How To Cinch A Saddle With Two Latigo Holes?

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Hi,

I saw your answer to a question about a front cinch that has two holes for the latigo. I just got a new saddle and I cant figure out how to do it up! Haha and I feel really silly. Do you choose either the front hole or the back hole?

My horse has a broad back. I’m sure if I just saw a picture I could figure it out. If you had a link or picture to show how it works, that would be great. Can you help me out?

Nikki

Hi, thanks for your question. I’ll try to answer you correctly, but I will admit that I may not be the #1 authority on saddle fit, as I only know what I’ve experienced with my own western saddles, and a saddle professional might give you a completely different answer.

My husband’s trail saddle is exactly how you are describing, and when I cinch it up, I usually go by what fits best on the horse. I would prefer to use the further back of the two holes, putting your cinch closer to under the stirrup fender where I like to see them fit. This used to be the most common fit in the old days, but now that horses’ builds have developed and saddle fit has changed, you see a lot of cinch rings out in front of the stirrups. Sometimes it just fits the horse better that way. But when I cinch up my husband’s horse, I start out with it further back, and then (his horse is on the narrow side) after a couple of wraps of the latigo, I put the third wrap up through the front hole, and back to the cinch buckle, to find a hole to lock it into. I find that this secures the saddle with the least amount of bulk under your leg when riding.

I think for a horse with low withers, I would use the further back hole; a horse with high withers where your saddle is wanting to slide back a bit, you might use the front hole. Take a look at where your saddle just naturally nestles easiest when you first set it up on your horse’s back. You want the cinch to hang straight down, an inch or so behind the horse’s front leg. You don’t want a whole lot of space there, just enough for the shoulder to move freely, etc. So experiment with the two fittings and see which hole holds your saddle best.

That’s the best advice I can give you, because every horse’s build is going to be different, and I think that’s exactly why your saddle was designed that way….to give you freedom to choose.

Good luck, and happy riding!