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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 396
 
| How tight do you cinch up when you run? I realized the other day I'm tightening very tight before I run (my poor horse?) because if I don't my saddle slips right on the second and third barrel. I have a little cutting style gelding who gets down and turns hard. Is my saddle not fitting or is that normal? I ride a Meleta brown that I am in love with, but. . . |
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 Expert
Posts: 1631
 
Location: Somewhere around here | oranges - 2016-04-28 6:52 AM
How tight do you cinch up when you run? I realized the other day I'm tightening very tight before I run (my poor horse?) because if I don't my saddle slips right on the second and third barrel. I have a little cutting style gelding who gets down and turns hard. Is my saddle not fitting or is that normal? I ride a Meleta brown that I am in love with, but. . .
What type of cinch do you use and is your latigo and off billet leather or something else? Leather will stretch out so it could be loosening our cinch up when he is running? |
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 Experienced Mouse Trapper
Posts: 3106
Location: North Dakota | Mine are tight, no need to have something move/slip during a run OR slap the horse around-but I also heel and a loose cinch will sore up a horse in no time. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | I ride with a pretty loose cinch and then pull it a bit tighter before a run (I can still get my hand under the cinch on the sides). I use a Corrector saddle pad and it makes a huge difference, my saddle really stays in place. I did start using a Len Brown Never Tight cinch this week and I have to say I was skeptical that it would make much difference since I don't ride with a very tight cinch, WRONG! That thing was some of the best $ ever spent on horse tack. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 788
| I run in a Treeless, and I have the same problem. Its like I cant get that thing tight enough! I use a Pro choice Wool Cinch. I usually have it just tight enough it wont slide while warming up and then I tighten up right before I run. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | I tighten my cinch tight enough I can get my fingers between the horse and the cinch and then I pull my hand towards my body. I should be able to maintain contact with the horse but still have some give in the cinch.
I also ride a cutting bred gelding who could give you whiplash he turns so hard but my saddle doesn't move around. I can't say the same for his rider though  |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | If you have to tighten your cinch so darn tight to keep your saddle from slipping then to me your saddle dont fit your horse or you have the wrong pad. When I cinch up to run barrels I still can get my fingers between my horse and cinch. I have seen horses cinched up so tight that their skin is wrinkled up under the cinch, not good. |
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| Depends on the fit of your saddle and build of your horse. My horse has some withers and the saddle fits pretty good so I don't need to tighten as much as someone with a rounder backed horse, but I still do make sure it is tight. I've seen way to many wrecks because the saddle isn't tight enough. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | When I'm tacking up, I'll get it pretty snug. I'll stretch my horse and recheck my cinch before I mount up. Then maybe about 5 to 10 people before my run, I'll get off again and check it again. Immediately after my run, I get off and loosen my cinch and walk them off.
My saddle fits well and does not roll easily but I will still make it pretty snug during a run. Things happen so fast and so hard in a run that I do not want the chance of my saddle to slip.
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| Okay, I'll admit - I cut mine in half! - But I only tighten it up right before the run and untighten right after. |
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| Depends on the horse. I had a mare with high-ish withers that I could run with air showing between her belly and the cinch and would not have had an issue lol - so I didn't have to cinch her up too tight. A gelding I am running now has a really round back and lack of withers, so I cinch him up pretty good! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 518
| Mine is pretty snug but not so tight that it's going to cut her in half. I also do my back cinch up snug too. Put the saddle on, put the front cinch on loosely. Do the back cinch up so its touching but not tight. tighten up the front a little. Ride around for a bit. Then get off and tighten the back first, so thats its snug against her belly. Then do the front one the same. I check it throughout my ride but rarely tighten it again.
I do that to the back cinch because I cringe when I see the back of a saddle popping up and down. It also helps relieve some pressure from the withers. I started doing this a couple years ago and it has made a huge difference! |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | Tight enough that I don't fall off! My saddle fits correctly, and I haven't had an issue, but going that fast and turning that tight I'm not about to take any chances. But I do loosen it right after a run. |
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 Regular
Posts: 67
| How much are the Len Brown Never Tight cinches and where did you purchase it?? |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 788
| Trippin - 2016-04-28 12:27 PM
How much are the Len Brown Never Tight cinches and where did you purchase it??
shop.protectorpad.com
The Near tight cinch is $259, the Never itght is $389
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Southtxponygirl - 2016-04-28 9:26 AM If you have to tighten your cinch so darn tight to keep your saddle from slipping then to me your saddle dont fit your horse or you have the wrong pad. When I cinch up to run barrels I still can get my fingers between my horse and cinch. I have seen horses cinched up so tight that their skin is wrinkled up under the cinch, not good.
