Latigo Strings: Tie One On

It can be a bit nippy in the morning when you head out on a trail ride, but by midday things often warm up and you need to shed your sweatshirt. Rather than tie it around your waist, it’d be easier to tether it to the back of your saddle, snugged up against the back of the cantle. Yet, if your saddle is lacking saddle ties, you can’t. Unfortunately, many styles of modern western saddles, especially those designed primarily for showing, are manufactured without traditional saddle ties.

However, it’s easy to add some dees beneath the conchos and tie on some latigo strings. All you need are two narrow strips of latigo leather and a pair of dees (affixed to a small bar), made specifically to fit underneath conchos. These inexpensive items are available in the hardware department at large tack stores.
 

First, unscrew each concho on either side of the cantle. Since the conchos are used to secure the saddle’s skirt to the tree and rigging, they’ll require some effort to remove. Either wear a pair of gloves to help you grip the outer edge of the concho or use a pair of pliers. Just be careful not to mar any scrollwork on the concho. Also, remove the leather concho-shaped backing and keep it affixed to the underside of the silver concho. That bit of leather acts as a washer to keep the concho tight against the saddle’s skirt. Slip the dee onto the concho’s screw.

Next, securely screw the concho back in place. The little silver dee should be at the bottom of the concho. Once the concho is tight, add a latigo tie. Simply fold it in half and then insert the loop through the dee. Then feed the two ends back through the loop and pull it taut.

Now you have a set of ties that will come in handy, plus some small dees that will allow you to snap a cantle bag, water bottle or sandwich case to your saddle. Your western saddle is ready for the trails!

Get more info in horseillustrated.com’s Online Tack Guide.