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StableManagement.com

Help for a Girthy Horse

August 24, 2020
Posted by Angelo Telatin, MS

Do you have a cinchy horse? Follow this step-by-step advice to modify his behavior.

Topics: Behavior, Behavior & Handling, Commentary, English Disciplines, Equine Behavior Commentary Series, Horse Care, Nutrition-Related Problems, Tack, Welfare and Industry, Western Disciplines

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When horses are sensitive to having the saddle cinch or girth tightened, they often react by pinning their ears, kicking, tensing their body and moving around, or similar behaviors. | Photo: iStock

Cory Kieschnick, assistant professor and Department of Equine Science and Management chair at Delaware Valley University, also contributed to this article.

Q.My 17-year-old mustang shakes his head every time I cinch him up. Even if I pretend to tighten the cinch, he does it. I’ve never been rough or tightened it too fast. How can I change this behavior?

—Ronella Clegg, via Facebook

A.When horses are sensitive to having the saddle cinch or girth tightened, they often react by pinning their ears, kicking, tensing their body and moving around, or similar behaviors. This is often referred to as a horse being “girthy,” “cinchy,” or “cinch-sensitive

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Written by:

Angelo Telatin, MS

Angelo Telatin, MS, is assistant professor at Delaware Valley College Equine Science and Management department in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and a British Horse Society fellow. This qualification is only awarded to those considered to be reliable ambassadors of the sport. His master’s thesis in equine behavior compared equine training techniques and the psychology of learning. Find out more at www.angelotelatin.com.