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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420
| How tight is too tight and how loose is too loose?  |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
 
Location: In The Snow, AZ | If your horse is having a hard time breathing, its probably too tight. If your saddle falls off while you're riding, its probably too loose. |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
 
Location: Phoenix | If I'm just exercising I'll keep it snug. If I'm roping I tighten up pretty good.
My horse has a good set of withers so I don't need to tighten up as much. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 316
| I honestly don't tighten mine alot on my good barrel horse. He tends to freak out a little when it gets too tight.. The others I tighten but make sure I can get my hand bvetween the cinch and body.. not forcefully.. To each their own though |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | My ulcer prone mare will only accept it enough to keep the saddle in place. My barrel horse I can cut her in half.my gelding is in between the two.1 has withers 2. Has no withers 3. Is just right. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | I had a problem with my mare... I had to over tighten the girth so the saddle wouldn't roll. I tried many different girths and none of them made a difference until I bought a Len Brown Never Tight Cinch. That thing is the best money I have ever spent on tack! I hardly have to tighten it and she runs so much better in it. I have ridden in it almost every day over a long period of time and it never galled or rubbed. It's really worth the money! |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| With a proper fitting saddle, you shouldn't need it snug, the saddle will stay in place. Also if the rider has good balance and is not flopping around like a dead chicken one can ride in a looser cinch. There are saddles that even fit mutton withers so a person doesn't have to cut them on half.
Roping is different as they have to adjust for the torque of the calf hitting the end |
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Member
Posts: 24
Location: FL | Snug enough to hold the saddle safely in place, yet still fit my hand in. Taking into account the difference in anatomical placement, I still think of it as a belt. I sure would be miserable trying to workout in my belt tightened to the last hole, I can't imagine it's any different for our horses. Not to mention lung restriction if it's too tight. It really helps to have a correctly fit saddle & pad :) |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | None of my horses are cinchy or have much of a noticable preference. We tighten it till I can comfortably fit a hand between the cinch and the horse and pull it away a few cm. To keep them from puffing up we cinch them real loose when we put the saddle on, then after we get in the arena up another notch, then walk a lap, check it one more time, then get on. |
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 Having Smokin Bandits
Posts: 4572
Location: Woodstown, NJ | That is a good question. I always worry about it. I want my horse to be comfortable but I also want to be safe. People say, "Tight enough that I can fit my hand in comfortably," but what, exactly, does that mean? I can go up or down a couple of holes, which makes a difference in how snug the saddle is, and my hand is still comfortable.
For regular riding, I think we keep the cinches pretty loose. Whatever that means. Right before we're ready to do a run, we go up on more hole. I think it's super tight. Whatever that means, lol. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1062
Location: Probably On the Road to the Next Barrel Race! | I use the Clinton Anderson method of girth tightening....and I quote,"till their eyes roll back in their head!" Now obviously he was being tongue-in-cheek, but after he said that I felt safe girthing up pretty darn snug, which is my preference anyway. just my opinion... |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1131
| I tighten it up all the way on all horses I get on. Why would I risk my saddle or saddle pad getting misplaced and causing more harm than good in the long run? I've ended up under a racing horse before though, not due to too loose, but due to malfunction, but I am out to ensure it doesn't happen again. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 595
Location: nj | Wow - i went to the site and was thinking of trying the never tight cinch until I saw the price - $389 is a little too steep to try something for me. |
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 Buttered Noodles Snacker
Posts: 4377
Location: NC | threeponies - 2014-12-23 6:49 AM Wow - i went to the site and was thinking of trying the never tight cinch until I saw the price - $389 is a little too steep to try something for me.
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Member
Posts: 16
| Thank you for posting this information!)
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 679
Location: KS | I was always taught to tighten enough to fit three fingers in between it. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | Here's an interesting article I read the other day.
http://www.horsecollaborative.com/7-facts-about-girths-your-horse-wants-you-to-know/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=horse-girths |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 629
| Not very tight at all. My friends pick on me all the time for how loose my girth is. I just think I wouldn't want or be able to run with something squeezing me that tightly, so I don't do it to them. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| I tighten mine really tight. Since my horses are really tall I cannot get back on if I get off and since lardo wants to puff up, I have had Danny Reinhart and Ty Mitchell tighten for me when I got around to the back of the arena. They pull up tighter than I do. I can't get my fingers under my tie strap. |
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 No Name Nancy
Posts: 2715
Location: never in the right place | Thanks for posting the price, I was going to go lookup that cinch too |
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 Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | Depends on horse and level of training. Young ones I don't want any major accidents from a saddle slipping if they spook or give me a couple jumps. Broke horses with good withers and not roping, get pretty loose cinches. My son's new horse that is rolly polly fat and no withers, we can't get that thing tight enough. I am constantly tightening it through the ride. I hope it is better when he loses the weight, but he'll of course never have any withers. A breastcollar helps it stay in place a bit better.
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 Pork Fat is my Favorite
Posts: 3791
Location: The Oklahoma plains. | I think one reason people tend to over tighten is because they ride in way too long of a cinch. JMO. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | I used to make sure I could get my hand between the girth and the horse. I felt the same as most. Didn't want to over tighten, horse has high withers so saddle will stay etc. After taking my first tumble in a run, this WILL change. I have never had a saddle roll or slip in a run before. It's not fun. Only thing I changed was to a mohair girth, had already made 3 prior runs in it with no mishaps. New plan is to have saddle snug and then it will be tighten very securely right before my run. |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Mine isn't that tight. Just enough where it doesn't roll. I try to stay balanced enough that it doesn't roll to one side or the other. |
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 The Worst Seller Ever
Posts: 4138
Location: Oklahoma | The type of cinch plays a big part in how tight you get one.
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How tight do you cinch your saddle?