Cowbell and two line spreaders

The owner asked me to make a short leather strap and ring for his cowbell, so it could be hung on the wall. I adjusted and cleaned the cowbell and constructed a simple buckled strap.

He also asked me to restore two line spreaders -- the two gizmos with the overlapping white rings. Line spreaders are snapped or buckled onto a horse's collar. The driving rein on one side of the horse passes through a ring on the nearby line spreader. And likewise for the other rein. Spreaders support the reins so the reins travel in a fairly straight line from the horse's mouth to the driver's hands. 

The leather straps on both spreaders were falling apart with age. The owner wanted me to replace the leather, but otherwise keep the restored spreaders looking as close to original as possible. These spreaders had been used heavily for many years. Some of the celluloid rings had broken, and other parts had broken or been worn through. The original owner had repaired these spreaders with odd metal rings, old harness fittings, coat hanger wire, and a fair bit of ingenuity. Restoring the spreaders to their original glory was a fun project to do.

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