For a custom fitted cinch: 

1. Saddle your horse as usual.
2.  Make sure your cinch is adjusted with D-rings in the center of his girth floor. 
3. Take a photo as described below, and send it to EMAIL, or send as a Facebook message . The photo should be a side view of your horse saddled after a short warm up ride with the  cinch still tight. Put the stirrup over the saddle seat and take a direct side view photo including the cinch/girth, latigo (or billets) and saddle. If the photographer is a tall person, please make sure the camera is at same height as mid-line of the horse's body.  This photo needs to be taken after a warm up ride, because the saddle will settle into the best position on the horse's back.
4. Have a tape measure handy. As soon as you take the picture, un-cinch your horse and measure the overall length of your current cinch (to outside edge of end buckles) with a tape measure. Many cinches stretch, or have mis-marked sizing. Measure as quickly as possible so there's less time for cinch to rebound. 

With this photo and length measurement, i can help you determine the width and style that would be best for your horse/saddle combination, and which buckles will work on the style chosen. The majority of the time, a particular saddle will use the same width cinch on many horses because of the riggin placement. 
 
Then we can begin the order process. 

Thanks! 
Leslie

Lunch @ Brush Fire BBQ Co

One of the perks of making the dreaded 100+ mile Supply Run to Tucson, is getting to stop for lunch at the awesome BRUSH FIRE BBQ Co. with my hubby Ross Maynard!
We need to pickup Cinch hardware, Yarn needles and Acid Dye, amongst other things...

A unique buckle option is the USA made cast Bork Bronze Visalia or Heart Buckles.

When you are purchasing a cinch, make sure that it is balanced and the center is actually in the middle of the cinch. 
In this photo, we have a 27 strand Rayon cord roper style cinch with the center Dees attached with nylon webbing wrapped with brown rayon cordage.  It has sewn leather reinforcements.  As you can see, the center is not sewn straight.

I've measured a 32" cinch of this style and brand that stretched to 35 inches after 20 minutes of use on a horse. That's 3 inches! Many times our horses get blamed for holding their breath or bloating during saddling, but rather the cinch actually stretched. 

Here you can see another Rayon cinch of the same style and brand, that has stretched out of shape after use. Look at how center is now even more crooked, and the cinch buckles are no longer even. This imbalance could easily attribute to girth pain and a cinchy horse!


I found this video on Youtube depicting the same cinch that literally tore apart broke with a 6 yr old little girl riding her horse. 
http://youtu.be/rvfM6RP6LZw

There can be a couple reasons for this problem: 

• It could be that the machine stitching was too tight causing the thread to cut through the cord. 
  
• The cinch was purchased in the fall and not used all winter, it could have rotted, although that usually doesn't occur with man-made materials such as rayon cordage.
  

This is a nickle plated cinch buckle that has split at the weld. A little more time and pressure under use and the split would separate even more allowing the buckle tongue to displace. The latigo would no longer be buckled and a wreck would follow!

This is an import H Roller buckle. Notice how the narrow roller bar has bent. This is on a Classic Equine Roper cinch. Interestingly, this cinch was purchased to replace a cinch where the roller broke out of the buckle. We will not be carrying these H Roller Buckles. 

Do you have a horse that is really rough at the lope or canter? One who is short and choppy at the trot? The kind of horse who will jar your teeth out?

We now have several documented cases of these type of horses becoming comfortable and smooth to ride with the use of a custom fitted mohair cinch! This is an exciting and surprise benefit. Read my blog post about cinch fitting, then send a message if you have questions!

Place your Copper Canyon Cinch order before 12 noon Monday August 14, 2014 to receive a 10% discount.
My supplier is offering a sale and I would like to share this savings with my customers!

Mick Jager was presumed to have ulcers because he was crabby when saddling. I recieved this wonderful kind testimonial from his owner Bj Salomon:

"Props and a shout out goes to the Amazing, Knowledgable , Extremely Talented and Creative Horsewoman Leslie Maynard!!!!Thank You for getting me my magic cinch. Not only did my green horse handle wet packed ground and win the 2D BUT Here's the Best Part when I went to cinch him up he was NEVER CRANKY !!! LADIES it was so bad I thought I was going to have to scope him for ulcers. NOT!!!Just needed one of Leslie's custom fitted and made cinches. Bless u friend! Your incredible abilities and aptitude as a horsewoman blows me away! P.S. Can we do Sterling next Please? I think they r one of the most important pieces of equipment to have!"

FastTime is a little cutting bred barrel horse that has been moving choppy. He moved free and easy on his very first ride with his new Mohair Copper Canyon Cinch. He was more fluid in his barrel turns!  I had a chance to personally ride Fasttime and he felt amazing!

I started researching mohair cinch making because of Copper, but Gunner was the victim of or first experiment with hand woven mohair cinches. Gunner is mutton withered, round backed, and a few years ago had pigeon fever really bad and had to have his chest and girth area lanced and drained repeatedly for 4 months. Consequently, he is very sensitive in those areas, he is crabby to saddle, and he lopes like the cartoon skunk Pepe' le Peu. He is so miserable to ride that he was passed on as the kid's horse.
Gunner's response to his first saddling with a hand tied and woven cinch was such a dramatic change. He just stood there licking and chewing! The was no more roll to the saddle, and after a few minutes he started to relax and work like a champ! He has been so nice to ride that he is now getting prepared for competition!

Copper finally was able to make his first competition run in his very own namesake mohair cinch! Absolutely Amazing!  This is a wicked quick barrel horse that slices the left turns, dropping his shoulder and getting stiff irregardless of training and therapy. Copper also is a very cinchy, stiff moving horse that will fall on you if you clean his feet while saddled. All problems resolved, he is freer moving, has soft supple turns, and he didnt collapse when when picking up his feet to clean. Total success!

Cinch Making is the tying and weaving of cinches, a Traditional Cowboy Art of handmade quality gear that is both both functional and comfortable for your equine partner.  Copper Canyon Cinches are each hand made, tied and woven with high quality 100% American mohair from the Angora goat.  

Cinch hardware choices consist of of stainless steel, brass, or bronze buckles and rings.  The bronze buckles are custom made by Bork and Sons at their foundry in Washington state, using a manganese bronze alloy that offers great strength and resists corrosion.  In the true essence of our Western Tradition of hand-made gear,  I proudly offer American-made hardware whenever possible. 

I often have cinches in stock from 28" to 36" lengths, but they don't last long!  You may choose from cinches already made up, or order a custom cinch designed and tied to your desire. 


Your Copper Canyon Cinch is a one-of-a-kind due to the variety of cinch styles with varying widths, based on your saddle's riggin, number of strands used in single or double layers, choice of various buckle options, colors and designs. My goal is to produce a unique piece of "wearable art" that will please the rider aesthetically and functionally.  

Custom dyed Mohair will be offered at a higher cost due to the process involved, and i will be offering Alpaca fiber cord due to exquisitely soft feel. ~Leslie