Years ago I was leaning on a fence watching a cutting. A friend of mine who is a professional trainer was entering the arena and getting ready to head to the herd to make his first cut. Before he got to the timeline he realized his stirrups were a bit short so he stepped off to adjust them. When he got around to the right side of his horse and lifted the stirrup up he saw that the Dee ring on his saddle had worn almost entirely through his latigo. He had less than half an inch of leather holding his saddle on! That was a close call and could have been a bad, bad wreck.
Latigos or billets are the straps on either side of your saddle that attach the cinch to your saddle. The strap on the right side is called an off latigo or double off latigo. Double off latigos are just what they sound like; they are made of a doubled piece of material, usually leather. A single off latigo is made with a single piece of leather. The double off latigo is much safer than a single off. Latigos can also be made of nylon but nylon tends to wear out very quickly.
Checking latigos for wear is important but often overlooked or forgotten. It’s easy to make checking latigos a habit every time you ride and it only takes a minute or two. If you have young kids make sure to check their latigos. If you make a plan to do it once a week or once a month it’s just too easy to forget.
Inspect the entire strap for weak spots and age. Make sure the leather is pliable. Look for elongation of the holes in the straps. It’s especially important to check for wear where the cinch buckle attaches to the latigo or double off. It’s equally important to check where it’s folded over the D rings of your saddle. These are the spots where the most pressure is applied. If there are any problems replace the strap(s) immediately. This is one piece of tack you really depend on!
At Dennis Moreland Tack all latigos and double off latigos are made by hand, one piece at a time. They are made of dense, tight fibered latigo leather. They are cut to just the right thickness so they won’t leave a lump under your fender. There are a variety of sizes to choose from and we can custom split your latigo if you’d like. To get more information call 817-312-5305.
We’re a full line manufacturer of handmade tack and we’re here to help you!
