tightening the cinch too much

Question
hello Dorothy. in the morning, while fastening the saddle, my instructor tightened the girth too tight where i was unable to fit my fingers under the belly of the horse. may i know what happens if i tighten the cinch too much?

Answer
Hello Rohit,

I think you do not trust your instructor.  If that is the case, get another one. Go to a different stable.

When you first tighten the girth, the horse usually expands its chest by taking a deep breath.  Before you mount, you must check the girth.  It has to be tight enough for you to step in the stirrup and climb up.

When you sit in the saddle, reach down and you will find that the girth is loose because the horse lets out a breath and the weight in the saddle causes it to spread a bit.  So you must either reach down and tighten it again or have someone do it for you.  This is something you must learn to do for yourself.

A loose girth means a loose saddle which means it may slip.  So do not get it too tight, but get it tight enough.  This is something you will have to experiment to find the right thing.  And sometimes the horse may gain weight and you will use  a different girth strap hole.