How to Saddle a Horse Western Style

Saddling a horse western style is something you'll do thousands of times, and the order you do it in matters every single time. Here's how I saddle: brush the horse off, put on the pad and the saddle, connect the front cinch first, then the back cinch, then the breast collar. When I unsaddle, the back cinch comes off first, then the breast collar, and the front cinch comes off last. I build latigos, billets, back cinches and breast collars in my shop in Eminence, Indiana, and this is the routine I use on my own horses.

If any of the terms below are new to you, my guide to the parts of a western saddle shows where every piece sits.

A note on saddle fit before we start. A lot of what I know about fit and position I've learned from Wendy Winn, a third-generation horsewoman and saddle fitter who teaches saddle fit across the country. She's a big inspiration to me. I think she's one of the top pillars of saddle fit and saddling education, and I learn a lot from her. I'll point you to her videos at the steps where she teaches it better than I can in words. Her framing says it all: "You have an asymmetrical rider, an asymmetrical horse, and a symmetrical saddle. We look for balance."

What you'll need

• A clean saddle pad
• Your saddle, with the latigo and off billet in good shape (if you haven't looked at yours lately, here's when to replace your latigo)
• A front cinch that fits your horse
• A back cinch and a cinch connector, if you ride with a back cinch
• A breast collar, if you ride with one
• A brush

Step 1: Brush the horse off

Before anything goes on, I brush the horse off everywhere the saddle and the cinches are going to touch. That's the back, the withers, the girth area behind the elbows and the belly where the back cinch rides. Any dirt, sand or burrs left under the pad or cinch is going to rub and irritate the horse.

While you're brushing, run your hand over those areas and feel for anything that's sore, swollen or warm. It's a lot better to find it now than after a ride.

Step 2: Put on the pad

Set the pad a little forward of where it'll end up and slide it back into place, so the hair underneath lies flat in its natural direction. Don't slide a pad forward against the hair. Make sure it hangs even on both sides with no wrinkles or folds underneath.

More pad isn't always better. A pad that's too thick changes how the saddle sits on the horse. If your saddle doesn't fit your horse, a thicker pad won't fix it.

Step 3: Set the saddle and check its position

Before I lift the saddle, I take the front cinch, the back cinch and the breast collar off the top and drape them down the off side. That way nothing is flopping around or getting caught when I set the saddle on.

Set the saddle on from the near (left) side, a touch forward of where it belongs, and slide it back until it settles into place behind the shoulder blades. Reach under the front of the pad and lift it up into the gullet so it isn't pulled tight across the withers.

Now check the position. Find the back edge of the shoulder blade (the scapula) with your fingertips. Slide your hand in from the top, thumb up, straight down and through behind the shoulder blade. The front of the saddle tree needs to sit behind the scapula, not on top of it, so the shoulder can move freely. Wendy Winn demonstrates this check better than any picture can:

One caution she makes that a lot of people skip: getting your hand behind the scapula doesn't mean the saddle fits. It just means the tree isn't sitting on the shoulder. Check that there's clearance at the withers too. Whether a saddle really fits your horse is a bigger question, and it's worth having a good saddle fitter look at it.

Step 4: Connect the front cinch first

The front cinch always goes on first. It's the cinch that holds the saddle on the horse.

The most common mistake I see is people putting the rear cinch on first. If the horse spooks or moves and only the back cinch is done up, there's nothing holding the saddle on. Doing the front cinch first is how you keep the risk of a wreck as low as you can.

Bring the front cinch down from the off side, come back around to the near side, and run your latigo from the rigging dee down through the cinch ring and back up. Then tie it off or set the buckle tongue in a latigo hole, however your rig is set up. At this point I get it snug, not fully tight.

Where the cinch sits matters too. Find your horse's elbow and come up about four to five fingers. That's the area Wendy Winn calls the sweet spot, where the cinch ring should ride. The nerves run low behind the elbow, so a cinch that rides too low can make a horse sore. Her short video on finding it is worth watching:

As Winn puts it plainly: cinch pressure matters. Getting it in the right spot and at the right tightness is a big part of keeping a horse comfortable under saddle.

The latigo and off billet

Your latigo and off billet are holding the whole saddle on, so they need to be in good shape. Latigos wear where they hook on the saddle's metal D-ring and rub as the horse moves. Check them every time you saddle. A quick peek is all it takes, and the more often you look, the better.

On the off side, the cinch buckles to the off billet. I make a few: the Leather Off Billet ($35), a Stitched Leather Off Billet ($42) and a Half Breed Latigo Off Billet ($55) if you'd rather tie the off side like the near side.

