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Good morning, ive been trying to wrap my head around the maths for figuring out my string size for a braided bosal core. I’m used to working in mm rather than inches and fractions, so it’s taking more brain power than expected! im wondering if it’s as simple as taking the core size I want to achieve, and dividing that by the number of strings I want to use to find out what size strings I should use. this is what I usually do for kangaroo lacing, but this is my first time messing with rawhide so not too sure if it’s a different story. thanks again !

Hi everyone, I'm a 24 year old girl from Austria/Europe and started playing around with leather a year ago! My resent project was a bosal - made with the book and supplies from Gail Hought, material was kangaroo leather. I'm somewhat satisfied with the result und would like to continue learning braiding bosals, preferably I would like to stick to kangaroo for a while as I've found I was confident with braiding with it. However, I have no idea where to get supplies here in Europe. I would also need some rawhide to build the inner core. For all other projects where I only needed some skirting leather, I've ordered from "SoftArtLeder" https://www.softart-leder-shop.de/btc/ but they do only carry one color of kangaroo (black). Where do you European guys order your bosal supply? Do you think I can start with some other leather types provided by SoftArtLeder for the beginning? Any tip is highly appreciated!! With best regards, Christina

Hello, Im Mac recently ive been renewing my interest in attempting to make some plaited rawhide objects, got some cow rawhide made up and have been wrking on dehairing it. so while im casing a smallish circle to cut into string, figured id introduce my self and slip a couple questions out there too... ive read both "braiding rawhide horse tack and a good portion of bruce grants book...and spent the last week going threw old post on here and while it has answered alot of questions it has created some new ones as well either from contradictory statements or etc... sooo when plaiting rawhide hair side out or in? ive heard it both ways does, is it different for reatas than for bosals, reins, hobbles etc? once i have my initial rough string cut from the hide, the "BRHT" book says to stretch the string, then jumps into making string cutters etc then comes back to string, does the string "NEED" to be stretched and left to dry and cased again or can if at the right temper it go straight to final sizing and beveling...? the book says some folk like to omit the stretching leaving to dry and then re casing as it "takes the life" out of it... well thanks hope u all will be able to help with these and the other questions ill be posting in the near future! Mac couple practice pieces to get the plaiting and knot wrk rolling in my head, yea plait got a weee bit twisted on this "RAIN DAY" bosalita but eh is only paracord... double loop lace stitched the nose button cause plaiting it was just WAY to bulky for a bosalita and the plain spiral wrap was just to Plain looking.... this was 3rd piece i made of paracord....6 plait cheeks over 3/16' rope rolled in athletic tape has a surprising li good feel to it considering the materials... 8 plait hobbles 6x7 TH made into pineapple knots... 2nd piece i made... plait came out way more straight on this bosalita...1st piece ive made

This past weekend I made some raw hide using KAWs method for dehairing(it worked pretty good by the way) thanks for that KAW, any way I am now ready to cut it into strings for several different projects, maybe royal reins, bosal, and buttons and I am curious of others opinion on how to cut the hide. It seems like if I take my strap cutter and cut around the hide I would have very little waste, vs cutting out rounds then cutting string. I have even seen where some just cut the hide in straps length ways. Are certain parts better for certain items, I know when making a saddle, saddle makers like certain parts of the hide for different pieces of the saddle. I'm pretty green to this but seems as if it would apply to braiding as well.

Hi All, Completed my first Bosal project (a la Hought), attached a slit-braid headstall (a la Grant), with a Fiador throatlatch (also Grant). Link to images: http://imgur.com/a/S1Avf Bosal is 12-plait cowhide over rawhide core, headstall is latigo slit-braid with no metal fasteners. Throatlatch is 1/4" braided yacht-cord (purchased cord, then tied by me). Hope you enjoy - would appreciate any/all comments on the proportions and impressions overall. I don't have access to a horse, so I am going by the guidelines in Gail's and Bruce Grant's books. Goal is to make a fancy set for a friend's wedding next year. Thank you, -Chris

I am looking for any help or advice while braiding my first bosal? I have time now and want to start my colt in 8 months in the bosal. I would appreciate any and all help and advice? Thanks!