[RC] my guardinan angel and an equipment warning. - Karen Sullivan
For many years I have been ordering neoprene
girths from Chicks, and have had very good luck with them. I was thrilled
severar years ago when they came out with one from Germany with elastic
ends. The horses really like them, and I have told other friends to buy
them. The one I have was getting some tears in the neoprene, and so I
ordered another one last month. IT is called the sweet spot chinch.
Yesterday, some friends and I did a great ride in
very rugged terrain. We had a ball, and were out in some pretty remote, steep
areas, moving our fairly consistently, with a few yahoos at a gallop up the
hills and around corners; and then some steep downhills coming back
VEry good ride, all the horses did
well.
Today I saddled up the other mare and went for a
ride. As I was hauling a friend, and we were short of time; we
saddled
at home. WE got to the trail head and she
unloaded her horse. I go in to unload mine, turn her around, and notice
something so strange it takes me a minute to figure out what happened. One
the right side of the saddle, the latigo goes around a cinch buckle.....with two
HANGING pieces of elastic! The elastic had pulled out from the cinch, and
looked like it had been stitched less than an inch, with very poor quality
thread....this cinch is less than MONTH old, and was not even cinched
tightly! My mare (who is green), was well behaved enough to stand in
the trailer while I swapped cinches, then unloaded her.
My mind is sort of still wanting to dwell on what
would have happened if this cinch had let go on the ride yesterday, or even
today, on the green horse......was I lucky or what!??
Please check your tack and if you buy this
particular cinch, well, beware.
So......now email into Running Bear to see if they
can make me a neoprene cinch with elastic (I KNOW her stuff won't
break!)
I guess cutting corners and costs on tack;
well.........a cinch is not the place to look for a bargain.
