Pqstraub

@bruce johnson THANK YOU SIR! That was a very kind thing for you to do. I’ll try not to trouble you any further but I can’t make any promises. I made my husband a wallet a long time ago and he really liked it and kept using it until it was falling apart and you could barely see all of my carving and stamping. I told him I’d make him another one but I just haven’t done it YET! Thank you again. Paulette

@bruce johnson I guess I didn’t realize I answered all my questions, well almost all. There was still a couple of things you mentioned that I didn’t have a clue what they meant and a few tons of things I need to learn. One of the things that I never even considered that I might need to learn and understand further is the wording or language that everyone I have texted with seems to have engrained in themselves. With you it has probably grown on you from day one, and probably has been a little fun along the way. You say in the short bio that everyone can see that you have been here since day one. I did something similar. I got on a game that also had an area in the game where you could chat with other players. I started playing that and chatted from close to day one and got very familiar with the vocabulary we used and we taught it to newbies. It was a lot of fun until the developers changed a whole bunch of stuff then it got to be so much a drag I finally quit. I would be a lot smarter and possibly happier if I had stayed with this site when I first signed up, instead. Hindsight.. I texted Tyler Shupe, then called him, but he was at some kind of show event at his booth and he said he would call me back. Then the horrible ordeal happened with President Trump and he didn’t get back to me until the following day. I stupidly missed his call but I’ll call him tomorrow during the day. The reins you said were great right out of the box, you meant they were already soft and supple? Can you tell me again so I can at least ask Mr Shupe, if he can make me some 8’ reins like them? The weight, width and I think you said to use Latigo leather. And the stitching. The pictures you posted of that set are just amazing, beautiful. Thank you for helping me. Paulette

I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind explaining, well, most of the stuff I copied. It seems extremely weird to say "you kept them paired up from start to finish to keep them equal in feel". Being an extreme newbie, I would think it obvious you would keep a pair you cut out together, but maybe what I’m missing is that some straps even when cut right next to each other can maybe not be as equally as supple?? In the next sentence I understood most, I think. You said you asked for long sides with an 8 in the ??THICKNESS?? I assumed there you meant length? Then you said you didn’t care how shallow. I’m going to take a stab at guessing and say that shallow on a hide means how hmm..short the leather is that is coming down from the back area and in between the leg area?? I have seen some hides that seem to be very full on each side to the point that it’s almost a straight line across and others that have a huge scoop and the best word to describe that is shallow. Next you say you never cut below the break in the hide for reins. Where is this "break" located? And why not cut below it for reins? Is it just for the reason that any cuts below the break would be to short for any reins? Lastly, someone somewhere in my life told me, apparently very wrongly, that latigo leather had only one purpose, to make the thin strips on saddles, who’s only purpose is to look pretty. Boy were they wrong. Unfortunately I think the person who told me that was my Dad when I was about 12. So is latigo leather stuffed like harness? Thank you Paulette

@bruce johnson Thank you very much. I figured if YOU weren’t still making reins, you could point me in some direction and you gave me two! Thank you very much, Paulette

@bruce johnson I’m out of time. Meaning I have everything I need to start riding again except for a set of 8’ reins. Heck right now I don’t have any reins except the ones that guy made for me and I would be embarrassed to use them. I had had some unwanted extra time when I had a stupid accident and I severely bruised two of my ribs. They didn’t break but I sure felt like they had. Anyway if it isn’t inappropriate to ask, here, what would you charge me to make me some reins? I think I would be interested in having those poppers on them as well. I’d love to have them in stitched but I’d really just like them to be supple and a nice weight and feel. Stitching would be great but…. Thank you Paulette

@bruce johnson , those reins you put in the pictures, they are both stitched and they look as straight as a ruler. Can you tell me if the ones I have are so bad just because of well is the difference all of it? The weight, the width, bad quality leather, and the stitching, that ruined my reins? I also was wondering if you could tell me or show me a better picture of how those poppers are attached to those reins. When I got up real close it got to blurry to see. Thank you very much!! Paulette

