Buckling or tying a western cinch...

We buckle at our barn (40+ horses in training, worked five days a week which means a lot of horses ridden every day!) and we haven't, in the eight or so months I've worked there, had one come undone.
Posted via Mobile Device

Nope. The location of / distance between the holes is not related to the length of the cinch.

When I started riding, I only knew to tie. Now I usually buckle. Having a knot inside my leg is just uncomfortable when riding. Also, my wife's horse got a white spot from where her knot was tied.

I've only saw one strap that was buckled come undone and it was with a nylon strap. Knots with nylon straps don't seem to hold as well as with leather straps.
Posted via Mobile Device

I was first taught to tie it. When I started working with my trainer though, I started to prefer buckling.

I honestly feel it's perfectly secure, as long as it's laying flat against the buckle. I'm also much shorter legged, so it lays smoother under my leg. I think it's preference really, but I pretty much always buckle unless I run out of holes or something on a certain horse, then I'll tie. I did punch more holes though to give me a wider option..

I buckle.

I ride often enough that I know where it needs to line up on that horse. Just as you know which hole you normally buckle for the throatlatch.

Buckle method is also great for folks like my husband with physical issues. He can adjust the saddle without dismounting.

I tend to buckle. I have tied. I prefer to buckle. I have one cinch that does not have the center prong so I have to tie it.

Shrug.

I can not say I have ever encountered a problem with the holes being too far apart or not working.



I am confused by the comment that says the buckle gets in the way.

No, but whether or not the holes line up with the cinch buckle sure does...

I suppose if you tie it rather than buckling, you're prone to getting stabbed by the tongue!

I've always tied. Actually, ( ) until seeing that picture, I never even realized that that center 'prong' was for. Goes to show you how observant I am.

I've noticed with a lot of our saddles though, there aren't any holes at all in the latigo (almost all of ours are leather) or if there are, the latigo is so long that it doesn't even remotely come close to where it should be, if I were to buckle it. Are these saddles just made to 'traditionally' tie it, then?

Now I'm curiouse I want to go try and buckle one now!

Then yes, that is a latigo that was designed only for tying.

That's why you wrap around multiple times to get the holes to line up. It also makes it far more secure. Do people not wrap around multiple times when they tie? I think that would worry me about all the strain put on a single layer of latigo....

I buckle although as a child I was taught to tie. The only time I have ever seen a cinch come undone, and it was not mine, was with a nylon latigo. As a teenager I had a saddle with nylon latigos that had to be tied, it always felt like they slipped and loosened during my rides. Now all of my saddles have leather latigos that are double looped then buckled. I have not had a cinch come undone and I have barrel raced, team penned, ranch rode, drug cattle on a rope....even ridden in some rough country of the Rockies.