For those dressage Riders who may also ride western or do Western dressage, how do the sizes of cinches compared to the sizes of dressage girth’s? Do you get the same size or do you get bigger or smaller? Thanks in advance.
Bigger then a cinch. How much depends on what kind of cinch. The billets (the straps the girth buckles) to on most English saddles, are between the flap and panel and don’t come down below the bottom of the saddle flap, the girth buckles between flap and panel somewhere under about just above or below and behind your knee.
Some Western saddles have billets that come down well below the skirts and the cinch buckles to them, usually a synthetic or leather type . Others have a metal ring built into the bottom of the skirt and you attach a cinch that has rings on either end by means of a latigo strap and specific knot that lies flat. Some call the buckle ended ones girths since they buckle to the billets, others say cinch…regional thing I think. Some of the ring ended ones have a buckle kind of arrangement on the off side and latigo on tne near.
The one with the buckles will be smaller then an English girth but longer then the cinch with rings.
Its easier to explain with pictures…maybe somebody can give you a link, I can’t from here. More riders are using the buckle ones these days I think. I liked the rings and latigo as it offered more adjustability then pre punched holes.
I ride a 15h QH in both a Martin reining saddle and a County dressage saddle. His mohair western cinch is 30". His dressage girths (long billets) are 24" and 22".
We must be weird, my mare wears a 32 cm cinch and a 32 cm dressage girth, though I think we could maybe due to go down to a 30.
I got this so I didn’t have to deal with the western girth. Love it!!!.
http://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Weste…page-WWCC.html
Click on the pictures to see how it works.
ETA There is this converter if you wanted leather
I just ordered those. They are back ordered until the end of the month, ugh. I much prefer my dressage girth to my western girth. Leather is so much easier to take care of and keep clean too.
My 24" dressage girth equates to my 30" cinch.
My Shotgun wears a 54" English girth with his Tad Coffin jumping saddle, and a 34" Western cinch with his barrel racing saddle.
I think the sizing will vary quite a bit based on the type of saddle you have.
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I use a 26" cinch and a 20" dressage girth
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I was mistaken, my cinch that I use currently is a 32 NOT a 30. I could use a longer one too, if needed.
