Bosal tutorial

[trastu]

very good tutorial. thank you very much

[Alan Bell]

Thanks everyone. I used ritz clothing dye.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

When one door is closed many more is opened

Bob Marley - Coming in From the Cold

[crow]

hi Alan,

Can you please explain a little more how do you start the nose button, i mean, how do you set up the laces around the bosal before you start braiding? maybe some more pics?

thanks in advance

crow

Edited August 22, 2008 by crow

[Alan Bell]

Hey Crow,

I start by getting the strings in 3rds and then I line them up with 2/3rds of the length going to my left and 1/3rd to my right. I have them all lined out in rows from top to bottom. In this case I had 8 strands and I take the top on and take the left end and weave it under one over one down through the others. Then I repeat with all the strands until the last strand goes back around the bosal and weaves through the first strand, under one over one. This is what I have done in the first three pictures of me putting the noseband braid on. I'm not sure if I can explain it any better but if you still don't follow I will try.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

[carr52]

I hate to sound stupid but what is a Bosal and what does it do?

Tom

[rgerbitz]

Hello Tom,

A bosal is part of a set up called a hackmore that is used as an aid in suggesting what direction a horse might travel in.

The third horse back shows how it is worn on a horse.

There is also some thoughts on the hackmore here if you want to know some more about it.

Rob

Edited August 25, 2008 by rgerbitz

[carr52]

Hello Tom,

A bosal is part of a set up called a hackmore that is used as an aid in suggesting what direction a horse might travel in.

The third horse back shows how it is worn on a horse.

There is also some thoughts on the hackmore here if you want to know some more about it.

Rob

Thanks Rob, Boy ole Ernie sure has had an interesting life. Looks like a true cowboy. Again thank you.

Tom

[rawhider]

Thanks so much for the tutorial, Alan. I'm just finishing up a bosal for a lady, and I wish I'd seen this on the noseband before I built it. Can't wait to try it out!

[millwright]

Hey Alan, You've done a heck of a job with this tutorial. You've laid all the steps out well and made it look simple. Problem is, I'm simple minded and can't get a handle on how you've started the braid for the noseband. The u1 o1 until all strings are used from top to bottom? I'm trying to put a noseband on a piece of rope, as my core, to be used for a tiedown headstall. I've gone u1 o1 etc. then what do you do with the last string? There's no more strings to go under or over.

Here's more problems I have starting the braid. All my strings are on the top of the rope/core. When do you wrap the strings around the core and cross them to start braiding? Do you get to a point where you can go u2 o2 like a regular pattern or do you continue u1 o1? My main problem is simply getting started though. I tried the twist method, like Grant shows in his book, but can't manage that very well either. Your way looks easier and more practical to me.

I probably don't need to tell you this, I'm sure you can tell by my post, but, I can't braid a lick compared to you and the others here. I'm using some latigo string/thong for this noseband, six strings, and still practicing with nylon cord and string just to learn the braids. I have B. Grant's encyclopedia but haven't seen anything like what you've done here in it so I don't have a refrence. Any help's appreciated, Bret.

[Alan Bell]

Hey Brett, The answer to both questions is the same. The last string is the one that goes around the core and starts to pattern again on the first string. the you work that down tight and even and start to braid the rest of the length in the u1, o1 pattern. The U2 O2 comes when you reach the end and that is why you have to start with the string in thirds not in half. after the turn back you only use half of the strings to go back up so they nee to be 1/3 longer than the other half of the strings. They interweave back up to the top and then the extra on both ends should be about even and everything interweaves back to the middle and gets hidden around the noseband so as to not make a big lump in one spot. Hope this helps. I'm simple minded to and inherently lazy so I like to find the easiest quickest way to get things done right the first time so i don't have to keep doing it over! If I was smarter I wouldn't be cutting off bad knots and having to redo them!!!

Vaya con Dios, Alan Bell