How to Properly Fit a Breast Collar

The breast collar stops the saddle from sliding back.

Used with both English and Western saddles, a breast collar is a piece of tack that is designed to keep the saddle from sliding back. Endurance and cross-country riders, as well as trail riders who ride up steep inclines, can benefit from the use of a breast collar because it will help keep the saddle in place regardless of terrain. If the breast collar doesn't fit properly, the saddle can slide back, putting the rider's weight too far down the back, over the horse's kidneys. When the saddle is in the wrong position, it can cause discomfort, injury and limited range of motion.

Instructions

1. Saddle your horse. Leave the girth or cinch hanging.

2. Fasten the side straps of the breast collar to each side of the saddle. For a Western saddle, the breast collar will attach to the rings the on which the cinch is attached. For an English saddle, the breast collar will attach to the D-rings on the front of the saddle.

3. Position the center strap between the horse's front legs. Run the girth or cinch through the loop at the end of the center strap and tighten the girth or cinch as you normally would, making sure that the center strap of the breast collar remains centered on the girth or cinch.

4. Use the neck tug (the strap that goes over the withers) to adjust the position of the side straps if necessary. The side straps should lay along the slope of the shoulder, without interfering with movement.

5. Adjust the side straps of the breast collar as necessary. The front of the breast collar should be centered on the horse's chest.

6. Make sure the breast collar is snug but not too tight. You should be able to pull one side strap three to four inches away from the horse, and the center strap should hang one to two inches below the horse's chest.

7. Ride your horse at a walk for a few minutes. Dismount and check the fit of the breast collar again. Check the position of the saddle, making sure it has not moved back. Make adjustments as necessary, then continue to ride.

Tips & Warnings

• If the saddle does slide back, your breast collar is not snug enough. Note the snugness of the breast collar when the saddle is too far back at the end of a ride; that is how snug the breast collar should be to keep the saddle in position.

References

• America's Horse Daily: Tack Problems
• Hill View Farms LLC: Breast Collars