Step 5: Connect the back cinch

Once the front cinch is snug, I connect the rear cinch. I set the back cinch just snug against the belly, with no gap. The front cinch is tighter than the back, but the back cinch should sit right against the belly so it's ready for any sudden change in pressure.

A back cinch that's too loose does one of two things. Either it hits the horse in the belly when it suddenly tightens, which scares the horse and adds pressure it doesn't need, or it never touches the belly at all and gives you no stability. I go through all of it in how tight should a back cinch be.

The back cinch should be connected to the front cinch with a cinch connector so it can't slide back toward the flank. I build mine in biothane. A broken connector can cause one of the biggest wrecks I've seen, and that strap sees more mud, water and moisture than any other strap on the saddle. Biothane never rots or dry rots, and it has a higher tensile strength than any leather I can find.

If you need a back cinch, I make the 3" rear cinch ($150), the 4" rear cinch ($160) and the 8" contoured rear cinch ($240), all harness leather lined with latigo. The rear billets are also where my saddle water bottle holder mounts; I cover that in how to choose a saddle water bottle holder.

Step 6: Attach the breast collar last

If you ride with a breast collar, it goes on after both cinches. Attach it to the breast collar dees on each side of the saddle, then run the center strap down to the front cinch. It should lie flat across the chest without pressing on the windpipe.

The breast collar's job is to keep the saddle from sliding back. Holding the saddle on is the front cinch's job, which is exactly why the front cinch went on first. You can see mine in the breastcollars collection, including the Straight Western Breast Collar in dark oil bridle leather ($175).

Step 7: The final tighten

Here's how I finish up. I get the front cinch snug enough that the saddle won't move. Then I walk the horse out a few steps, stop, and tighten it up. After I've been riding for a few minutes, I may check it again and tighten it one more time. Horses relax and things settle, and a cinch that felt tight in the barn can be looser than you think.

Before you get on, take one more look:

• Latigo tail is tucked away and nothing is twisted.
• The back cinch is snug against the belly and the connector is hooked up.
• The breast collar is attached on both sides and to the front cinch.
• The saddle is still sitting behind the shoulder blades.

How to unsaddle

When I unsaddle, the rear cinch comes off first. Then the breast collar. The front cinch comes off last.

The reason is the same both ways. The front cinch is the first thing holding the saddle on and the last thing you let go of. If the front cinch comes undone while the back cinch is still buckled and the horse spooks, the saddle can roll under the belly with a strap still around the horse's flank. Keeping the front cinch first on and last off keeps that from happening.

Taking care of your saddling tack

Your latigo, billets, cinches and breast collar take more sweat and dirt than anything else on the horse. When I clean them, I brush them off, wash them with a liquid saddle soap, let them dry completely, and put on a thin coat of a good conditioner like Skidmore's. Then I let that sit a day and wipe them down with saddle soap one more time to take off any tacky feel. The full routine is in how to clean and condition leather.

If you ever want me to do it for you, I'll clean and condition anything I sell for free, for life. Get it to me and I'll ship it back at my cost.

My lifetime warranty

Everything I make has a lifetime warranty. It covers anything that breaks or fails in normal use. Parts that wear with use, like latigos and off billets, aren't covered once they've worn out. If it can be repaired, I'll repair it. If it can't, I'll replace it, at no charge. If you have any questions, contact me. The details are on the warranty and leather care page.

Frequently asked questions

What order do you saddle a horse in?

Brush the horse off, then the pad and the saddle. Connect the front cinch first and get it snug, then the rear cinch, then the breast collar. Walk the horse a few steps and tighten the front cinch again.

Do you tighten the front or back cinch first?

Front cinch first, every time. If the back cinch is on first and the horse spooks or moves, there's nothing holding the saddle on.

What order do you unsaddle a horse in?

Rear cinch first, then the breast collar, and the front cinch last. The front cinch is the first thing on and the last thing off.

How tight should the front cinch be?

Snug enough that the saddle won't move. I get it snug, walk the horse out a few steps, stop and tighten it up. I may check it again after riding a few minutes and tighten it once more.

Where should the cinch ring sit on a horse?

Find the horse's elbow and come up about four to five fingers. That's where the cinch ring should ride. Saddle fitter Wendy Winn calls that the sweet spot. The nerves run low behind the elbow, so a cinch riding too low can make a horse sore.

How do I know my saddle is in the right position?

Slide your hand in from the top, thumb up, straight down and through behind the shoulder blade. The tree should sit behind the scapula, not on it. That tells you the position is right. Whether the saddle really fits your horse is worth having a saddle fitter check.