Cinch measurement please.

[menageriehill]

I need to put a cinch on my pack saddle. The pack was made by me. I need to know how to measure for the right right length of the cinch. Maybe this is to picky. But I want Jack to be comfortable as possible. I’m hoping to get a reply on this question. I didn get one on the britchen Q. Hmmm!

[grey]

Kind of depends on what kind of saddle you’ve made, what kind of pad you plan on using, what kind of load you’ll be tying on. In general, you want the cinch to be as long as possible while still keeping the cinch ring off the pad/blanket. Pack saddles often use a pad/blanket that extends further down the animal’s side than a regular riding saddle pad/blanket does. This is to protect the animal from the load he’s carrying. This necessitates a shorter cinch than you’d use on a riding saddle.

http://horseandmulegear.com/products/fullsize/IMG_0250_3.jpg

You can see in the photo above that the cinches are placed a bit behind the usual girth bed. If those short cinches were placed in the girth bed, the front cinch ring would interfere with the elbow.

Hope that gives you some idea of where/how to measure your pack animal for a cinch.

[menageriehill]

the pack saddle that I made looks much like the saddle in the picture. I padded the wooden part (paddle) of my saddle with some extras from a washable pad that I had. I was going to go with a single cinch. It is going to work with a collar thatI am using to hook up to beams of (another homemade) cart. I put tools/ firewood in the cart. The cart is an old Air Force bomb trailer/ made into a yard cart/ now donkey cart, for my 800 lb donkey. I have to save $$$ and use what i have as much as possible. The cart will be used much like those of 3rd world countries. And, Thank you for the reply.

[grey]

Oh, so you will be using this as a cart saddle? If you will not be using it as a pack saddle but instead as a cart saddle, then you won’t need the deep pad and you can have a longer cinch. How will you attach your latigo/tie strap to your saddle? Will you be attaching drop rings the way that is shown in the picture?

Don’t forget to hold the shafts DOWN as well as UP.

[menageriehill]

yes, between the drop rings and the cinch will be a loop and buckle for the beams. also of course there will be a single tree connecting the cart.

[Lanny Collins]

Sure would be nice to see a picture when it is complete. I had a donkey show up at my place last week. Don’t know who it belongs to. Not sure of age but if it stays around thought I would put it to work. Since it is not too large thought about doing something similar to what you are doing but I was kind of thinking of making something of a travois except the shafts will not cross over the top. I would just make shafts but put a couple of small flotation wheels on the end of the shafts that normally drag on the ground. On top of the wheels put a platform to stand on. Basically, it would be a stand up and ride travois. Probably everyone has seen the lawn mowers that have a platform to stand on behind. Between the stand on platform would be a place to carry supplies plus some could be put on the pack saddle as well. Just am not sure about the wheels/tires. I was wanting to make it as smooth as possible is why I was thinking of flotation tires. Maybe large diameter stiff wheels would be better. Still thinking about that. Also, I was not planning to use a single tree. I thought I may be able to attach the end of the shafts solid to the pack saddle and let the breast collar and britchen keep the pack saddle stationary. Is this a bad idea, you think?

[grey]

Sounds a lot like a chariot, Lanny – sounds like fun!

Watch for rubs on the shoulder. If you get rubs, you might need to go back and incorporate a singletree into your design.

[Lanny Collins]

Thanks Grey, had not thought of a chariot. They must not have used a single tree either. Want to make it much lighter though. Thinking out loud to use something like the front rail on pioneer forecart to lean into / against. Was also trying to decide if really need 2 wheels. If I have one wheel in the middle and stand on either side it would kinda ballance out. For those trying to visualize it what comes to mind is a wheel barrow with long handles. Take off the back legs and hook the long handles onto the pack saddle like shafts.

[grey]

Google “saddle chariot”. Looks like a riot to me.

[Lanny Collins]

Grey, that is a riot. Of all the time I have been on the computer and watching youtube I have never ran across saddle chariot. Looks like a way to put a smaller donkey to work.

[menageriehill]

i dont have a pic of the cart. Although it wouldnt take but a minute. But I havent been able to post any pictures on this site?? The single tree is needed. I first thought that it woulnt be, but there is a lot of movement at the beams even with the “tree”. Good luck with the adopted donkey!!

[grey]

Much of the 3rd-world equine equipment is not optimized to gain the most efficient labor from the animals. The use of a pivoting tree can greatly increase the animal’s performance. I might be biased but I can’t believe anyone would choose to still use a treeless roller-bolt arrangement in a country that has Internet. And yet they do.

[menageriehill]

My mother, who is pretty versed in alot of this showed me that I need to use a belly band, to keep the “shafts” from going to high. The cart saddle is illustrated in an african styled cart. My mother self taught herself in the early 80’s to drive a miniture horse. With much work she pulled off a “west coast champion driving horse”. She is now 75 and lives a couple of hours away from my self. She handed me a box of extras that will do me for a while. Straps, pads, rings , buckles. This thing is really coming together. This never would have happened with-out this great forum and its sharing members. Ya’ll give yourselves a pat on the back.

[Lanny Collins]

Menageriehill, where in the world is Greensboro Arkansas? Is it close to Jonesboro?

[menageriehill]

Greensboro, is very close to Jonesboro. About 8 miles north. I choose to use Greensboro as a location because it is the name of the area,where I live. Greensboro was a town before Jonesboro grew. If one looks at an old map Greensboro apears and Jonesboro doesn’t. Enter the railroad. The rails came and Jonesboro grew. Greensboro disappeard. I once owned a mom and pop grocerystore in the area of Greensboro, and I have tried to not let Greensboro be forgotten. The hiway is still marked Greensboro Road.

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