February 27, 2026: Bonus Buzz - When Tightening a Saddle Hurts

Most of my readers have probably never tightened a saddle on a horse.

So let’s start there.

Before you ride, you place a saddle on the horse’s back. Underneath the horse’s belly, there is a wide strap that connects on both sides and holds the saddle in place. In English riding it’s called a girth. In Western riding it’s called a cinch.

It does exactly what it sounds like. It tightens around the horse’s ribcage so the saddle doesn’t slide.

Now imagine someone wrapping a belt around your ribs and pulling it snug.

If your stomach lining was irritated or inflamed, that pressure wouldn’t feel great.

That’s where the term “cinchy” comes in.

A cinchy horse reacts negatively when that strap is tightened. They might pin their ears, swing their head, try to nip, step sideways, or tense up. Some horses puff up their belly so you can’t tighten it properly. Others move off abruptly once mounted.

It’s often dismissed as attitude.

But very often, it’s discomfort.

Bee has been cinchy.

And before we label it sass, we’re asking why.

The Ulcer Conversation

Our veterinarian suggested we treat Bee with Omeprazole for three weeks. It’s a medication commonly sold as GastroGard or UlcerGard, and it reduces stomach acid to allow irritated tissue to heal.

Here’s the part that surprises people. Horses produce stomach acid constantly. In the wild, they graze almost nonstop, which keeps their stomach partially buffered by forage. In domestic life, they may go hours between meals, travel in trailers, live in stalls, train hard, or experience performance stress. All of those things increase the risk of gastric ulcers.

Dr. Roeber estimates that as many as 90 to 95 percent of horses have some degree of stomach ulceration at some point in their lives. That’s not rare. That’s almost normal.

When you tighten a girth or cinch, you compress the abdominal area. If the stomach lining is already inflamed, that pressure can hurt. A cinchy horse may simply be a horse saying, “That doesn’t feel good.”

Could This Be Related to the Bolt?

Possibly. Pain changes behavior. It lowers tolerance. It makes reactions quicker and bigger. If your stomach hurt and someone asked you to sprint, you might be a little short-fused too. That doesn’t excuse dangerous behavior. But it adds context. Ulcers don’t create a “bad” horse. They can create a horse operating with discomfort.

What We’re Doing

We’re giving Bee a full treatment dose of Omeprazole for three weeks tapering the amount after week one and two. If her girth sensitivity improves, that strongly suggests ulcers were part of the issue. At that point, we would likely move to a maintenance plan, which might include a lower dose during stressful periods, dietary adjustments, or management changes.

If her behavior does not improve, we continue looking.

Poor saddle fit can create pressure points. Sore muscles can make tightening uncomfortable. Horses can also develop defensive habits if tightening has hurt in the past.

We won’t assume. We’ll evaluate.

When to Call the Vet

If your horse shows persistent girth sensitivity, behavior changes, weight loss, or decreased performance, it’s worth discussing with your veterinarian. Ulcers are treatable. And early intervention prevents bigger issues.

The Bigger Lesson

Behavior is information. When a horse reacts at the girth, they are telling you something. It might be pain. It might be habit. It might be stress. It might be training. But it’s rarely random. We’re treating Bee. We’re observing. We’re staying curious. Because sometimes what looks like sass is actually stomach acid. And I would very much prefer sass.