Britchen/crupper question

[Spencer]

I see a lot of you guys use britchen or a crupper. I ride a lot of steep slopes around my area and have never felt the need for one. Now there are times where I thought a crupper may help, but I have never been in a situation where the saddle slipped so far forward that I had any concern.

So my question is......why do you use one? Is it mostly on mules because they might not fit a saddle the same as a horse with good withers?

If you do use one, what do you base your decision on as to use a crupper or britchen??

Pics are always good. I would love to see the terrain/slopes you ride that require their use.

Thanks

[Benny G]

Spencer,
I don't have any pictures, but to answer your question, yes, I use a crupper and/or britchen because mules most often don't have enough withers. I have never used either on my horses. For the most part, the country that I ride in can get pretty stinking straight up and down. I have spent a lot of time walking and leading because the slopes and terrain can get too dangerous to be in the saddle -- not always, but when you're out there alone, it's best not to take too many chances. My gelding got his foot stuck in a crack and went down in a bluff once while I was on him, I was just lucky to be able to get off on the side away from the cliff. For me, mules + rough terrain = cruppers or britchen.

[catdogs]

I use a crupper on both mules and horses in steep terrain. I think a britchen holds better, but I like the less bulky crupper. Once a horse/mule gets used to it, they clamp their tail down on it and it works good. I pull a lot of pack strings and if a horse is crupper broke, its no big deal when you get that lead rope caught under the tail. I have mine rigged on a roller buckle and leave it pretty loose, when I get to the steep stuff, I just reach back and snug it up. Here is how mine is rigged.

[Big Mike]

Yup has to do with the lack of withers and country like this. I use britchens more than crupers because they hold the saddle in more than one place and all the pull is not just on one point like the cruper. But i rotate between the two

[Spencer]

Thanks for the answers. My old saddle had a ring where the skirt was lashed together behind the cantle. The ring was for attaching a crupper. Without the ring, are there other ways the crupper attaches to the saddle? Or would you need to take it to a saddlery to have one put on?

[Benny G]

When I had a saddle that didn't have a ring, I had one put on. In case you don't need a crupper, you can always hook a tow strap on the ring and help a buddy up the hill.

[Brady Davis]

I use a britchen all the time on my mules. Never needed one on a horse unless we were packing him. I've personally never been a fan of a cruper, they pull from one small spot and I guess truth be told I never liked the looks of 'em. I also think it's important to use a well built britchin and fit it correctly on your animal so it can be best used without rubbing hair off or bothering your mule. The country I hunt can get nasty nasty quick and if I don't have a britchen on a mule I'd go right over the dashboard!

So yeah, I'm a britchin fan. There's a guy who is one here from time to time that makes by FAR the best ones I've ever seen .

[desertdog]

Ya know, Max Harsha say's he just cocks the rear cinch back at an angle and tightens it down, I did this and never had any slippage, but I wasn't in any real steep country, what do you guy's think-a-this? (Iv'e heard this is what they do in Mexico)..

[houndsnmules]

You want go wrong with properly fitting breeching.

[mulehound]

Mule=britchen=always
horse=up to you
Darrel.

[Mike Leonard]

In really steep country a proper fitted breeching can be very useful and much easier on your horse than having to cut him in half to keep the saddle in place. There is a lot of country where getting off and re-adjusting and tightening you cinches is just not real practical, and you may end up in the bottom of a chasm all broke up or dead.

[STUNTMAN]

[wwy]

Mike,
I wondered the same thing as asked above, unless that photo was after a good downhill. Not trying to be rude you likely have forgot more about horses than I will ever learn, just curious. One more question as well, on all our work horses we run the britchin lower down the hip than you pictured. Would there be a difference in a riding britchin and a working britchin.

[Mike Leonard]

Stuntman,

You are absolutly correct the breeching in the photo is way too tight. the reason I had it on this colt in the photo that way was getting him use to it before he really had it sneak up on him going down a long grade. I tighten them up good and then lunge them and get them use to the feel of it pulling on them, and then drop it a few holes and get on and usually you won't have a wreck. ( Note: I said usually....LOL!)

A horse especially quarter horse types with a lot of gaskin and muscle bulge are much harder than slab assed mules to wear a breeching real low on, and a crupper might be a better answer for those types. Many of the old bull dog style quarter horses were low withered or mutton withered, and a saddle would ride forward on them in really long steep stuff. I look hard at the back of a mountain horse and I want a good set of withers to hold that saddle in place, and I don't like them too wide in the back either.

[vin]

you always start your colts in the bridle.