Instructions
Place the saddle blanket on your horse. Place your saddle on top of the blanket in the proper position.
Face the horse and walk to its right side. Release the cinch strap attached to the saddle, and gently let it hang.
Walk to the left side of the horse. Face both knees toward the horse's rear-end. Bend down, reach underneath the horse and grab hold of the cinch strap.
Pull the cinch strap up toward you. Pull slowly, and hold the strap in your left hand.
Pull down to release the latigo strap located on the front-side of the saddle. Use your right hand. The latigo strap is a long strap attached to the saddle by a permanently affixed D-ring or buckle.
Slide the end of the latigo strap down through the ring of the cinch strap. The latigo end must pull through the ring to face you, and not the horse. Pull up gently, gathering the cinch strap against the horse's body.
Slide the end of the latigo strap through the D-ring attached to the saddle. Slide the end of the latigo strap through the D-ring facing the horse's body. Repeat this process once or twice, until about 12 inches of strap remain.
Pull the excess latigo strap up and through the D-ring one more time. The end should face the horse.
Pull the strap behind the D-ring. Pull its end out the D-ring's left-hand side.
Draw the strap-end across the top of the latigo straps, just below the D-ring. Perform this movement from the left-hand side.
Place the strap-end through the right-back side of the D-ring, bringing it through the middle of the D-ring.
Tuck the excess end of the latigo strap behind the crossover section, and tighten. The knot is similar to a man's dress tie.
Tighten the cinch to the horse by pulling up on the latigo strap, not the tie section. Pull the strap up toward the saddle until it feels tight.
Retighten the tie section by loosening it slightly and pulling down on the end piece.
Place two fingers between the horse and the cinch. Make it tight, but not too tight.
How to Attach a Cinch Strap to a Saddle
Riding a horse is extremely dangerous when your saddle is not correctly secured. The cinch strap is the part of the saddle that prevents the saddle from sliding off the horse's withers. A cinch strap is used on a western saddle. Cinches are made out of nylon, mohair, fleece, leather or neoprene.