All the leather accessories I offer with my rope products are made of premium leather which I cut and finish myself. To learn more about braided trim, buttons, etc., made with leather lace, go to the About the Trim page.

(Many of the pictures on this page are thumbnails so click on them to enlarge the image.)

Leather items that can be purchased separately are priced on the Rein Connectors page. (coming soon)

To skip to a particular leather item, click on the link:

fine leather lace, regular leather lace, slobber straps, buckle straps, water straps, poppers, color choices

• Latigo: pliable and strong; stands up to worst weather and toughest treatment; great for reins, bridles, strap goods, outdoor gear
• Bridle: strong with minimal stretch; waxy, weather resistant finish; best for high quality belts and strap goods
• Lace: very strong and durable; ideal for lace, saddle strings and strap goods
• Kangaroo Leather Lace and Calf Leather Lace: thin but strong; used only for braiding of knots and trim.

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Fine Leather Lace

Kangaroo Leather Lace
Calf Leather Lace

Kangaroo leather and calf leather lace are used for fine leather braiding.  They are 1/8" wide, very thin but strong.   The edges are beveled allowing the lace to lay flat when braiding intricate knots like the pineapple knot.   Kangaroo is the most refined.  Both of these leather laces are much more expensive than lacing cord.  It also takes longer to braid due to it's thin profile - knots have to have more parts to attain the same coverage - so items with kangaroo or calf lace will have a higher price tag.  

Colors:  

Kangaroo lace is available in black, burgundy, natural

Calf lace in black, medium brown

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Regular Leather Lace

Latigo or Lace Leather

This type of lace is used for trim on the ends of certain styles of reins, the tie lace on my slobber straps, and the ties on water straps and buckle straps.  It is usually 1/8" to 1/4" wide and 5-6 oz in weight. 

Colors available are black, burgundy, brown, tan

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Rein Leathers 

Easy Change Slobber Straps

These are used to attach mecate reins or loop rope reins to a bit. They add weight to your reins and create a "hinge" to help give instant release so your horse gets a clear message, thus enhancing your training efforts. I make my slobber straps with 9-10 oz Bridle or Latigo leather in black, burgundy, brown or tan. They are 1 ½" wide and 8" long when folded and are notched at the bit connection point for ease of fit and movement. I punch a ¾" hole with a 1" slit to make it easier to get your reins through. But the best thing about them is that you don’t have to re-thread your reins to change bits! They are made with 2 separate pieces of leather (the shorter piece may be of slightly lighter weight) connected with heavy duty ¼" lace. To change bridles or bits, simply untie the lace, unfold the long piece, fold around a different bit, re-tie the lace – no need to go through the whole process of threading your reins again! Most of us can’t afford enough sets of mecate reins to have one for each bit/bridle or for each horse we ride. Or maybe you have a favorite set of reins you prefer. These Easy Change Slobber Straps make it easier to use one set of reins with a variety of bits and/or horses.

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Buckle Straps

These connect eye loop reins to a bit and work somewhat like "mini slobber straps". They can be used with or without snaps. I make these with 9 – 10 oz Latigo or Bridle leather in black, burgundy, brown or tan. They are 5/8" wide and about 5" long when buckled. They attach to eye loop reins with a double heart braid or with an easy to remove (for cleaning) leather lace tie or Chicago screw – your choice of styles. The conway buckle is available in solid brass or nickel plate. I like to use rein leathers instead of splicing the rope onto a snap so if the snap breaks (which all hardware tends to do, no matter the quality) it can easily be replaced and your reins are still usable.

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Water Straps

These connect reins to a bit and can be used with or without snaps. I make these with 9 – 10 oz Latigo or Bridle leather in black, burgundy, brown or tan. They are 5/8" wide, 3 ½" long when folded and are connected to the reins with leather lace. They can easily be attached to a bit or snap - untie the lace, loop through the bit or snap and retie the lace. As explained above, I like to use rein leathers instead of splicing the rope onto a snap because the rope will far outlast any snap.

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Poppers 

Poppers

I make these with 7 – 8 oz Latigo leather in black or burgundy or 9-10 oz strap leather in Havana brown (see color below). They are ½" wide and approximately 9" long when attached with a double heart braid. Poppers are not just for decoration. This leather is firm, not floppy, and will "pop" when slapped against your leg, boot, ground, etc. to get your horse’s attention. It also makes a whirring sound when you twirl the end of your rope. 

Note: Poppers for Strings are 3/8" wide and about 7 ½ " long but are made with the same kind of leather.

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Color Choices 

Leather Colors: 

Black Burgundy Havana Brown Tan

These are the colors I carry for water straps, buckle straps, and slobber straps

 

Note: When washing items with leather water straps or poppers which cannot be taken off,  please be aware that the dye may bleed so be careful of what the leather items drip onto or lay against while wet.

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