vaquero curb strap

[megabit]

Braided rawhide curb strap. Made with 4 plait strings, pineapple knots, gaucho knots and a spanish ring knot.

[HorsehairBraider]

Hey - where'd you get that cool spade? That's pretty nice!

Nice curb strap, but I am wondering if you are going to really use it? If so, I'll give you the benefit of my experience (experience: what you get when you don't get what you wanted!). Double up on your knots where it goes under the chin. When you pull on the reins, and the curb comes in to play, the strap will just slide open further if the knots are not really THERE. There is quite a lot of pull on the curb strap from time to time, more than a lot of people realize. Maybe those knots you have there are REALLY tight, so tight you can barely adjust the strap... so maybe you already know what I didn't used to know. But if not, you'll have a more pleasant ride if you tie some extra knots, and get them nice and SNUG.

[megabit]

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking of adding some two more gauchos around all three strands at the bottom. Sounds like I will need to. I was going back and forth on how tight to make the knots, to tight can't adjust, to loose won't hold the adjustment.

Yes, I do intend to use the curb once I move up to the 2 rein from the hackamore.

I got the bit from Steve at: http://www.blackmountainbitspur.com/

He did a great job on it for me.

[Alan Bell]

Hey Mike that looks really good! Things are getting better!!! You do want those knots so tight you can barely adjust them over time they will loosen all by them selves. Also you could make the tails a little shorter so the don't interfere with the rein chains. You could also have added horsehair for a shoo fly under the horses chin. Son you done GOOD! I may have to get with Steve for a bit too! When I get back home next week I'll send some pics of some leather bridles I've been making you might like!

Vaya con Dios, Alan

Edited July 20, 2009 by Alan Bell

[megabit]

Hey Mike that looks really good! Things are getting better!!!

Thank you Alan, it means a lot coming from you. You have never hesitated to tell me "cut it off and do it right". That is what I like about you. You have helped me progress more than you could possibly know.

You do want those knots so tight you can barely adjust them over time they will loosen all by them selves.

These are snug but could certainly be snugger, perhaps I will cut these off and redo them.

Also you could make the tails a little shorter so the don't interfere with the rein chains. You could also have added horsehair for a shoo fly under the horses chin.

Yea, they turned out kind of long. Sorta by design though. I wasn't sure how long they needed to be and it is easy to make them shorter, longer requires starting over.

Son you done GOOD! I may have to get with Steve for a bit too! When I get back home next week I'll send some pics of some leather bridles I've been making you might like!

Vaya con Dios, Alan

I always enjoy seeing anything you make. I was at a cowboy race again this weekend and had someone else ask "Who made your saddle? I really like it.". The thing damn near sprung a leak though when I picked up a trash bag full of soda cans.

hasta luego,

Mike

[rgerbitz]

I agree with everyone else Mike. Your braiding is looking better all the time. And that is a sweet looking spade.

Thanks for sharing

Rob

[megabit]

Nice curb strap, but I am wondering if you are going to really use it? If so, I'll give you the benefit of my experience (experience: what you get when you don't get what you wanted!). Double up on your knots where it goes under the chin... But if not, you'll have a more pleasant ride if you tie some extra knots, and get them nice and SNUG.

The knots I have are not all that tight. I will redo the ones on the loops that lock the button down with tight ones. I was wondering if I can get away with just adding a couple of tight gauchos to the 3 string parts? Would above or below the loose ones be better? Or should I just cut them off and redo them all?

Thanks as always for the help.

Mike

[HorsehairBraider]

The knots I have are not all that tight. I will redo the ones on the loops that lock the button down with tight ones. I was wondering if I can get away with just adding a couple of tight gauchos to the 3 string parts? Would above or below the loose ones be better? Or should I just cut them off and redo them all?

Thanks as always for the help.

Mike

If it was me (and of course it's not) I'd put them on the three-string part, under your looser knots. That way you should be able to take the thing on and off bits without too much trouble, but it should hold when you need it to hold.

I think this curb strap will actually look even *nicer* with the addition of the extra knots, but I suppose there would be times when you ran out of room or something and the best thing in that case would be cut them off. But not in this case, IMO.

Tying knots at the exact right tension is something it took me a while to master, and even today I can still get the tension a little wrong. Working horsehair I nearly always get it right just due to sheer experience, but recently I had the chance to braid some kangaroo and had to really watch myself! You can braid horsehair MUCH tighter than you can kangaroo, and still have an easy sliding knot that really holds well.

[entiendo]

If it was me (and of course it's not) I'd put them on the three-string part, under your looser knots. That way you should be able to take the thing on and off bits without too much trouble, but it should hold when you need it to hold.

I think this curb strap will actually look even *nicer* with the addition of the extra knots, but I suppose there would be times when you ran out of room or something and the best thing in that case would be cut them off. But not in this case, IMO.

Tying knots at the exact right tension is something it took me a while to master, and even today I can still get the tension a little wrong. Working horsehair I nearly always get it right just due to sheer experience, but recently I had the chance to braid some kangaroo and had to really watch myself! You can braid horsehair MUCH tighter than you can kangaroo, and still have an easy sliding knot that really holds well.

I tighten all my gaucho slides as tight as I can and then work them back and forth to the tension I like. I do not use herringbone buttons as slides anymore. I tried it a few times but they lost their shape and ended up being to loose to quickly. I've used Spanish rings as slides a few times but they are better spacer buttons.

Just thought I'd throw my limited experience out there.

Edited July 24, 2009 by entiendo