cinchy horse

[Renn]

I've been reading this forum since the shade tree days and have gotten tons of good information. I really appreciate all you guys that take the time to help educate the rest of us. Maybe you could help me out with a problem. I have a qh mare that has been in the family since she was a foal. A couple of years back we let somebody use her to use for a year or so, when I got her back last year and she is real bad cinchy. If you tighten her up to fast right away she goes right down on her side. Almost looks like rigor mortis. It takes me a good 10 to 15 minutes of tightening a little at a time then walking her before I can even ride. It seems to me lately it is even getting worse. I finally got her cinched up tight and walking around the other day, started packing up the pack horse to break camp and she went down flat on her side on my saddle bags breaking my binoculars. That was after 20 minutes of standing there. If any of you have any good advice or wisdom I sure would appreciate the help.

thanks Renn

[Big Mike]

My girlfriend had one of her show horses do the same thing. There is a large artery or vein that runs right where the cinch goes. For what every reason its exposed a little more on that horse. When you cinch it up fast and tight can cut off the blood flow and down he goes. If you inch the cinch up slowly it probably lets that vein/artery adjust and get pushed back where it doesnt shut off instantly. Only thing I can think of to help is to try a 3/4 rigging maybe it will apply the pressure in a slightly different spot which might help.

[Mike Leonard]

That is darn good advice Mike I have seen the same thing. I have seen some pretty good hands on a horse just slap a saddle on there and slip and jerk that girth quick and tight and you can see them old ponies cross their eyes and cuss under their breath. If you really know your horse and your adjustment is good there is not need to cinch a horse inh half unless you are getting set to tie hard and fast to 1500 pound range bull. Good greif I have seen folks that was plumb parninoid about not having them cinced tighter than a bull's butt in fly season. You don't need it if your gear fits and you anin't up there flopping around and leaning like a drunk heading back to camp after an all night squaw dance. Yes if you are not roping get a rig with a 7/8 or better yet 3/4 rig. I hate the looks of then neopreme cinch covers but they offer some added comfort for a cinch sour horse. Also you don't have to feel like a dude for slowly tightening your cinch and then walking your horse around a bit to untrack him. It settles the gear, settle the critter and just might keep you from getting some new creases in your Resistol.


I know Gene Autry didn't do it that way. He jumped out the second floor windown onto old Champ and galloped away. He did mis-judge one tim and hit a little too far forward they say. ( And that's where the yodel was born. ) LOL!

[Wild_blueman]

If you are still having the problem, maybe I can help a bit.
Check and make sure the saddle is fitting right, and your pad is good. My experience with cinchy horses has been that if they don't like it, they will usually try and bite or lay their ears back. If you ever see a watermelon under the saddle you know its in his back. Just ride with a loose cinch, and tighten it as you go. Proper saddle fit should make it easier to balance and don't hessitate in using a mounting block. Just some things that have worked for me.

[Shorty]

I'm with you on proper saddle fit. If your saddle doesn't fit you'll have to ride with a tighter cinch. I also believe alot of people ride with too much padding under their saddle. This will also cause your saddle to want to roll. Proper saddle fit means you don't need as many pads which in turn means you don't need as much cinch.

I have several different saddles and they all fit different. I use different saddles on different horses. I rope herd bulls with less cinch in my horses than I see alot of people trail ride with. Make sure your saddle fits good without too much padding. Then remember that you just need your saddle to stay up top. If you can get on without it rolling over on their side thats enough. Down the trail aways check for thightness as things will settle in and stretch just a bit.

[catdogs]

Get a big WIDE mohair cinch to help distribute the pressure may help too.

[Cowboyvon]

I also believe alot of people ride with too much padding under their saddle. This will also cause your saddle to want to roll. Proper saddle fit means you don't need as many pads which in turn means you don't need as much cinch.

I see that all the time... A good quality dense pad with a Navajo is the best way to go.

As far a horse being cinchy if its that bad I don't believe you can do much for her except to be real careful and not pull her up real tight. Instead of walking her try bending her while your still on the ground and get her loosened up.. maybe after a while she might start taking it a little better.. I'm sure this is something someone created in her past probably just saddled her up and pulled her in two and hurt her.. I had a little mare that I roped on for a while that would just fall over backwards, she was muttoned withered so you had to pull her up pretty tight so I just always took my time. She got better but you always had to watch her... if she didn't fall over she would sure buck when you got on her if you didn't watch it...

[Shorty]

Cowboyvon your exactly right. Someone must have hurt her. You just need to be careful, sometimes they'll get over it and sometimes they wont. I think it just depends on how bad they got hurt and how thick skinned (tough) they are.

[lmorgan]

I do a lot of living history work for different state or federal historic sites, so I ride a lot of 19th century saddles, both original and reproduction. One thing I like about old military saddles was the surcingle. I'm able to ride a pretty loose girth with it and I've done some things on horseback over the years that most folks wouldn't dream of.

On my modern stuff, I believe in doing like Shorty. I snug my girth up good and check it pretty regular, but I also don't ride with a ton of padding underneath. One good wool pad and a mexican knock off of a navajo blanket is all I use and I seldom have problems with my cinches. I ride both horses and mules quite a bit and they all have different backs and withers. My rig seems to work fine on all of them.

One of the reasons modern saddles have wool under the skirts was to eliminate the need for multiple blankets. With most of my 19th century saddles, the tree is completely uncovered and there are no skirts between the bars and the horse. I've literally put hundreds (maybe thousands) of miles on my horses and mules in these saddles in the last 20 years. The most padding I've EVER used is two old wool army blankets folded to six thicknesses like military regulations call for. Regulations only called for one, but I like two for the same reason we were taught to march in two pairs of socks. The blankets absorb alot of the friction in movement and it doesn't transfer to the horses' back. I use a wool pad and navajo for the same reason.

[Guitar Picker]

Renn, I live in east oregon also, it sounds like your mare has been hurt, without being there to watch her when you saddle her up it can be kinda hard to help you, it sounds like she is sore or maybe even worse , if she has flipped somtime in her liftime she could have hurt herself anywhere in the back or withers, if she is a good mare and could reproduce for you and you want to keep her, I would get someone to check her alinement , give her the front leg stretch's and you will know if she's hurt inside, a young horse if not trained right will jump around abit maybe even flip over from being cinched down improper . your dealing with two diff, issues when you talk cinchie or sore backed, if she is one of those hog backed straight shoulder horses I would say get rid of her and start over with a gelding with a good sloping shoulder and high setting withers , knees down low and some short cannon bones, lead them into a trot , make sure they carry there feet down low to the ground, walk your horse down a dirt road that leaves tracks, make sure there is no overstep or understep , you want that back track to land right in that front one , that would'nt be perfect but it would be close enough for mountain riding, soundness is just important to us country boys as it is to the high rollers , horses are cheaper now than they have ever been , the object is to find one that is sound and stay sound. wet saddle blankets make good broke horses , a mare and a stallion is good for one thing, to make good geldings.