Billy Cook calls it a rear cinch. Whatever name you use, having watched my old neighbors doing roping practice I doubt it’s just an outdated failsafe. The horse slides to a stop. Calf keeps going. Lasso tightens around the horn with enough speed & force to amputate your thumb if you’re not careful. Without that second cinch the saddle could probably lift in the back & even get pulled off over the horse’s head.
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You literally could not be any more wrong. Not trying to be ugly, but no, that’s not how it works - that’s not how any of it works…
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I think English tack (or at least the saddle) is an integral/defining part of the sport. The tack affects a variety of aspects of rider position, communication of aids, balance, weight distribution etc. A level playing field is important in all sport, so significantly different tack would affect the levelness of the playing field IMO. I’m not sure I agree that breeches, or any other aspect of attire other than those for safety (e.g. boots and helmets), are integral to the sport - I don’t really see why you “need” to wear breeches and I can’t see how they contribute to a level playing field.
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Agreed - a cinch that loose is a hazard much like having straps / surcingles that are too loose on a blanket. If the horse kicks at a fly on its belly, a rear hoof could get caught in the loose cinch.
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John Richard Young said your saddle determines how you ride, which I don’t disagree with. I trained with the son of a cavalry officer, so we did rocks and ridges in hunter saddles (our main focus)
Even now I take my dressage oriented gp saddle for trail rides.
I mean, it’s just more comfortable.
Honestly unless I am able to find something very small and light, a western saddle is just not practical.
Most cantle slopes are throwing you backward. And the weight, who needs a big skirt and flaps on the stirrups? The guys who rode all day in countries around the world rejected it.
just saying.
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Practicality is the progenitor of most western gear. In what sense do you find a western saddle impractical?
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heaviness, overly ornate, downslope cantle, unnecessary things like a horn, skirt, flaps, etc. heavy stirrup, etc.
I mean, I know there are smaller, lighter western saddles, but the closest I would enjoy would be a vaquero style, and even then, probably pass.
I’ve ridden vintage butt-cracker cavalry saddles, the horse is comfy and honestly, I was too, no spring tree.
Less is more. In western it seems like a lot of artifact tagging along without a purpose.
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All of these things have a purpose. I suppose if you are just taking a walk around a perfectly manicured bridle path at the barn and calling that a trail ride, they would seem useless to you and a dressage saddle would better suffice.
Horns are very necessary for most, if not all, ranch work. The skirts and flaps depend on the type of saddle, as do the stirrups. Every part of a western saddle has a purpose. Unless you’re talking about the chromed out show saddles, which are different.
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Will the part-time or no-time “western” armchair QBs please read this article?
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Glad to know what I was taught is correct.
(And that is where I snagged my first screen shot from.)
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LOL. I’m not a western rider, can you tell? Just passing on what I had been told. I appreciate the corrections, but seriously, do we have to have the snark? Maybe educate me rather than telling me I’m “profoundly wrong” as someone else said. If that’s not how any of it works, then do tell.
Frankly, I’m now wondering why we are discussing Western at all in the dressage forum…
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Fair enough, I really wasn’t trying to be snarky, just incredulous at the completely incorrect information you were (apparently) given. So, no one uses a back cinch as bucking strap, at least not intentionally. I’m quite sure it has happened, but see my previous post about training to accept it. Loose is bad for all the obvious reasons, and none of them have to do with it being used liked a throatlatch on a bridle. It’s all about further securing the saddle to the horse, just not in the same way a cinch does. There are a couple of other replies that do a really good job of explaining it’s use and function.
And I didn’t introduce the topic of western saddles in dressage (although I am interested in WD with my pleasure bred Quarter Horse filly), just commented on some incorrect information about them. I have found the whole thread quite interesting though!
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I didn’t say intentionally. 
But thank you for the kind response. I’m on here to learn like everyone else!
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When you speak/write with authority, you can expect correction.
I’m here because I’m Bi-Saddle.
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I’m single saddle but bi apparel.
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totally agree. I go well in my flannel sleeppants in Hosier muck boots… I like the pockets and i really like being able to go from a quick ride to cleaning the barn then another ride or two. I do not enjoy any kind of form-fitting clothing.
My mule goes in a back cinch, breeching and a breast collar. All secure without any flopping around. I did centerfire rigging at the girth and then also a back cinch. You have to surround the beasts with strapping…because saddling a mule is like saddling a potato.
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This thread got me thinking about Buckeye the Dressage Mule, who we saw at Breyerfest 2019. Ever think to yourself that you know what you saw but, eh…? I got thinking: “He does regular dressage. He must’ve been in a traditional dressage saddle. But no. Maybe not. How would they ever find something to fit him?? There must’ve been a breastplate at least 
”
So I Googled. He does go in a regular dressage saddle with no breastplate. I’d love to know by what combination of black magic & custom saddlery they managed that!
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I have a horse who has also gone through a ton of dressage saddles by a ton of qualified fitters, and he goes best in a western saddle. Why? I have no idea. My suspicion is that it’s the length of the bars making him more comfortable in one of the areas of his back. But he’s able to lift his back right up and trot out without complaint which does not work in the dressage saddle.
I was truly bummed that I couldn’t really make him comfortable in a traditional dressage saddle. He was supposed to be my dressage horse, that’s what I bought him for. It just wasn’t working for either of us. So I do understand the question and perhaps the desire to help a square peg fit better into a round hole, because for awhile I felt a bit adrift.
I’ve decided to go the Working Eq/Cowboy Dressage (shock and horror) route. They both seem fine with horses with “bigger” working gaits and western saddles. Perhaps that might interest the OP. I know there are more letters, and weird obstacles in CD, but you know, it’s something to focus training on and a new adventure. And working equitation has all sorts of “fun things” to tackle. It is hard when you have a horse that seems to fit nowhere and you’ve previously been a competitive person.
As for the actual why, I really wish the western events would quit playing country music, I can’t stand it. And I’m allergic to glitter and bling. But, they are part and parcel of that “side” of things, so I guess I’ll live
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