I have an old 15 string cinch that I want to convert into a breastcollar. Does anyone have a good idea for how to DIY?
What style? It will only work if it’s the appropriate length. Then either buy or make straps.
Generally I’ve only ever seen martingale style (3 point) breastcollars in hair, and they need something like a center ring.
Tying them from scratch seems easier than trying to modify something. Artcords has instructions/videos.
Not the best idea, if you expect the breast collar to actually be needed in work.
Cinch is made for straight pulling needed in girthing a saddle, equally pulled on both rings. Horse is not made that way, with windpipe of neck getting in the way of breast collar or cinch laying across horse chest.
Using the cinch as a breast collar, horse is ALWAYS going to be feeling the breast collar cutting into his windpipe. Even lowering the place cinch would go on chest, could create other problems rubbing on point of shoulders all the time, to sore him up.
This is the reason the Y shaped breast collars are made, to lower the center of breast collar to prevent cutting into the windpipe while worn.
A cinch is just not made for what you want to use it for, too straight. I have seen the breast collars made as a Y, using cinch cord, but they all had a metal ring in the chest center to prevent poking the windpipe.
Also, cinches are made of strings only tied in the ends and middle.
String breast collars are tied more often, or they can pinch a horse’s shoulder skin here and there and will tend to rub more, as the strings used themselves are thicker for cinches than breast collars.
Some horses are not comfortable at all with string breast collars, but are fine with leather ones.
It could be done if you made it similar to a polo breastplate, straight across the chest and back to the rigging dees with a strap across the top of the neck to support it, but like others above, I don’t think it would be very suitable for the purpose.
That look is getting pretty popular on the barrel circuit, but I don’t think any that I have seen are converted cinches, they are made to be breastcollars.
edited because I posted the cinch link.
Like these:
http://www.equibrand.com/3-Mohair-Breastcollar-p741/
We had those a good 30+ years, here a picture from those times:
Yea I was trying to see if there is a particular way to retie it onto a center ring. Bummer. It is a cinch that really shouldn’t be used as a cinch but I hate throwing decent things away. If you have any good reduce/reuse/recycle ideas then let me know.
This picture of a good 30+ years ago shows the string breast collars that were used then by many:
If you were patient you could untie the cord, but I doubt it would be worth it. One of the nice parts about making clinches is that there aren’t really many permenant actions other than cutting the cord to length.
The string girths make good wrap around, tied down straps for items being hauled. I have used them on carriages because the string doesn’t scratch the nice paint, yet still are quite strong holding things in place.
Thanks all for the suggestions. Will play around and see what I can fenagle.
