You’re just not authentic enough.
Do you want a saddlepad or a cot to sleep on ? Sometimes modern is just the ticket 
Hey, if you clean your cinches after every 25 mile ride, hats off to your diligence. That’s intro CTR length, and lots of 50 and 100 mile riders love mohair for its breathability and ease of use. They dry so much quicker than felt that you’d honestly end up with less work in the end, but you obviously have something that works for you.
Yes, we do have cinches that work very well for us and our pack horses-we do pack trips and after unloading a bunch of horses at dusk and throwing saddles over a half down lodge pole or long dead log I really don’t want to have to worry about the mud from the trail and salt from the sweat and weeds and ect. We need gear that can absorb some abuse and neglect in the big picture. I love me some wool… I really do, but I like cinches that I can abuse, throw in the creek, curry off and replace for $30 when it’s time. Never had a sore horse from them, never felt bad to ruin a “nice” cinch b/c the horses stomped on it. It’s all good; I just didn’t like feeling corrected on something that I have a handle on. I’m not a resource about most things horse but when it comes to pack trips I am fairly confident.
ETA I also really don’t like hardware on the horse’s hide… especially under a pack I’ve seen galls and hot spots from the cinch ring, ect. Saddle horse is a little different but I just feel better knowing that in all those varied miles and weather that there isn’t metal on my horse’s hide.
Saddle pad or cot depends on how many boxes of wine the pack horse was liberated from…
Fair enough!
Thanks :yes:
Please tell me more about galls and neoprene. I went that way because it is supposed to prevent galls (the Professional’s Choice). Fella works 5 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour or so. And he sweats.
Paula
It depends on the horse, Paula.
Totally depends on the horse. Mine doesn’t get galls from the neoprene cinches, and I used a Professional’s Choice one for years, but he seems to like the felt better. So hey, that’s what he gets. 
I have an alpaca hair cinch and I love it. It’s brown, so hides dirt well. Very soft. Horse, who hates being cinched/girthed is noticeably better when we use the alpaca.
I’m not a fan of the neoprene.
The length of the cinch is going to be personal preferance, and how your saddle is rigged.
I tend to have my cinches longer than most people. Red is in the best shape of his life right now (15.2 hands and 1,200 pounds) and I use a 32" cinch on him, Professional’s Choice VenTech cinch. (pictured here) It fits him well right now. When winter comes and he puts on a few pounds, I’ll go back to a 34". Been using neoprene cinches for YEARS and I’ve never had a horse get galled (and my horses get used!)
Shotgun I’ve had a little problem with him being a little girthy so I’d tried many different cinches on him. Currently, I’ve got him in a 32" Professional’s Choice wooled lambskin and I really like it (picture). Ideally, Shotgun (in my mind) should have a 33" cinch but of course they don’t make such a thing! On a “fat” day the 32" feels too small to me, but if it’s been a long day and he’s a little sucked up then the 32" is great. For the winter, he’ll be in a 34" too.
I tried a Weaver Smart Cinch (felt) in my cinch search for Shotgun and I did NOT like it. The design of the D-ring on the cinch did not allow the latigo to stay centered on it. Plus, the “pin” (or whatever you call it) on the cinch was super short which meant I couldn’t tie up my cinch on the saddle when it is sitting on the saddle rack. Not a fan. Won’t use one again.
I’m definately sold on the Professional’s Choice cinches.
I used to use a barrel racing wide design cinch on Red (this one), thinking that the wide cinch will disperse the pressure better. But that’s not the case. At the end of the season, the way the cinch showed some wear clearly indicated that the extra fabric on the cinch did absolutely nothing. It actually didn’t even touch his belly when I had him cinched up. So I’ve been using straight cinches ever since because there’s no point to the wide ones.
I like felt, roper style, and buy mine long so the ring sits close to the saddle. I like a lot of room above the elbow so there is no interference. I also like a backing where the rings are so they do not pinch the skin.
