'm a die hard fan of the mohair string cinches. Wool's hygroscopic properties wick moisture away from the horse and less chance of developing cinch sores. The skin overheats with neoprene and can cause rapid skin breakdown.


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## myhorsesonador

Saddlebag said:


> Whenever air is mentioned in either a cinch or saddle pad you can bet your booties it is neoprene. If anyone here has worn a wet suit you will know how hot they can get. It is made of neoprene. Air channels on the Weaver. They squash when the cinch is tightened so I can't see how air would move across it. I'm a die hard fan of the mohair string cinches. Wool's hygroscopic properties wick moisture away from the horse and less chance of developing cinch sores. The skin overheats with neoprene and can cause rapid skin breakdown.


Don't knock it till you try it.

Even when tight the channels are open, and my mare was less hot after riding. Not even the cinch was warm.

I will never use another cinch.


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## CLaPorte432

I have one for each saddle i own. I love them. My horses are comfortable in them, they are easy to clean and good quality.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## TackJack

Roper cinch size is fine even for trail riding.

I believe the pro/con of the larger surface area is that it's hard more area to distribute pressure but also more area that "traps" heat so to speak.

Some horses react differently to them but I would say more times than not they react positively.


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## SorrelHorse

LOVE Air Flex cinches. Just chiming that in. :lol:


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## thenrie

I ought to learn not to comment on threads like this, but I can't resist.

I have to agree 100% with Saddlebag. There is no possible way in the world, no, not any at all, that any neoprene, or nylon, or fleece covered, or any other solid type cinch can be cooler on a horse than a good old mohair string cinch. Unless the cinch itself is air-conditioned, it cannot possibly be cooler. Mohair string cinches not only wick moisture away from the horse, but they also allow the sweat to dry, thereby doing exactly what the sweat is supposed to do, cool the horse! Neoprene allows the moisture to pass through, but holds the horse's body heat in. That's what neoprene is designed to do. Cordura and canvas cinches "breathe", but when they get wet, the threads swell, making the material water-tight. When wet they don't breathe. Wool fleece-lined cinches don't wick the sweat and tend to hold heat in, but they do breathe a little. 

Any cinch with padding, like neoprene cinches, or wide cinches, require the cinch to be tighter to give the same holding pressure as a narrower string cinch (because it spreads the pressure over a larger area), which is contrary to what one would think. A wide cinch will often cause rub sores on the backs of the elbows of a horse, particularly with a 7/8 or full-double rigged saddle. Ropers use wider cinchas to hold the saddle in place with the pressure of a steer stopping hard at the end of the rope attached to the saddle horn, and they really crank the saddle down tight. But, they don't do that when they're out pleasure riding.

To those of you who indicate your horse does better with a wide or otherwise specialty cinch, I would put forward something for your consideration. Your horses most likely like the wide cinch better, because you are not cinching it as tightly, relative to cinch area, as you would a narrow cinch. Since the pressure is spread over a larger area, you would have to cinch it tighter to get the same amount of holding pressure you would with a narrow cinch at a lighter pressure. The idea I'm putting forth is simply that if you weren't over-tightening the narrow string cinch, your horse would like it just as much. Many people over-tighten their cinches needlessly. That's why their horses get "cinchy". If you're riding a bronc, that's one thing, but a steady, well-broke horse on a trail ride doesn't need a very tight cinch. Snug is sufficient.

To demonstrate what I'm talking about, ask yourself whether you would get better traction from a dual-wheel pickup or a single-wheel pickup. Common sense would tell you the dual-wheel pickup would have better traction, but that's wrong. The dual-rear-wheel pickup has such light loading on each rear wheel (like the wider cinch) that you can get stuck on wet grass, whereas the single-rear-wheel pickup does just fine.:wink:


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## AQHSam

I started a thread tonight about cinch material. Thank you for your response. Well written. Any suggestions on preventing rub spots from he exposed buckle on the mohair cinch when riding is excessive heat conditions?


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## bsms

thenrie said:


> ...Your horses most likely like the wide cinch better, because you are not cinching it as tightly, relative to cinch area, as you would a narrow cinch. Since the pressure is spread over a larger area, you would have to cinch it tighter to get the same amount of holding pressure you would with a narrow cinch at a lighter pressure...


Disagree. First, if you are relying on the grip of your cinch to keep the saddle in place, then I think you've missed the point of a cinch. It is to pull the saddle down on the back, not to grip your horse's skin with enough power to prevent the saddle from sliding sideways when you mount. If your cinch has that much abrasive force against your horse's skin, you will rip the horse's hair off.

Second, by spreading the 'pull down' power over a larger area, you affect any given square inch less. If you do have any dirt or rough spots on the cinch, it will be shoved into the horse's skin with less oomph.

I use a mohair cinch on my western saddle, but a wool felt cinch on my Aussie one - and the wool felt doesn't have much 'grip'. Doesn't matter. Still works fine. Mohair is pretty slick too, it seems to me. Still works. It has nothing to do with truck tires, which perform differently depending on if it is mud, snow, sand or pavement. I've never driven on horse hide, so I don't know if I need dual tires or not to grip the horse...


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## Celeste

Thenrie, don't say it can't be better if you haven't tried it. Buy one. Test it out. Then decide. I did. And I like the airflex much better.


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## Celeste

AQHSam said:


> I started a thread tonight about cinch material. Thank you for your response. Well written. Any suggestions on preventing rub spots from he exposed buckle on the mohair cinch when riding is excessive heat conditions?


Buy the air flex........

Seriously, the rings or buckles may be the issue I was having.


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