We talked about rear cinches, now breast collars

I always ride with one because I trailride alot and sometimes it is very hilly. Also I LOVE the way they look.

Never ride without one. I have a nice padded purple one that I put on Jester and I've noticed a major improvement in the sliding of the saddle when we run. This was about seven years ago, and sicne then I can't go collar-less!

I never rode with one until I got Bo. His former owner rode with an old re-done 1800s saddle (super heavy with a METAL horn), a breast collar, and two cinches. But he still always cinched up the poor guy too tight I felt! The rule of thumb is two fingers should fit through, I couldn't even get it off his skin!

It made me upset. I ride with a light saddle, and I don't weigh that much, so generally I don't have to cinch up that tight. so I only use a breast collar for rough trail rides, but nothing else. When we start doing barreling racing, I will use one for that and playdays. But regular riding no. Plus, I got one a garage sale, and have to see if it will even fit him, as the other one my freind had didn't fit.

Thanks everyone. Someone had given me a black neoprene one, but it's way too big on Toby. Someone else gave me a Weaver felt and it fits him a lot better.

I like the looks of them too.

I ride with one for looks more than need. In Ohio, it's pretty flat so there's no real need for breast collars

I do, but I ride trails with lots of hills. :)

I won't ride with anything less than a breast collar and back cinch, and the last time I did (in a borrowed saddle that didn't even have attachments for either), I was nervous about every shift of the saddle ('course, the fact that the saddle was just all around too big for me didn't help...)
Except for on Ruby, who has really low withers, and when I'm trail riding, I don't really need a breast collar or flank cinch, but I'm just so used to having them, I just can't imagine going without. ^^;

Isn't it funny how we get used to pieces of equipment?

I know, I'm so used to girth, breast collar, flank cinch, double check the girth, head stall, and go, if I'm missing a part of that, I just get lost and start to fumble!

Again, with me, it is the same as with the back cinch. My breast collar is always on my saddle so that I don't have to take it off, then put it back on, then take it back off depending on what i am doing that day. I mainly do trail rides (sometimes in very hilly areas) and ranch work. IMHO, a breast collar is a must-have for any kind of ranch or cattle work involving a rope. I honestly don't know how those old cowboys did it back in the days prior to the breast collar. I can only imagine that their horses got used to being cut in half by the cinch. Also, if a breast collar is the right type and fitted correctly, it can prevent the saddle from slipping off the side of the horse and down under their belly in an accident. I have always ridden with one and to me, it just feels like a necessity even if it really isn't. When I don't have a breast collar, it feels like I am riding around naked. LOL.

And of course, proper fitting is a must. If it hangs down over the point of the shoulder or if it is too tight, it raises the risk of wearing sores on the horse. I had a friend that used those really wide "steer roping" breast collars like this and he had it too far up on his horse. When he started to pull a heavy steer, the breast collar moved up on the horse and choked him completely down. Very not cool, I will never have one like this. The one that I use is the pulling type collar that attaches to the swells of the saddle instead of the d-rings. I recently got a new one and I guess I need to get a pic but it is something like this .