Cinch Question

I used to ride English many years ago. I used to participate in Hunter/Jumper. But, I since have switched to Western and have been riding Western for many years now. If I want to switch to English/Endurance, how would I determine my cinch size? My horse is at a 36 inch Western cinch now. What does that equate to in an English size cinch?

The size of cinch or girth you will need depends on what kind of saddle you will be using . There are several converters that will make it possible to use a western cinch on an english rigged saddle or use an english girth on a western saddle so if you have a western saddle you like, but want to use an english girth there is no problem. The cinch/girth sizes are the same. You measure the length from end of buckle to end of buckle. Once you know which saddle you will be using it will be easier to figure out the size you need.

I am an avid trail rider and ride in a Torsion extra light. It is english rigged and I use a 28" contoured dressage girth on my mare who I ride most. I use the same saddle on a smaller horse and use a 22" on her. It entirely depends on your horse and the saddle on it's back. I have another Torsion that is western rigged, but I have converters on it so I can use a dressage girth on it as well. I prefer a girth over a cinch because there are more options for comfort and fit. You can do endurance in any kind of saddle as long as it fits your horse very well. The miles will exaggerate any little things that may be rubbing or bothering your horse so comfort is most important.

Mountain Horse wrote: The size of cinch or girth you will need depends on what kind of saddle you will be using . There are several converters that will make it possible to use a western cinch on an english rigged saddle or use an english girth on a western saddle so if you have a western saddle you like, but want to use an english girth there is no problem. The cinch/girth sizes are the same. You measure the length from end of buckle to end of buckle. Once you know which saddle you will be using it will be easier to figure out the size you need.

I am an avid trail rider and ride in a Torsion extra light. It is english rigged and I use a 28" contoured dressage girth on my mare who I ride most. I use the same saddle on a smaller horse and use a 22" on her. It entirely depends on your horse and the saddle on it's back. I have another Torsion that is western rigged, but I have converters on it so I can use a dressage girth on it as well. I prefer a girth over a cinch because there are more options for comfort and fit. You can do endurance in any kind of saddle as long as it fits your horse very well. The miles will exaggerate any little things that may be rubbing or bothering your horse so comfort is most important.

All of this is very helpful information! Thank you very much! Where did you purchase your Torsion Extra Light? I've never seen one of those before? How much do they weigh? I will have to decide on which saddle now to use. I ride a lot too and comfort is most important for me and my horse ... so .. a lighter saddle is preferable at this point.

Neytiri, roughly, a 36" western cinch is going to be about a 56" English girth if you're riding in a hunt-seat or jumping saddle. If you're riding in a Dressage saddle with longer billets, it will be about a 30" girth. These sizes are relative to what kind of saddle and pad you use and what kind of build your horse has so they are an estimation. Your horse must be big! If you can, set the English saddle on the horse, then measure so that the new girth will sit evenly on both sides.

I bought my Torsion from Jeannine at [url=http://www.gotreeless.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;]www.gotreeless.com[/url]. She does not carry these anymore, but has allot of great stuff. Saddles where hard to get, long wait. They are one of the original treeless saddles which are copied by allot of makers. I like them because the quality in leather and they are made well. You can find them on Ebay or endurance and treeless websites once in a while or get one from a supplier in England. Mine weighs about 15 pounds fully rigged and has all kinds of D's for packs etc...

Your body weight shouldn't be over the 160-180 range because support and spine clearance is dependent on a pad and despite what is advertised, they do not fit all horses. I modified mine to fit my girls withers and made more rigid support for my pad to disperse the weight more, but not get in the way of the flexibility my mare likes.

A treed saddle I have my eye on is http://www.specializedsaddles.com/produ ... 249&page=1 I like treed saddles too, but my mare is very opinionated and after 3 saddles I decided to splurge and get the Torsion. She walked out and relaxed after about ten minutes of wearing it as if I where riding bareback.

The treeless saddles are great, aren't they? I'm finding more and more, the quality is improving across the board unless you're looking at the cheapest ones. The pad does make a huge difference. How did you modify yours for your mare? So far, I haven't needed any modification unless the horse has severey high withers and/or a low back. Still not sure I fixed it in the best manner though. I haven't ridden in a Torsion, glad to hear you love it!

LopingAlong wrote: Neytiri, roughly, a 36" western cinch is going to be about a 56" English girth if you're riding in a hunt-seat or jumping saddle. If you're riding in a Dressage saddle with longer billets, it will be about a 30" girth. These sizes are relative to what kind of saddle and pad you use and what kind of build your horse has so they are an estimation. Your horse must be big! If you can, set the English saddle on the horse, then measure so that the new girth will sit evenly on both sides.

Thanks for the tip on the sizes! I do prefer the english rigging. It's quicker and easier for me.

Mountain Horse - Great web site! (Specialized Saddles) Already making me want to buy another saddle!

I took out the pommel and set it on her back so I could mark the right angle and filed it to shape. The Torsion has a wood pommel so it's pretty easy. I did it right beside her so I could periodically check for good fit until I was happy.

You can add anything to your pad that will give more support if you have one with insert openings. I used lexan, but all has to fit nicely and you have to find the right thing for the horse it is on. It becomes more like a flex tree/treeless hybrid.

If a horse has severely high withers and the treeless has a zipper or stitching that can be opened, you can ask suppliers if they have a different shape pommel for high withers. Too much padding can make a treeless unstable. Nice thing about fit on a low back horse is it doesn't bridge. It just forms to the dip and you don't need a big filler pad.

I like the treeless, but I also like a flex tree or custom because of the support on long distance and long days. My mare picked the treeless. Minimal, like the Specialized Saddle link, offers more support with a heavier rider if fit well. Treeless can create pressure soreness where the stirrups and girth are set on a horse that is ridden allot.