Doug Krause Video: Horsehair Worker (Ranch Handcraft) 

They feel very prickly, and kinda abrasive

@@taylor5248 Hm, that doesn't sound very good, tho I bet it's easier to grip them then. Maybe you'd have to use leather gloves while riding with them if your hands aren't calloused enough.

@@dkeith45 no, they are not that bad from my experience. They are just prickly enough to be annoying

hackamore is only the first step in having a horse straight up in the bridle.

@@omarandpedro I don't use Hackamore's and likely never will. When I first started riding, the horses owner used a 'Tom Thumb bit'. Once I had some experience I convinced them to allow me to try other bits. My first choice was a 'ring snaffle', then I tried a 'full cheek snaffle' and finally settled on a 'full cheek french link snaffle' which the horses and I seemed to like the best. Problem with any of those bits though was when we'd take a break while out on the trail, while they were grazing a lot of grass would get stuck in the bit. That's why I did further research into head control devices and decided to try what is known as a 'bitless bosal' AKA a 'cross pull bosal'. That solved the problem and I was able to control the horse just fine. The horses I rode also liked it the best. I think of the dozen or so horses I've ridden using the bosal only one didn't like the pressure it put on her nose (she'd toss her head a lot and fight it) and I reverted back to the French link full cheek snaffle for her.

The tradition of mecate making currently appears to be in good hands, Sarah. Some makers say the challenge is coming up with enough horsehair for their work. There are mecate makers that have taken on apprentices over the years, some through apprenticeships with master artisans offered through state arts councils around the West. The equipment used to make mecates varies from fairly industrial in design, such as used by Doug Krause, to fairly simple homemade tools.

Western Folklife Center Thanks for your reply, I watched a video yesterday on Lige Langston, he had is wife help him twist and braid a mecate with some pretty crude-looking tools (I love it ingenuity) and now that I have researched the method, it isn’t quite as difficult as I had previously imagined. I just worry that human skill gets lost when things are mass produced, and this is such a functional art. I can see how not having enough mane hair would be what might compromise the art form. Love your videos!

@@sarahturner8678 Thank you!

Our expert on staff suggests Hitching Post Supply (they list both mane and tail hair on their website), although we are not sure if that is processed hair or raw. Finding raw might be a bit of a challenge...

Matias Gutierrez if you are going to write it, write it correctly.

Matias Gutierrez ask a Texas Cowboy about a Mecate and he may give you a blank stare. My father cowboyed after WWII in Texas Oklahoma New Mexico, Colorado... prior to the war he was in the 7th Cavalry.. to say he knew his trade was an understatement. Never once did he refer to it as a Mecate. .. it was a McCardy to him. And I would hazard a guess he could match his skill set to your grandfather and uncles any day.

@Ye Olde Horsemanship Channel then who u smart person who made the mecate or u think its mcardy too ha ha yall make me laugh

@Ye Olde Horsemanship Channel well u can't speak wen writing soo I can do wtf I want y del jacal its mine so there quit hanging off the white mans nuts u said it spaniards taught the raza not gabachos u know wat I don't even like horses or a horses ass later