Is it appropriate to cut them? I’m new to this western style tack stuff. I came from Pony Club and we had nice buckles, not 8 foot long straps 
I have a very small horse and the straps are REALLY LONG. I don’t want to be tripping up on them. Can I cut a foot or two off without compromising the integrity of the function?
Leather or nylon? If you have nylon rigging you can cut the straps shorter but you should heat seal the cut edges. When I used western rigging on my sport saddle I ended up cutting it shorter from the end that is laced onto the saddle rigging ring. Use a soldering iron to seal cut edges and to melt new holes into the nylon strap.
Do you use a cinch with buckles? At this site and page you can scroll down and find a biothane off-side double billet strap. http://store.runningbear.com/catalog/display.php?cartid=5364fcce23fa1&zid=1&lid=1&cat=13&scat=136. It can be used instead of a long strap on the off-side as long as you use a cinch with buckle type rings. That simplifies one side of the saddle. The buckle type cinch also takes away the need for a knot and the bulk that a knot creates.
I have removed the western type rigging from my endurance saddles and put western to english converters on the saddles. This gives me flat, dressage length billets that I can use a short dressage girth with. Very simple rigging to use and no bulk under the leg. Of course you wouldn’t switch your rigging to english if you were SHOWING western.
Runningbear.com and Hillviewfarms.com are great sources for trail tack and equipment.
Bonnie
They are leather. I use a cinch with a single buckle. It would be nice to use a dressage girth instead and change the rigging. I just hate dealing with the long strap.
The rigging converters are great. They slip over your cinch ring and give you normal billets. ( this has a good picture http://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Cashel_Western_Cinch_to_English_Girth_Rigging_Converter/descpage-CWEC.html )
Just cut them to the length you want. It’s not a big deal.
Tie the loose end off, make a knot after you put it through the keeper.
[QUOTE=ehwaz;7561450]
The rigging converters are great. They slip over your cinch ring and give you normal billets. ( this has a good picture http://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Cashel_Western_Cinch_to_English_Girth_Rigging_Converter/descpage-CWEC.html )[/QUOTE]
The converters are great but if you have a small horse you might not be able to find a girth short enough.
I may be pointing out the obvious here: You don’t have to use a Western setup for trail riding, or Endurance, if you’re not used to it or don’t like it or it doesn’t work without too many adjustments.
[QUOTE=Lieselotte;7562570]
I may be pointing out the obvious here: You don’t have to use a Western setup for trail riding, or Endurance, if you’re not used to it or don’t like it or it doesn’t work without too many adjustments.[/QUOTE]
I know I don’t HAVE to but I bought a saddle that I love, it just happens to be western 
I used a saddle this weekend that had an off billet and what a relief! I am definitely going to order a couple for the far side and then cut my other latigo by a couple feet.
Okay I am a little nervous that perhaps you aren’t aware that western latigos are long because they are meant to be wrapped at least a couple of times before buckling. You may not need that added strength just for poking along on the trail, but you’d certainly want it for heavy work like roping, fast gallops, etc.
If you are talking cut it down to a length where you can just buckle direct to the girth without wrapping, I wouldn’t go there if it were me, the leather used for western latigos is meant to be wrapped several times for strength.
[QUOTE=Beverley;7563545]
Okay I am a little nervous that perhaps you aren’t aware that western latigos are long because they are meant to be wrapped at least a couple of times before buckling. You may not need that added strength just for poking along on the trail, but you’d certainly want it for heavy work like roping, fast gallops, etc.
If you are talking cut it down to a length where you can just buckle direct to the girth without wrapping, I wouldn’t go there if it were me, the leather used for western latigos is meant to be wrapped several times for strength.[/QUOTE]
I am 100% aware of how they work, which is WHY I asked if cutting them would compromise it. My horse is TINY, like his 20 inch girth is too big, leaving me with a ton of excess strap that is getting in the way. They are wrapped ample times and I still have extreme excess I dont’ want to deal with a large bundle of leather or a huge knot on my saddle. I said I wanted to cut a foot or two off, not cut it down to a foot or two long! :eek:
A photo of what I’m dealing with This was wrapped too many times and I still have excessive strap.
