Pony strap with 30 small bells

A "pony" bell strap is any strap that has two or more rows of small bells. Despite its name, it can be made any length to fit any equine from mini to draft, although it does seem to be true that most pony straps are made for smaller horses.

The "round ridge" bells on this strap were made by William E. Barton or his successor, The Barton Bell Co. in the late 1800s.

The original strap for these bells was a typical long body strap about 1 inch wide and 6 to 7 feet long. The owner asked me to make the new strap in this chunky pony-strap style. She felt this style is more visually interesting and unusual, and the shorter strap will be easier to display.

The bell strap is black bridle leather about 36 inches long and about 2 1/2 inches wide. The billets (tongue) sewn to one end of the bell strap add another 7 inches to make the finished length of 43 inches.

This particular item is a custom, one-of-a-kind project made for a past client. Items in this Custom Projects section are for information only; they are not available for regular sale.