[cowgirlkayt]

NOt sure how well you can see the back cinch on this picture but i think this is how tight it should be?? i make it so i can stick at least a finger in between the belly and the strap because you have to remember it will move down a bit with weight in the saddle. Does this look right to you guys?

[Top Dun]

Like this


Also note the strap between the front and back to keep the back one from slipping to far back. I needed to adjust that one though.

[Dusty1979]

This is a really big pet peeve of mine also. It's bad enough when "ordinary" folk aren't aware of proper flank cinch adjustment, but when the AQHA journal does articles on training with AQHA Professional Horsemen who have flank cinches hanging so low a poodle could jump through them, that's really sad. I'm talking 5-6 or more inches below the belly.

Back in February I couldn't resist commenting to the editor regarding such an article. Her response to me was that there are many different uses of the flank cinch in professional circles. Could anyone out there tell me what the other uses by so called professionals are? I responded to her asking the question again and telling her I would be sincerely interested in knowing what those uses are. Needless to say, I never heard back from her. She stated that she was sorry that the flank cinch adjustment detracted from my enjoyment of the article and hoped that I would find future articles of more interest. ha ha Promoting improper tacking?

And, yes, it's just as important to have a proper length to your connecting strap between the cinch and the flank girth. This will keep the flank girth from slipping too far back, thus becoming a bucking strap.

The accident I witnessed with a too loose flank was a stick getting stuck under the strap on a trail ride resulting in the horse bucking and the rider getting thrown on a gravel road. I usually can't resist commenting on a very loose flank (I know ), and was even told by a person that they use it for decoration. This is one example of ignorance that can result in a really bad crash.

[Aurical]

Oh wow. great thread everyone. I don't ride western but I want to try to get my boyfriend riding one of these days and something tells me he would prefer western to english. I knew the flank cinch existed but could not remember how tight it was supposed to be. Of course I can't remember how to fasten the regular cinch either... I haven't ridden western since I was 8 or 9 and then they showed my how to do it, but tacked the horse for me, lol.

[Smoke N Lace]

I've seen people who didn't have a connecting strap at all and didn't realize they should. That's a bad, bad idea.

[Shotgun93]

I have seen more than my fair share of accidents related to people not having the back cinch the proper tightness or not using the connecting the strap. It's sad because it is so preventable.

[HUS_WP_lovr]

When Jackson was giving lessons I was tacking him up for a little girl who had her own saddle. It sort of had a back cinch but it was just two short pieces like it had two of the same piece lol. I told her if she wanted to use it on Jackson she had to let me take it off becasue it was swinging everywhere.

My reisnman doesnt have one, the only time I have ever used on is in a roping saddle when i was warming up a heeler.

[Aussiesnapps]

Again, I think it was said but please make sure your horse is used to the back cinch before you set out to ride. If not they could be spooked and very explosive when real contact is made during a quick stop or traveling down hill