First Bosal; Please Suggest How To Improve

[Melanie Wilfong]

This is my first one, and I'm not crazy about it. For one thing the rope wasn't stiff enough. Next one will be stiffer with slightly wider leather lace so the coverage is better. Also, when the heel knot was loose it worked out perfectly and looked correct, but when tightened it looks bad. Please let me know how I can improve the next one. Thanks.

[megabit]

Not bad for a first effort. How good your first one is isn't what is important, that the next one is better is.

Short answer rawhide. I know I sound like a broken record.

Longer answer, your heel knot looks like the problem is likely in the ground work. What do you have underneath it? It needs to be pretty dang solid and the shape you want. This is also a big part of why I try to make sure my buttons are tight when I finish them instead of going back and tightening them after. Whenever I tighten them after I end up with them being too tight before I get the whole knot tight. I am sure you have most likely already seen Alan’s bosal tutorial I’d say it is worth reviewing again though, I know it sure helped me.

[curlyjo]

This is only a suggestion, my 2 cents worth. It seems you are bent on using a piece of rope as a bosal body. If thats the case, find a piece of Reata instead and use that. Treat it like a bosal body and build your nosebutton on that. Then pull it together like you've seen on the tutorials here and build your Heelknot. It will give you some practise and you're not out to much. Brad