Jay Adcock

Using an aged and very thin Hereford cowhide to craft this reata, Adcock employed one of the earliest methods of making rawhide: stretching and drying the hide, then scraping off the hair with a sharp knife. This method, says Adcock, creates a “nice” feeling reata. Braided half four-strand and half eight-strand with no splices, it includes a honda decorated with fine knots that are all from the same cowhide.

Having discussed creating these hobbles with Pedro Pedrini for several years, Adcock said it was fun to finally pull off. He accented Pedrini’s fine leather carving with rawhide edge braiding and decorated the rawhide knots with two different shades of fine dyed rawhide strands.

This hackamore is braided over a twisted rawhide core using 16 heavy rawhide strings. These heavier strings add to the longevity and durability of this functional piece of art — a method that has been used for centuries in the horsemanship world. Adcock crafted the swelled nose button using a total of 80 strands of fine calf hide, while the heel knot has a matching pattern using the same red and brown dyed rawhide strands.

This California style presentation quirt is decorated with various knots originating in the United States and Argentina. They are accented with burgundy dyed rawhide strands. The knots are braided over a firm 16 strand braid that covers a tapered rawhide core.