Agree, I ride in a Caldwell with a 5 star pad. I get it tight for a run but I can get my fingers in there. At home it is really loose, like barely touching him at the bottom. He has jumped and jived when spooked by deer and it stays right in place even if I don't. |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | rodeomom3 - 2016-04-28 1:37 PM Southtxponygirl - 2016-04-28 9:26 AM If you have to tighten your cinch so darn tight to keep your saddle from slipping then to me your saddle dont fit your horse or you have the wrong pad. When I cinch up to run barrels I still can get my fingers between my horse and cinch. I have seen horses cinched up so tight that their skin is wrinkled up under the cinch, not good. Agree, I ride in a Caldwell with a 5 star pad. I get it tight for a run but I can get my fingers in there. At home it is really loose, like barely touching him at the bottom. He has jumped and jived when spooked by deer and it stays right in place even if I don't.
LOL, I know what you mean about the deer .. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1035
Location: TN | Depends on the horse. One horse has no withers so I have to cinch him up pretty tight to ride and really tight to run. His saddle fits but the last time I cruised him through with it loose the saddle rolled at the first barrel and I ended up with a concussion so we don't do that anymore!
My other horse has great withers and can hold a saddle in place with a very loose cinch. I just snug it up to run though, nothing too tight. |
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11511
Location: 31 lengths farms | Tightish. I have a leather billet and then a nylon latigo, then run also in an air flex cinch and put a breast collar back so I could run with a slightly looser cinch. Started that the first year I went to Pendleton to run and on standard patterns with my horses not being cut in two seems to make a good bit a difference running home especially. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | I will second that the never tight cinch is great! Worth every penny. Best money I ever spent on a piece of tack. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 933
Location: north dakota | Depends on the horse. If the horse has a round back the cinch is tighter. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| I have mine tight enough so it doesn't move when I get on.
My philosophy is if it is too tight, the horse can't breathe properly therefore will not excert their maximum energy into running, as some of their energy goes into gasping for breath. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1526
Location: Texas | Tight |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Depends on the horse and the saddle pad.
I've noticed my saddles do not roll at all on either horse with a 5 star pad. I've gotten off after a ride at home and been able to see daylight between my cinch (not intentional!) but did not notice it moving on my higher withered gelding. So I snug my cinch up but I don't cut them in half. Snug rear cinch as well.
If I'm running in my CSI I tighten it a little more - most any issue I've had with a saddle moving has been in my CSI pad. I keep it around for riding new horses and ones my saddles aren't quite right on, but I try to get them sorted out and into a 5 star quickly.
When we rope we cinch up tight tight. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| tight enough so the saddledoesnot move. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1395
Location: Missouri | Probably a smidge too tight :/ I really need to get another saddle for the horse I'll be running after I have my baby in Sept. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 747
| For me it depends on the horse and the pad. I have a gelding with higher withers that my saddle fits well and I cinch him up at home loosely. I go up until the cinch touches, then one more hole and it's loose but not hanging down. When I run him I go a little tighter. But I think I could set my saddle up on him and get on without it being cinched up and not have it roll at all.
The other horse we currently have totally depends on the pad you're using. She rolls a little more with a CSI but the SaddleRight sits the saddle good with no rolling. I got off her one time and had forgotten to tighten my cinch before riding, it was hanging a good half inch off her belly but my saddle never moved or felt rolly.
We only ride in 5 star mohair cinches and love them because they offer the stretch and comfort that our nylon latigo's and off billets don't have. And of course we always cinch up a little tighter before a run than we do at home just because they're running and stretching out more, so a tighter cinch is needed. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 396
| Remember my problem here, well I came across a Cactus Marlene McCrae barrel saddle. Tried it out. Problem solved, I can run with a loose cince now. The saddle sits and stays on without cinching so tight. My horse seems is happier.
My sad part is the Meleta Brown seems so much better made :(. |
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  Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7622
Location: Dubach, LA | Not tight. I ride a dropped rigging Coats. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1612
Location: Cocoa, Florida | LMS - 2016-04-28 8:23 AM
Mine are tight, no need to have something move/slip during a run OR slap the horse around-but I also heel and a loose cinch will sore up a horse in no time.
What LMS said. It's better to have it tight so your saddle doesn't move or flop on the horses back and make them sore. I have a pretty wide saddle that I ride with shims so I use a back girth as well.
I love the mohair girths but mine didn't hold well enough |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | Front cinch is snug as well as the back cinch...m |
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How tight do you cinch up when you run?