Shoulder Relief Cinch w Balance Buckle

The Shoulder Relief Cinch™ actually changes the position and angle of the billets to prevent the saddle tree from interfering with the shoulder. 

The center of the cinch is set forward to sit in the horse’s natural girth groove, while the sides of the cinch are cut back to meet the latigos 2 inches / 5 cm behind where the horse’s natural girth groove lies. This brings the latigos from angling forward, to becoming perpendicular to the ground, which reduces the saddle’s tendency to be pulled forward into the shoulders. With horses that have shoulder interference without angled latigos, it simply moves the latigos back to keep the saddle away from the shoulders' range of motion.

The secondary benefit to this shape, is the cutback at the elbows. This gives more room for elbow movement as well, and prevents galls in the elbow area.

The Shoulder Relief Cinch uses a removable liner system. You can choose between limestone neoprene, 100% wool felt or 100% wool fleece. They simply peel on and off, so one cinch can be used with many liners. A common practice is to keep 2 liners, so one can be in use while one is being washed.

Meet the Balance Buckle™ - a cinch buckle with a ton of thought behind it.

The Balance Buckle™ has a lot of functional advantages, which you can read about as you scroll down. But if you don't want to get into the nitty gritty we can sum it all up in one sentence - it centers the cinch over the horse's sternum, while ensuring even pull and stability over the surface of the cinch.

If you're a little more curious, you might be wondering, "How on Earth does it do these wonderful things?" Well, here's how:
1. Centering Cinch Over Sternum
With the unique contour of the Shoulder Relief Cinch, it is very important that the cinch is centered (left to right) over the horse's sternum. This ensures the elbow cutaways are in the right place and the pull on the latigos is symmetrical. The Balance Buckle™ allows for fine tuning of this position by offering two off billet placements. Take a look at this photo and you can see the two billet placement options, which allow for about 1 inch of adjustment of the cinch on the sternum.

2. Even Pull & Stable Cinch
A big issue with traditional curved cinch buckles is the amount of left to right latigo movement/slop they allow. This can lead to uneven pull on the cinch and make it less stable on the horse. Look at this example:

The Balance Buckle™ solves this in a couple ways. First the top edge of the buckle is perfectly flat, which keeps the latigo exactly where it needs to be without sliding and curving around the edges of the buckle. Second, the base of the Balance Buckle™ uses a wide, flat dedicated attachment point on the cinch. This gives a consistent even pull over the surface of the cinch.

3. No Rollers
The Balance Buckle™ deliberately does NOT have rollers. This is a unique feature specific to the shape of the Shoulder Relief Cinch. Over-tightening a Shoulder Relief Cinch actually reduces its effectiveness - it distorts the shape of the cinch and minimizes the comfort/saddle fit benefits. The 2 bar design of the Balance Buckle™ let's you get just enough torque on the latigo without the risk of a roller. It let's the shape of the cinch do the work with soft contact, versus heavy pressure on your horse.

4. The Highest Quality. Period.
The Balance Buckle™ is the strongest buckle out there. It is made of 100% 304 stainless steel. This might not sound like a big deal, but it really is. Just about every other cinch buckle on the market is made of iron with a stainless plating, so they use the name "stainless steel"... which is not accurate. Our cost of manufacturing is 4x higher than a standard cinch buckle. No matter how beat up it gets, the Balance Buckle™ will not rust or wear out.

The original saddle fit cinch comes with the following features:

• Patented design. US Patent D917109.
• The patent-pending Balance Buckle™, that delivers perfect symmetry and even pull over the surface of the cinch.
• Top grade saddlery brown leather body with stainless steel hardware.
• Velcro backing for adhering to the removable liner.
• 12 mm thick black 100% wool liner.
• Available in 24 through 36 inch lengths.

***CINCHES ARE MEASURED BUCKLE-END TO BUCKLE-END***