@Northmount , thank you for the post on where to post. Paulette

@sheathmaker , thank you for all of your advice. I guess that takes care of the leather type and weight. I was surprised that you didn’t mention bridle leather. In the several places that I have looked for leather most have a category called bridle leather. I don’t know anything about it except that I think I remember two of y’all on here mentioning using bridle leather. @TomE , I’m glad I was finally able to figure out the picture problem I was making. Thank you for reply and help. Now I just need to find someone who knows what there doing to make me some 8’ reins and some slobber straps. I bet I could throw a rock and hit several on this website. Does there happen to be a place on this website where you either post what you would like to have made, or a place where everyone post what there good at and looking for jobs or something? Would it be inappropriate for me to ask one of the experts that have very kindly helped me? For all that I know, if they wanted to do the job they would have offered or they would be searching that other area looking for jobs they want to do. I don’t want to back anyone in a corner. Paulette

I had wondered about the tension. If the tension is correct, from what I know about sewing regular stuff, the stitching will look the same on the top side and on the bottom side. His didn’t. I don’t know how that would affect 9/10 ounces leather, but it was consistent throughout all his sewing. I’ll include some pictures to better explain. He has offered to give me a refund and also offered to make me another set. If I choose to have him make me another set, I think the stitching would be exactly the same so probably best to not do the stitching. Or the stamping. So EVERYONE, ANYONE, what are y’all’s opinions, thoughts, on how wide a pair of reins should be? What ounce would be ideal? I like and want long reins. At least 8 feet. I do want them supple enough that if I want to or need to I can tie them together in a loose knot. I guess lastly what kind of leather is going to have everything I want? Last of all I wanted to include a couple of pictures that showed the front and the back side of his stitching. Thank y’all for any and all help and advice.

No I put the pictures down below in the area where this app placed them. I clicked on every picture and it opened up and expanded but because I sent it at the lowest possible choice, as soon as you expanded it, it went out of focus. I am trying again at the largest possible choice that this will accept. Thank you for your information.

I hope I didn’t make them so dang small you can’t zoom in on them and see the curve. I did talk to the guy who made them and he told me that he did cut them straight on an 8’ hide but it is the stitching that made them curve. Have y’all ever had that happen on any long strips or straps or even reins that you have also sewn? I just don’t know if I believe him. And the stamping. I have NEVER seen veg-tan natural leather that has been stamped and then stained, where the stamping wasn’t a lot darker than the rest of the leather. Not a single stamp is any darker than the rest of the leather and it seems to mostly be very lightly stamped. I’ll take some closer shots of the stamping.

Thank you so much for your help. I’ll check out everything you suggested. I’m pretty sure that my pictures are jpg. My phone is an iPhone but it’s very old. It’s a version 5. Yea I know, but unfortunately I’ve never broken it and there’s nothing wrong with it, so I have no excuse to spend the money to get a new one. Anyway I have searched my phone and I can’t find anything that will let me lower the size or resolution. My iPad was the one that allowed me to get it down to 828kb but even that wouldn’t upload onto this site. I know the problem is me. I’m missing something. I’ll check everything out and keep trying. I really need these experts opinions on my reins. And if they need pictures then I’m gonna get them pictures. Thank you Paulette

Ok now I’m pissed. I got the picture down to 828kb and this dang thing is still telling me I’m not allowed to post over 1.46mb. I’ve done this before I just need to remember how. At 66 I may remember and I may not.

Fred that was one of my questions to this guy. He does offer a money back guarantee if your not happy.

I must be doing something wrong. I took several pictures of my reins and I tried to attach them but this says they are all too big. It says max is 1.46mb and my iPad says they are only 1.1mb. I’ll try to take something different with my pictures and try again in a bit. Thank you Tom. If anyone knows what I did wrong or how to fix it let me know.

