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How To Attach A Rope Strap To Your Saddle
| A "rope strap" is an attachment to a saddle that holds a rope when the rider
isn't using it. There are numerous different types, with styles
varying according to personal preference.
The simple leather rope strap shown in this article is popular with a wide variety of riders,
and is also fast and easy to attach to a saddle. The strap itself is simply a narrow piece of leather
with a short slit in one end
and a longer slit in the other end. The short slit is for
attaching the strap to the saddle, and the longer slit is so that
the rider, after wrapping the strap several times around the rope,
can spread the slit open and pass it over the saddle horn. |
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Above: A leather rope strap
holding a rope on a saddle. |
Things You Will Need To Attach A Rope Strap
Some things you'll need to attach a leather rope strap to your
saddle include:
- Your saddle
- A hammer
- Pliers
- Small Dee-ring with a clip (also called a "Dee-ring with a
mounting clip" or a "Dee-ring with a mounting bracket" or a "clip
with a Dee")
- Flathead screwdriver
- A leather rope strap. Leather rope straps come in different
thicknesses, widths, and lengths. The one shown in this article is 1/2 of
an inch wide, 36 inches long, and is about 1/16 of an inch thick.
There's a 1 inch slit in one end, and a 6 inch slit in the other
end. The 6 inch slit comes to within about 1 1/2 inches from
end of the leather. A strap like this is strong enough to hold a rope, but
should break free if the rope it's
holding to the saddle should accidentally get hung up.
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How To Attach A Leather Rope Strap
If you look underneath the front of your saddle you will see a series of
nails the saddle maker used to help hold down the leather covering the
fork. Choose one of the nails as the location for your rope strap, then slide
the flathead screwdriver under the piece of leather being held down by that
nail and pry the nail loose. In the photo to the right the second nail from
the bottom on the right-hand side of the saddle is being pried loose. Do you have to attach your rope strap here? No. Please see
"Where To Attach A Leather Rope Strap" at the bottom of this page. |
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Using pliers, pull the
loosened nail all the
way out.
Keep the nail. |
Slide the dee-ring with a clip underneath
the piece of leather loosened when
the nail was removed. Line the hole in
the clip up with the hole in the leather. |
Using the hammer, pound the nail back
through the same hole you pulled it out of. |
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Slide the end of the rope strap with
the short slit through the dee-ring. |
Bring the other end of the rope strap
up and slide it through the short slit. |
Pull on the rope strap until it
is tight against the dee-ring. |
You're Done!
Your rope strap is now attached to your saddle. Wrap it
around your rope several times, then open the long slit in the end and
spread it over your saddle horn to hold your rope when you're not using
it. |
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Parting Thoughts
Where To Attach A Leather Rope Strap
You can attach a leather rope strap to your saddle any place you
want. It's common to attach them where shown in the article above, but it's also
common to attach them in other locations. For example, some folks attach them to
the fork a couple of inches or so to the side of the
saddle horn. Still others attach them in the gullet similar to the location in
the photos above, but they use a new nail or screw and put the dee-ring in a new
location without loosening an existing nail. It's really just a cowboy thing: It's your saddle and your rope, so
you pick the spot.
Other Types Of Rope Straps
Not everyone uses a leather rope strap, or the same type of leather rope
strap shown above. Some riders prefer to
use rubber looped over the saddle horn to hold their ropes when they're not
using them, and still others prefer to use a type of leather rope strap commonly called an
"Oregon crossover." Every type of rope strap has it's advantages and
disadvantages, so if you're unsure of what type you'd like on your saddle you
may need to keep your eyes open to see what others around you are using and ask
a few questions.
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