[QUOTE=DingDing;7563985]
I am 100% aware of how they work, which is WHY I asked if cutting them would compromise it. My horse is TINY, like his 20 inch girth is too big, leaving me with a ton of excess strap that is getting in the way. They are wrapped ample times and I still have extreme excess I dont’ want to deal with a large bundle of leather or a huge knot on my saddle. I said I wanted to cut a foot or two off, not cut it down to a foot or two long! :eek:[/QUOTE]
Beverly very kindly expressed her concern for your safety. There’s no real need to be snooty in your response.
I didn’t get snooty from her comment…that can be replaced with an off billet.
[QUOTE=katarine;7564032]
Beverly very kindly expressed her concern for your safety. There’s no real need to be snooty in your response.[/QUOTE]
Relax, there is zero ounce of “snoot”. On the contrary I found her assuming to be rather unnecessary.
Back on topic, I appreciate all the advice! I really love the quick answers and thoughtful advice on this forum.
Didn’t take your post as snooty, but your photograph confirms to me that you really don’t know how they are supposed to be rigged- and that my ‘unnecessary assumption’ per your opinion was not off the mark. It does not show how many times you have the latigo wrapped where it needs to be wrapped, just a bunch of leather looped where it does no good at all. Best I can tell from the picture, your problem isn’t the latigo, it’s that you need a much shorter girth. Here ya go, a photo demonstration. Here you see a fair amount of leftover latigo. Easy solution- one more wrap before buckling and sticking the ‘leftovers’ in the keeper. https://picasaweb.google.com/100310658467918237790/LukeSaddleAugust2010#5586225804369738594
And by the way, your saddle is not western, it’s Aussie.
You need a shorter girth. From the pic you posted, it looks like the girth is almost all the way up to the rigging. The ends of the girth should be about 8 inches from the rings on the saddle.
I’d get a shorter girth and an off side billet for starters.
She is already using a 20" cinch and finding anything shorter than that is hard. Montana Cincha does have an 18" and that’s the shortest that I’ve found although I believe they will custom make shorter lengths.
I went to try a sale horse last week and couldn’t use my own saddle because my shortest dressage girth was too long. I used the sellers western saddle and he had a little pony sized cinch. I decided the horse was a wee bit smaller than I should be riding!
chicamuxen
[QUOTE=chicamux;7564701]
She is already using a 20" cinch and finding anything shorter than that is hard. Montana Cincha does have an 18" and that’s the shortest that I’ve found although I believe they will custom make shorter lengths.
I went to try a sale horse last week and couldn’t use my own saddle because my shortest dressage girth was too long. I used the sellers western saddle and he had a little pony sized cinch. I decided the horse was a wee bit smaller than I should be riding!
chicamuxen[/QUOTE]
20 seconds of googling yields an 18" girth on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/371047452639?lpid=82
My 14 hand mare and 16 hand gelding can use the same western girth (with appropriate adjustment of latigos), and it’s bigger than 20 inches.
[QUOTE=Beverley;7564590]
Didn’t take your post as snooty, but your photograph confirms to me that you really don’t know how they are supposed to be rigged- and that my ‘unnecessary assumption’ per your opinion was not off the mark. It does not show how many times you have the latigo wrapped where it needs to be wrapped, just a bunch of leather looped where it does no good at all. Best I can tell from the picture, your problem isn’t the latigo, it’s that you need a much shorter girth. Here ya go, a photo demonstration. Here you see a fair amount of leftover latigo. Easy solution- one more wrap before buckling and sticking the ‘leftovers’ in the keeper. https://picasaweb.google.com/100310658467918237790/LukeSaddleAugust2010#5586225804369738594
And by the way, your saddle is not western, it’s Aussie. :)[/QUOTE]
Well said. The OP doesn’t know what she doesn’t know.
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