My vet has sentenced me to a month of longing / long lining, and I’m pretty sure the way the universe works that the only way to prevent such a sentence in the future is to acquire nice equipment so I’m on the hunt for a surcingle made of nice leather, preferably brown. Like if Edgewood or Hadfields made a surcingle - that kind of leather. Does such a thing exist? Or am I doomed to serve my sentence using stiff tack?
Freedmans Leather makes a lovely one that has served me well for years and great leather quality.
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I recently came across the TRT surcingle on-line, I like the look from a functional point of view but the price is well out of my range 
It’s out of stock so probably not obtainable within your time scales anyway 
FWIW, I don’t think such a thing exists. I went down a similar rabbit hole about five years ago and couldn’t find anything that met my leather expectations.
Why did they sentence you to a month of longing (curious, not a hostile question - the answer changes my answer, so to speak). If it is a back related issue, be careful of which surcingle you buy - they do not have spinal clearance (despite what their descriptions say) and do apply pressure directly on the spine. If you have to use a surcingle, use one that has a raised platform between horse’s back and the leather - there are almost none on the market that I can find that are also all leather.
This is a hybrid of leather/webbing, but I have owned this surcingle for 15 years and it still looks brand new. I use it a few times a year especially after fresh snow.
https://www.doversaddlery.com/dover-clssc-web-traning-srcngl/p/X1-3086/
This is not a surcingle at all, but it’s being used with growing success in my circle:
https://www.horseloverz.com/horse-equipment/horse-training-aids-equipment/lunge-equipment/shires-soft-lunging-aid
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There are some cool looking all leather VAULTING surcingles (rollers) out there:
They have more structure & the spine clearance that’s lacking on many leather surcingles.
Not sure if something like that works for you, but vaulting tack might be another rabbit hole to explore in search of the perfect item.
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DoubleDan Horsemanship has one that looks interesting, but is also out of stock. Schneider’s has this as their topline surcingle. I have a different surcingle with standing rings and really like them over the flat type.:
Apologies, I’ve gone into virtual shopping mode 
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This looks pretty good, with decent back clearance, but they aren’t shipping internationally and I’m struggling to find a US supplier as Google insists on diverting me onto UK sites even with -UK in the search bar.
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I knew you’d all have ideas. Thanks.
Have used vaulting surcingles many years ago and they’re too cumbersome but good idea. They do look nice.
Beowulf, we’re building up his core and back muscles, so yes, the back is involved, though further back than the surcingle. I would only use one with good spine clearance and with padding.
The Schneiders one says it’s made by Amish craftsmen, so it may be time to check in with Bartville. Duh! Of course. Their bridles don’t appeal to me but seems like that may be the best I can do for a surcingle on short notice.
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This is an interesting design;
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What a cool design that totally addresses the concerns about spinal pressure… and that little muttony pony is TOO cute.
That is interesting. Not sure I understand how it puts less pressure on the withers than the type that has thick leather pads with a gap above the spine?
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When you fasten those, they compress and they put the most pressure right on either side of the wither. They also tend to compress with time and the leather does make contact with the wither/spine.
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I don’t think it had the wither clearance, but back in the day Clinton Anderson sold a beautiful leather surcingle with standing rings. I don’t think it’s sold anymore.
I did an exhaustive search on this a couple months ago when I was still trying to rehab my mare and found pretty much jack squat. The two I was considering, in the end, were these:
But it’s unclear from the pictures how much, if any, wither clearance the first has and the second just obviously doesn’t have any. So frustrating! Wish Nunn Finer or someone would come out with a quality version.
Looking at the photos and thinking about the withers clearance question makes me think I’m putting the surcingle further back than others: it’s behind the withers, not on top of them. The girth is about a hand and a half further back than the elbow. I also don’t fasten it as tightly as a girth. Huh…
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It depends on what I’m doing for how tight I make it. If the equiband is going on, it has to be girthed snugly or it will just pull the whole rig back. If I’m just going to use the chambon or hook bags to it for desensitizing, it’s looser.
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Ah! Good point about the bands and one I’d definitely have learned the hard way. I usually do running or regular side reins and don’t make then tight, so it’s been a non-issue.
I’ve got a Schneiders with the standing rings that I’m not using. They are nice!
I wonder if something can be adopted from the driving world…?
Maybe Smuckers would do a custom piece for longeing and ground work, rather than driving. They certainly know how to make high end leather and how to fit this type of thing.
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J. B. Wiebe’s website lists a surcingle, under the Bennett brand:
