Half O hide

[upper]

Hellow all and thanks for the site.I have two questions:first what do I loose by cutting the hide down the back.I would be able to get it in the shop easier.Second I have heard that an old cow is the best rawhide,what about a steer of 3 years,Tell me a little about that.Thanks Upper

[Kevin]

I'm no braider, but I have read that an old barren cow makes the best rawhide because there's little to no stretch in it.

Kevin

I'msorry,I forgot to mention that it needs to have just about starved to death, too. I may have read that in Luis Garcia's book(I hope I got that right)

Edited March 3, 2009 by Kevin

[Alan Bell]

If you cut down the spine you will lose the ability to cut around the whole ide say for reata strings. A lot of folks think and I've seen where a cow that used a back fly rub had a weak line down its spine and that made poor rawhide. There are very few that have the ability to let an old cow starve to death and then be there in time to skin it and make rawhide so who knows if that true. Most string is coming from cows and steer around 600lbs. now.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

[upper]

So a steer hide say 3 year or a lttle younger will make good Rawhide? Upper

[Alan Bell]

yes

Vaya Con Dios, Alan

[upper]

Thank you Mr. Bell Upper

[rcsaddles]

My rawhide instructor was Mary Fields who is in the Bruce Grant books. She told me that the best rawhide comes from a Hereford cow that just sort of dwindles away. In other words one that is about 2/3 starved to death. She also told me that the best reata she ever made came from her favorite horse. She had braided 90 reatas when I met her in 1993 and I don't know that she ever did another one.

If you use a hide from an animal that was butchered for beef, you can expect a lot of extra work splitting the hide to an even thickness. I know people make their rawhide different than I do so I can only go by my experience. I also know that beggers can't be choosers so I take what I can get and use it.

Joe