IIN THE LAST ISSUE, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW TO

put on a new double off billet, which fas-tens the girth to the right side of your sad-dle. Let’s swap sides now and talk abouthow to put on a new latigo – the strap onthe left side of the saddle that tightens thegirth.It’s important to inspect your latigo for

wear and get it replaced immediately if itstarts showing any signs of age. This is onepiece of tack that you reallydepend on.But like the double off,

latigos are not something youreplace every day, so youmight not know exactly howto go about tying one.If you went to a tack store

and bought a new latigo, thestring might not even bethreaded through correctly, soyou wouldn’t have a model tocopy if you’d already taken offyour old latigo.Luckily, it’s pretty simple,

if you follow these steps:1. Place the latigo over the

D ring of your saddle, withthe short flap to the outside.2. There should be two

holes at the bottom, with athird hole at the top, forminga triangle. Take your latigostring and feed it, front toback, through the bottomtwo holes, making sure it iscentered, with an equallength of string on each side.3. For the next step, you’ll

need a tool. An awl or a pairof needle-nose pliers worksbest, but a hoof pick willwork in a pinch.4. Take the tool and widen

the top hole in the latigo.

5. Thread both ends of the string throughthat third hole, going from back to front.6. Feed the ends through the loop formed

in between the two bottom holes and tightenthe knot as much as possible.

AQHA member Dennis Moreland has beenmaking quality working tack since 1976. Visitwww.dmtack.com to learn more about hisDennis Moreland Second Edition line.

By Dennis

Moreland

Simple steps to put

on a new latigo.

12 F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 0 8 A M E R I C A ’ S H O R S E

Latigo Withthe Flow

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