page_title: Western saddle
section_title: Rigging placement
hierarchical_section_title: Western saddle / Rigging / Rigging placement
caption_attribution_description: English: An endurance saddle, based on a western saddle design. Cordura materials over a synthetic tree
context_page_description: Western saddles are used for western riding and are the saddles used on working horses on cattle ranches throughout the United States, particularly in the west. They are the "cowboy" saddles familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, and those who have gone on trail rides at guest ranches. This saddle was designed to provide security and comfort to the rider when spending long hours on a horse, traveling over rugged terrain.
  The design of the Western saddle derives from the saddles of the Mexican vaqueros—the early horse trainers and cattle handlers of Mexico and the American Southwest. It was developed for the purpose of working cattle across vast areas, and came from a combination of the saddles used in the two main styles of horseback riding then practiced in Spain—la jineta, the Moorish style which allowed great freedom of movement to the horse; and la estradiota, later la brida, the jousting style, which provided great security to the rider and strong control of the horse. A very functional item was also added: the saddle "horn". This style of saddle allowed vaqueros to control cattle by use of a rope around the neck of the animal, tied or dallied around the horn.
context_section_description: A saddle that has only a cinch in the front is "single rigged". A saddle that has both a front cinch and a back cinch (sometimes called a flank cinch, even though it should never go around the horse's flanks) is "double rigged". The rear rigging is meant to stabilize the saddle. The back cinch is always located just below the cantle and held in place with a cinch hobble to prevent it from slipping back; however, the position of the front rigging varies. The rig positions are named by how far they are from the cantle to the fork. Placement of the front rigging is a critical component of western saddle design. The closer the rigging is to the center of the saddle, the more the rider will be balanced over the horse's center of balance, allowing freer movement and agility of horse and rider.  On the other hand, the more forward the rigging is set, especially when combined with a back cinch, the more the saddle will set down on the horse, placing the rider a bit behind the horse's center of balance, but creating greater security.
  Full rigging refers to the most forward position, where the front cinch ring is placed located under the center of the fork or swells of the saddle.  Spanish settlers of North America originally used full rigging, but without a back cinch, this type of rigging was a disadvantage because the saddle would rise in the back while traveling over rough terrain.
  Center fire is the rigging design placed closest to the center of the saddle.  Historically, it replaced the full rigging. Center fire rigging is located halfway between the cantle and the fork and was always single-rigged. This type is rarely seen on western saddles today, but was used during the 1800s, and notably on the McClellan saddle of the U.S. Army. The Pony Express saddle also had center fire rigging.
  Modern saddles also use two additional positions, called "seven-eighths" (written 7/8) and "three-quarter" (written 3/4).  3/4 rigging is located three-quarters of the way from the cantle to the fork; thus halfway between center fire and full positions. 7/8 rigging is 7/8 of the way from the cantle to the fork; or halfway between 3/4 and full.
  Three-way rigging utilizes various designs of multi-position cinch rings to combine the Full, 7/8 and 3/4 positions in one piece of hardware.  Full position is achieved when the latigo is attached to the front ring. 7/8ths position has the latigo attached to both the front and the back ring, and the 3/4 position has the latigo attached at the back ring.
  Flank cinches were added after the rodeo sports of calf roping and team roping became popular. The flank cinch was added in order to keep the saddle from tipping in the back when a lasso was tied or dallied to the saddle horn. As a result, the 3/4 and 7/8 front rigging positions were also developed.
  Custom built saddles may be designed with any of the above rigging styles.   Modern western saddles for riders who need speed and agility, such as barrel racing saddles, often have a 3/4 rigging, the closest placement to a center-fire rigging seen on modern saddles.  The most popular modern rigging placement is the 7/8 rigging, which allows a rider to have a secure seat but more easily stay centered over a horse's center of balance and is often seen on saddles used for western equitation.  A "full double" rigging is seen most often on saddles used for team roping, where the weight of the steer puts tremendous forward stress on the saddle, requiring rigging set well forward and both a front and back cinch to support the saddle. A few saddles are built with a three-way rigging plate that allows a saddle to be rigged in the full, 7/8 or 3/4 positions.
caption: Endurance saddle, based on a western design, with a 3/4 rigging, placing the rider more directly over the stirrups and over the center of gravity of the horse.  A similar tree without a horn is used for saddles used by saddle bronc riders/
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