Hello Fred, thank you for your reply. If I do what you’re suggesting isn’t that going to completely halt my chances of returning them? If it doesn’t improve the lay significantly they are still not going to be acceptable and afterwards I won’t be able to return them??? I also have to add. You’re living in one of my favorite countries. If I couldn’t live in Texas I would like to live in Ireland.

Hello. I have a dilemma. I found a leather worker on Etsy and after a whole bunch of questions I decided to get him to make me a set of 8’ reins. They’re barbwire stamped and stitched and he suggested and then included some slobber straps. To further match my headstall he added some star conchos. He told me it might take him awhile to get the veg-tanned hide he was going to need to get the length of reins I wanted. I said that was fine. I just today after a long wait, got them in the mail. The reins won’t lay flat. It’s quite apparent that they have been cut in a spiral pattern or at least mostly. There isn’t a single foot in either rein that doesn’t have at least a small curve to it. I’m just shocked. I want to complain, I want to send them back. I would even almost bet they were cut free handed. I know what y’all do is time consuming and is an art that I will never accomplish even though I have spent a lot of money on tools and I did try to get into it but I just don’t have the gift. I guess I feel like I don’t have the right to complain. What would y’all do?

I have never to date used slobber straps or even the slightly shorter water straps, but I would think if I did add the slobber straps and snaps then the 7’ would be long enough. It is in my lifetime, and I’m 65, I have always used really long reins. Even way way back when I was riding my big Shetland Pony. I think he MIGHT have been part Welsh because he wasn’t much shorter than our Welsh, but the reins we used on both came down to my stirrups. They were soft enough that we could tie a knot in them so it was like we had loop reins. I have always had durable tough long lasting reins. I just thought they was the possibility of having pretty leather reins for once in my life. Does anyone have any recommendations? I’m not a rodeo person. I sure don’t break horses anymore and I don’t even ride as much as I used to. Not having my own horses for the last 12 years has been that problem, but a neighbor has a nice horse, 3 actually, and her husband has a tough enough time riding two, so she told me to ride this one whenever I wanted. I’m almost ready. I had a lot of work to get done to my saddle. Then I discovered I had no reins for my headstall. Which is why I’m here. And in case anyone is wondering, there was a very very long flat braided rope attached to my headstall that we were using those 12 years ago to gentle break our last two horses, but now it is all greasy and almost black and stiff. I didn’t think a pair of new reins would be so dang difficult. I’m about ready to just buy some stupid mecate reins, but like y’all I love leather. So this place is my last chance. I’m going to give up if no one on this site can help me or wants to help me.

Because my last set was 8 feet long and they worked great, work great. But I only wanted a set to match my current headstall. I had thought at the time it would not be a big deal but I am finding out differently.

If I need a pair of leather reins, and I want them to be barbwire stamped and stitched to match as close as possible to my headstall and also be 8’ long, what are my options or choices for leather and ounces. I only know, at least somewhat know that it needs to be Vegetable tanned to be able to be stamped. Is at least that much correct? Everything else I am not sure of. I know I have never even seen for sale leather that is over 70” which I know isn’t enough for 8’ reins. I also am very much aware that I will need someone to make them for me. Stamp them and stitch them. Since I don’t have anything that would sew heavy leather. And do y’all use two pieces of thinner leather and sew them together? Is this done to make the leather stronger? And what of harness leather? I’m not really familiar with the term nor do I think that I have even seen raw veg-tanned harness leather. I was told or I read that there is a difference between bridle leather and harness leather. If y’all could please help with advice or maybe one of y’all could just make me the reins like I want and I could pay you. If you let me know upfront what the cost would be. I can’t pay an arm and a leg. That was the whole reason I bought all the tools I have. Maybe you could make them, stitch them and I could stamp them and stain them, but for reins I know there’s a lot more to do that I don’t know and don’t have. I would like to learn though. Thank y’all. Paulette