Question for western saddle owners

Slave2Magic

Slave2Magic

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I'm abit confused over the flank strap? The saddle I have seen it on has a shorter strap on one side with buckle holes in and a really long strap on the other side, also with buckle holes in. How would this strap arrangement fasten?
 
Fasten one end of the cinch (girth) on to the short strap, which should be on the off side. Go to near side and pass the long strap (latigo) through the cinch ring from underneath and pass it through the the plate which is attached/embedded on the saddle, bring it down behind the first wrap and pass it through the cinch ring again. At this stage you should have the holes in a position that they will line up with the buckle, pull the free end until it is snug but do not overtighten and fasten the buckle. After locating the pin in the required hole, grasp the top two layers and pull gently back on itself to ensure that the pin lays flat and close to the latigo. The centre of the cinch should line up with the midline of the underside of the horse. Tuck free end into the little short strap with a slot in it, which should be just below the pommel on the near side.

Hope that helps
 
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Thankyou for your reply. This is the bit I don't get, the rear flank strap doesn't have any buckle to fasten to? There are buckle holes on both sides but no buckle?What should it fasten with?
 
Depending on how your saddle is rigged you may or may not need the rear cinch. If it is fully rigged or 3/4 rigged, you probably will need it to keep the saddle balanced and level.

The rear cinch itself is a thick leather strap, it looks different to the front cinch. The short strap is a billet, you buckle the rear cinch to that first. Then you loop the long strap (latigo) through the other end of the rear cinch and up through the metal thing attaching the latigo to the saddle. Do this twice for security, then adjust to the proper fit and tie off the latigo. Remember that the rear cinch should not be snug against the horse, it should be loose, but not too loose either. And you need a connector strap to fasten the rear cinch to the front cinch.

I tie my front cinch as above too, btw.
 
Is it the billets you are talking about? I have never seen a western saddle with a rear cinch set-up like you are describing :confused: Most rear flank straps have the cinch with buckles on both ends, the billets are the same length and are attached to the saddle with latigos and the cinch is attached to the front cinch with a leather attachment. If you have a long strap on the rear then that's a very odd set-up and personally I'd get rid of it and replace with proper rear billets and cinch.
 
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