Grab Strap

[ArtS]

Thanks for all the good advice guys. I'll remember it and abide by it. They make good sense to me. I wouldn't have ever put one on my saddle. I was taught from the beginning to ride the horse not the saddle and that has saved me more than a few times from getting hurt.

ArtS

[waddy]

I have to say I really admire all you bronc stompers out there who can ride the tough ones without "pullin' leather". I must admit that I have been in many storms that required (in my mind, at least) me to grab anything I could get aholt of, and I did just that. SHAMEFULL!!! Actually, I have never ridden a saddle with a night latch, and never been with anybody who did (and that's a lot of genuine cowboys). For those of us who feel the shameful need to hang on to something while "enjoying" a little bit of a pony tantrum, hanging onto the rear edge of a Cheyenne Roll is a great help, and works much better than the horn. I agree with smokinp, with the exception that I like Clinton Anderson's suggestion even better: "Get your wife drunk and put her on him!" Forgive me for getting a little far afield from the original post, it just seemed like fun! I have had a couple of requests to put leather night latches on saddles, and have stuggled with a good way to attach them without using buckles. It seems to me that a buckle jerked through your hand could do a lot of damage. I tried to talk them into just putting on a chunk of rope secured with a "rope buckle" knot, but that was too ugly! I ended up cutting a thick piece of harness leather, rounding the edges with a large edger until it was nearly a round. I made one end large enough to punch a bag punch through and ran the free end through the hole and tied it with the rope buckle knot. It's now fully adjustable, with no sharp, hard edges to cut into your hand.

[greg gomersall]

Grabbing the horn or the cantle will put your body out of position to ride a rank one. If you place your hand on the top of the horn and push down on it your shoulders will square up, push your pelvis into position where it should be and your gonna weather the storm. In theory it works but in reality it is hard. That,s why some people are more fork-ed than others. Greg

[bruce johnson]

Greg,

I was taught at the "Playtex 18 hour cross your heart bra school of amateur bronc riding". I'm getting old, that was 20 plus yrs ago??? Still seems like funny advice now, but I remember it. "Okay, Ladies, we are going to lift and separate". Lift and separate. LIFT up not back on whatever you got (rein or handle, although a nightlatch kind of fits a bit like a bronc rein) and SEPARATE your knees when you lift to get a deeper hold and slide you back down. Then there was all that bow your back/don't arch, you only grab to your knees, eyeball the spot 4" behind their ears (like I saw that very much), tuck your chin, don't squeeze your cheeks, and of course Dave Stamey's musical advice "Don't forget to stay loose!"

[bcurrier]

Just to show how perspectives differ, I think I've ridden maybe once in a western saddle, and that for a few minutes. I grew up riding english, and there's NOTHING to grab. Which also means, given that I'm not exactly an Olympics level rider (talk about understatements), on my behind on occasion. And all this time I've thought how nice and secure those western rigs look!

Bill

[Don101]

this is a sure interesting topic as i hade never heard of such a thing historically although i could imagin a handy thing if you are on the night watch over a hundred years ago on cattle drive and dog tired, i also love some of the replys and reminds me of a great song the cowboy in the continental suit, Don

[JRedding]

Whoa, It appears me and Romey lit the fuse on this one, lucky for me I learned those tricks from my dad and other guys I guess qualify as old timers now,instead of figuring it all out the hard way. They taught us those things to help keep us alive. Those old timers rode rougher horses than we did, and I guess my generation probably got to see rougher horses than my boy will, we started five year old horses and my dad acted like that was a luxury to start'em so young.I wish I had been the bronc stomper Waddy refers to at the time, I've found more ways to get bucked off than Martha Stewart's found to ruin hamburger, and walked in way too many times, but I guess that was their point, as long as you come walkin' in everything was alright. Most of the people who ride a horse today will never get to spend a day with those old guys, it didn't seem like much of a treat at the time to have them constantly riden' my a@#, but the truth is their old ways wound up savin' it more than once. I'm in Utah, Romeys in Montana, and twister is in Texas, it's a good bet our fathers never met, but it appears they all had the same lessons to pass on, and they were still breathin' to pass it on to us, and that's the real lesson in doing a few little things to stay safe, and I think it's still worth passing on.

[gtwister09]

Whoa, It appears me and Romey lit the fuse on this one, lucky for me I learned those tricks from my dad and other guys I guess qualify as old timers now,instead of figuring it all out the hard way. They taught us those things to help keep us alive. Those old timers rode rougher horses than we did, and I guess my generation probably got to see rougher horses than my boy will, we started five year old horses and my dad acted like that was a luxury to start'em so young.I wish I had been the bronc stomper Waddy refers to at the time, I've found more ways to get bucked off than Martha Stewart's found to ruin hamburger, and walked in way too many times, but I guess that was their point, as long as you come walkin' in everything was alright. Most of the people who ride a horse today will never get to spend a day with those old guys, it didn't seem like much of a treat at the time to have them constantly riden' my a@#, but the truth is their old ways wound up savin' it more than once. I'm in Utah, Romeys in Montana, and twister is in Texas, it's a good bet our fathers never met, but it appears they all had the same lessons to pass on, and they were still breathin' to pass it on to us, and that's the real lesson in doing a few little things to stay safe, and I think it's still worth passing on.

