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Horsemen
know that cinches loosen for many reasons. All cinches will become looser on
some horses after riding a few minutes. Some cinches will become looser on some
horses. Some horses are masterful in their ability to thwart a horseman's effort
to get the cinch tight. Does this mean that a loose cinch is an "inherent
risk" of riding a horse? No, and there are several reasons why not.
First,
and most obvious, a saddle is not an inherent part of horseback riding.
Horseback riding originated without saddles and can still be done in that
manner. With the addition of the saddle we have human intervention and we must
contemplate the skill with which the saddle is placed on the horse. No question
would be raised as to whether the risk were inherent if the saddle were put on
backwards, a foot too far back, over the withers, fastened with a back cinch
only, or the girth were tied on with twine. Why then excuse equal incompetence
with the procedure for tightening the cinch or girth?
Second,
as far back as the 1950's most horsemen seemed to know that one needed to check
the cinch or girth AGAIN after several minutes of riding. I heard this from my
grandfather, several cavalry instructors, at summer camps and from people
running trail rides who would always stop the ride and check all the cinches. It
was common knowledge that if one did not do this one might have a loose saddle.
It
was also common knowledge that there were ways to prevent the loose saddle. And
if one's saddle became loose and slipped it was often a source of great
amusement because everyone knew that someone had made a mistake. The slipping
saddle was never viewed as an unavoidable consequence.
Third,
dude string horses, horses for hire, camp horses and horses that have had many
novice owners include among their numbers some savvy individuals. These horses
raise bloating to avoid the tightening cinch to an art form. As kids we were
taught to tighten cinches and girths in stages, to tighten from the off side and
to check the cinch several times on the ride. We all also usually knew which
horses were these clever individuals but the procedure was drilled into us.
Fourth,
the shape of the horse must be recognized and taken into consideration. The
shape of the horse will affect the fit of the saddle, critical to maintaining
correct placement on a horse's back. It will also affect the accuracy of the
cinch or girth check if this is performed in the most common manner.
When
the check is made by placing fingers under the cinch just above the horse's
elbow, the feel will be affected by the shape of the horse's barrel. A round
horse will allow the fingers to feel a tight cinch while on a slab-sided horse
the cinch will feel loose even when the horse is nearly cut in half with
pressure.
If
the cinch is checked under the belly of the horse the reading will be accurate
and this is where the cinch needs to be tight. The old savvy horses are probably
not looking for this either. One finger under the cinch or girth shows that it
is too tight, three is too loose. The fingers should be placed from back to
front so that when removed the hair will be pulled back the same way.
All
of these things are routinely done by competent horsemen and have been for
decades. To say that a loose cinch or turning saddle cannot be avoided because
it is an inherent risk of riding a horse is to say that whoever has the
responsibility for putting the saddle on the horse need not be competent to
check for fit, or to tighten the cinch correctly. It is to say that incompetent,
untrained staff is also an inherent risk of riding a horse and that argument is
probably not going to fly.
It
also says that once the ride has left the barn whatever happens, happens, even
though we KNOW that many of those cinches will need to be tightened a second and
even a third time to make them safe. This makes that slipping saddle accident
foreseeable in many cases due to lack of proper procedure and training. Even
scarier is that most wranglers even know which horses will have loose cinches or
girths if they have been with the program a while.
To
be on the safe side in litigation a recommended policy would include the
following minimum criteria:
1.
Have a saddle fitted to each horse. Not that each horse has to have his own
saddle but that saddles are marked for which horses they fit and which and how
many pads go with the saddles and horses. Especially round horses will need a
three-prong breast collar to keep the saddle from turning but such a horse
should not be used for an unbalanced novice, especially a large one, under any
circumstances.
2.
Allow adequate time to saddle horses so that cinches can be tightened in stages.
This may add five to ten minutes tops and may add nothing if the wrangler simply
rearranges the chores around this process. It will greatly reduce the number of
"bloaters" in the string and lessen the chance of loosened cinches and
girths.
3.
Note which horses are "bloaters" or are "cinchy" and need
special attention. Add a procedure to work on improving them for their own
comfort and for customers' safety.
4.
Absolutely check cinches and girths 10 to 15 minutes into EACH ride and lesson
and do it carefully. Horses that resist this procedure on the trail should not
be used or should be ridden in by a Wrangler prior to going out. THIS PROCESS
SHOULD BE REPEATED EVERY TIME THE HORSE GOES OUT REGARDLESS OF WHETHER HIS CINCH
OR GIRTH HAS BEEN LOOSENED.
Check
the cinch three times, once before the rider gets on, once right after due to
saddle compression, especially with saddles constructed of man-made materials,
and finally again 10 or 15 minutes into the ride ... and as many times after
that as you need to feel comfortable.
5.
Make sure that you have this covered in your procedure manual (which you need to
have) so that you will not omit thoroughly training any staff member. Staff
members learn many tasks and they should be taught how to put a saddle on so it
will stay in place throughout the ride or lesson.
6. Remember that failure to train staff or learn and teach proper procedure for doing things, especially things on which someone else's safety depends, are not inherent risks of riding a horse.