Hey everyone,

I was just wondering about the back cinch on a saddle... I have one for my saddle, but up to now I have jsut been leaving it off. Tonto bucked the other day, and it made me wonder if I should have the back cinch strap on now... I put it on, and left just a little bit of room so that he could get used to it, but I found that the cinch strap was interfering with my spurs. After I got off, I checked it over, and it has some some scrapes on it already from my spurs. I talked to the BO and they said that the back cinch can sometimes interfere with spurs, and occasionally you can get a spur stuck in the side of it. Should I use the back cinch? My saddle is a 15 inch, so it doesn't go too far back after the main cinch. What would be best to do for this situation?

I do not use spurs, but have watched many people ride who do and use a back cinch without any problems at all. Honestly, your leg/foot should not be going back that far to interfere with it.

The flank/back cinch is intended to keep the back of the saddle from coming up, so with a known bucker, it would be a good idea to use one.

Frankly, if your horse has bucked ONCE, I wouldn't call him a "bucker" persay. I probably would have said throw one on and let him get used to it if you think it will make you feel better (though I doubt it's necessary given your other posts). However, if it is interfering with your spurs when adjusted correctly (I trust your trainer knows what he/she is talking about enough to have visually checked both the saddle and your riding) then don't use it. If your spurs are that close to it under normal circumstances then IMO you are at far greater risk of getting hung in it if you do come off than falling off because you didn't have a back cinch on. I personally would rather come clean off than get hung up ANY day

I would encourage you to let your trainer look at the cinch and you riding with it if s/he has not already done so though. Perhaps it's an easy fix in your case. If not and it's not neccessary for the riding you are doing I'd take it off.

When I switched to Western, the very first lesson I learned was to ALWAYS use a back cinch. It was very common for me to see many people here in Texas, use their back cinch to such a loose extent, that there was no point in it being there apart from asthetic reasons.

The back cinch should be strapped just as tight as a noseband (two fingers comfortablty fitting through). Its purpose is to hold the back end of the western saddle down.

For more information, use "back cinch purpose" as keywords on your preferred search engine.

It's always good to ask questions, and take note of things that you wouldn't normally notice.



Native

Native- I know you're supposed to use one, and that they definitely are more popular is some areas. Nobody at my barn uses one...

Anyway, no, I wouldn't call Tonto a "known bucker" as he doesn't do it too often, and usually they are just tiny bucks.

Would it make much of a difference to Tonto's back if I don't use the back cinch? When I'm not using spurs, I'm sure it would be fine, but...

You do not have to use a back cinch if you are not riding in a manner where you would likely need it's services. IE; Arena riding, light trails, showing.. If you are riding trails with steep inclines, roping cattle, etc.. then you would probably need to use one. It will not bother your horse to leave it off as long as you do not need it for the use it's intended for. Saddle fit is not at issue. Does that help?

If you felt the back of your saddle come up off Tonto's back significantly - like enough to feel it slap back down - then I would think a back cinch would be a good idea. You said you're riding in a 15" saddle, which isn't really all that big, and unless the rigging is full double, the cinch alone ought to be enough to hold the saddle down. The back cinch is not really necessary unless you are roping or riding on some steep terrain. If you do want to continue using it, make sure it is adjusted correctly, like the previous poster said, snug to the belly but not tight (I watched a rider undo about 3 months of training on a 3 year old when she put the flank cinch on so loose that the horse stuck her hind foot through it and totally panicked.) Also make sure that there is a little strap that connects the back cinch to the front cinch, so that it doesn't slip back and become a flank cinch, like what they put on broncs to make them buck harder!

I wouldn't say you are "supposed" to use one.

I have NEVER ridden in a back cinch and probably never will. The only people I know that I've ever seen use one are those more into the performance or rodeo events (normally with cattle). They are certaintly the exception and not the rule in my experience.

There MAY be a need for one since you are starting to work cattle, though I don't have experience in that area so you'd have to find someone with more knowledge in your area than me

If you look it up, you'll find that the back cinch relieves uneccessary pressure on the horse's kidneys by holding the back end of the saddle in place, thus preventing it from bouncing around. Pressure with the use of a back cinch is then able to span over an entire area, instead of the front end.

Obviously, this is not needed for an English saddle, as it is lighter, smaller, and pressure is relieved through stuffing in the leather built underneath the saddle. If the English saddle could fit perfectly, no saddle pad would be required.

The Western saddle on the other hand, weighs almost three times as much as the English, and to relieve the horse of this added weight and space, extra padding is necessary along with a back cinch.



I'm learning all this as well.



Native

Yes, my back cinch has a strap to attach it to the regular cinch. I certainly do NOT want to turn Tonto into a bucker! I'll post a picture of the saddle I have... maybe that will help you guys in dertimining the rigging/placement of the regular cinch and back one...

http://www.cowtownonline.com/cowtown?PAGEID=57&Class=2115&StoreID=Undefined&ItemID=3959
here we go... Same model/style, except mine's black and is *slightly* worn now, and I took off the hoofpick carrier thingy on the back cinch. The saddle in the picture is also bigger then my 15 inch. Just as a side note, this saddle actually has full quarter horse bars

Even though a western saddle weighs 3X as much as an english the weight is more evenly distributed over a larger area. I use a back cinch. I don't use it right now becuase I'm not working Twister hard enough and all it would do is collect mud.

It says it's a 7/8 rigging. I can see that your spurs could hit the back cinch, if your saddle looks like the picture. The saddle looks like it would encourage your butt to stay in the seat, just by the way it's put together. If it were me, I wouldn't bother with a flank cinch unless you feel the back of the saddle coming up off his back. If you want the security of the back cinch while you're learning cow work, you might try either different spurs with shorter shanks, or slip-on spurs (which would not get you hung up on the back cinch).

So long as your saddle fits correctly I wouldn't worry about the back cinch unless you start roping. With your saddle having 7/8 rigging, being relatively light and the design of the seet I really wouldn't stress over it.

Thanks so much guys for helping me out here! I think what I've pretty much decided to do is just leave it off for regular rides... I'm not roping or anything, so maybe when I ride without spurs or something I will use it. Right now I'm just using them for collection, and trying to get Tonto to round his back and carry himself... He got a little lazy after his 2 and a half months of break (his injury) He is definitely all better now though, so no worries.

Others have said many things like I may say, your back cinch is to keep your saddle on better while on the trails, packing, gaming, or roping, it just helps keep the saddle on better, yes you want the connector strap between the two or the cinch could go back to far and cause a buck...i know what you mean, if I am riding a horse with spurs then sometimes my spurs get kind of stuck... you could take it off if your just doing equitation and maybe ride with it now and then to get your horse used to a saddle with a back cinch, its good to get your horse used to many things, well good luck!