I was transplanted to Texas for a job. I grew up in New Mexico. Lesson there is be careful when you say that you won't live soemewhere. I wound up living where I said I wouldn't.

The older hands gave us lots of life lessons and yes I have been on my head and walking more times than I would ever care to admit. They also taught you about hard work, how to work, how to stay alive and also how to be safe. Your right about luxury in horses. My Dad bought several horses from rodeo stock and those were some of the main horses that we rode and learned on from 4 or 5 until I left home. Of course others came and left as they were traded around as well.

Regards,

Ben

[Hidemechanic]

After findin this thread I was twitchin in my seat waitin for the end of it while I was thinking of a polite way to say what did get said. Thank goodness some wisdom appeared. I only built this strap for a couple stubborn mule riders(riders were stubborn not the mules). Talk anyone else out of it.

I found that being a saddle maker I wound up being somewhat of an educater of horse training and riding. To be honest, what I shared with those willing to listen was just a suppliment to what they were being taught by the trainers, or read from books, ARRH!!

I had wantabe cowboys who weren't too proud to listen, learned to ride circles around their bucaroo buds. City folk that bought property and thought they had to put horses on it because they had it, who thought that something was wrong with their push botton high dollor highly trained horse, learn that sometimes ill fitting equipment and poorly trained riders brought out bad behavior, and the horse would act up too.

Frankly and thankfully I probably save some good horses from going to the kill plant sharing what I had learned.

Well that's off the subject, and I'm not tooting my horn just re-making the point that because something got made for use on a saddle doesn't mean it's a cure all. It may have worked for a few people but they were lucky and got away with it. The next guy might not.

In short, teach the horse not to buck, learn to carry your weight in ballence and centered with the horse.

As was mentioned holding something in front of you will pull you forward of center and your seat out of the saddle. My next youngest son was learning to ride and wouldn't quit grabbing the horn and he kept falling off. I cut his horn off, then he started grabing what was left of the swells. I took his saddle away and said now you learn to ride the horse and I'll give you your saddle back. Frankly I think everyone should ride bare back now and again just to remember what the horse is doing. Builds up those good riding muscles.

BTW, isn't that what the 'Chyane Roll' was made for? A handle to keep you in center and in the seat? LOL

Keep your shoulders to the sky. Enjoy the ride. GHackett

[Romey]

I once seen a Ray Hunt clinic and have seen others like it where the people were instructed to grab the horn with one hand and cheyenne roll with the other untill thier horse stopped pitching. At the time I was a fairly young 19 or 20ish year old rough stock rider fresh from filling my permit and working for a trainer where we often took in remidal horses in. I was in shock to see anyone grab leaher in that manner and completely gie over all form of control untill years later and seeing as well as being involved with many more clinics that the reason for that was about the safest way a person can show a group of strangers a one doesnt know thier abilities on how to stay abourd. Now to my eyes not one horse at that clinic that did do much more then fart was in anyway pitching but now i understand the reasoning, the trouble was and still is that I garentee, alot of those people came away thinking thats how it should be dont because Ray said so, i say this because i did ask someone who was there if they still did and they did. My reply was, "what you gunna do if you have a calf dallied on, its cow with her head inder your horse, your horse pitching a fit and your dogs having a high time of it all?"

Losing that whatever control you have left over the situation is about the worst thing one can do for all involved. Obviously best not to get in those wrecks but it happens and anyone it hasnt happened to hasnt cowboyed enough. It just happens. I rode rough stock for a LOOOONG time and my best rides (or worst depending on your outlook) I ever had there wasnt a judge, pretty girl or ambulance in miles to my dismay.

I once watched a pretty lil english rider gal ride a hell of a pitchin horse without hardly so much as pullin rein much less saddle( I had been watching her close before hand so seen the action )

Now I have been in a roping saddle before on some lil sneaks severaltimes that caught me paying attention to cows then them and have grabbed some coils to get my seat but from exsperiance I know to let go, was pitched and drug by the arm from a coiled catch rope across a track once and the rope scar on my arm is a super reminder why once ya get your seat to let go , trust your balance ,riding ability and horsesense enough to calm the storm.

A nightlatch as said is a interesting peice of history but though I cant directly quote the man i do recall Will James mentioning them in a book saying somthing to the effect of "No cowhand worth his salt would be caught dead with one" or somthign like that. By all accounts it would be hard to find a better bronc hand then that fella but then again look at the saddles they used, I have rode in some of them and ya about have to want to be dumped to have it happen. Horses today are bigger, more athletic, maybe not meaner but definilty on a average harder buckers when they do then about any period in time, unfortunitly riders seem to be going the opposite way.

All this is just my opinion ofcourse and not ment or directed at anyone in this post, just coffee talk, but i know how to get bucked off and on a real pitchin horse not just crow hoppin and farting, grabbin anything other then you wits will allow ya to test your soil content goin FORWARD, read head first. Friend of mine have a picture of me doing just that, head first,saddle betwix my thighs about to taste mud and horse goin the other way, if i find my copy ill scan it and post. Youll get a chuckle, though i did crack 2 vertebrea in my neck..

Musta been a tandy billet, JOSHIN YA!

Edited January 16, 2008 by Romey