How to Correctly Make Horse Hobbles

Horse hobbles allow your horse to graze while at the same time restricting his ability to move around. Hobbles come in man-made material, such as nylon and traditional leather. Correctly made leather hobbles employ saddle-quality leather for the leg portions, connected by single-link, welded steel chain. The basic design resembles two 16-inch belts connected by a chain. Except for the chain, all the components for hobbles are available at leather supply stores.

Things You'll Need

  • Saddle leather
  • 1 3/4 inch D rings (2)
  • 1 3/4 inch roller buckles (2)
  • 1 3/4-inch belt keepers (2)
  • 1/2-inch long heavy-duty copper rivets with burrs
  • Welded steel chain, 8 inches
  • 1 1/2-inch steel quick links (2)
  • Rivet setter
  • Hammer
  • Leather punch
  • Utility knife
  • Tape measure
  • Leather oil
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cut two pieces of saddle leather into strips 1 3/4 inches wide and 18 inches long.

    • 2

      Bend one end of a leather strip 2 inches back against the inside. The smooth side of the leather is the outside; the rough side is the inside.

    • 3

      Mark a 1/4-inch stripe on the outside center of the bend, make a second mark across the inside of the strip at the end of the bent-over leather, and make two evenly spaced marks on the mid-section of the bent-over end, 1/2 inch in from the end, where the rivets are to go through.

    • 4

      Unfold the leather end, and punch a hole with a leather punch, slightly larger than the diameter of the tongue on the roller buckle, on each end of the marked 1/4-inch stripe.

    • 5

      Using a utility knife, cut out the strip between the two holes the same width as the holes.

    • 6

      Punch two rivet holes, the same diameter as the rivet, through the marks on the leather end. Fold the end back over to the end mark on the inside of the leather strip, mark through the two rivet holes to the leather underneath, and punch out these holes on the strip.

    • 7

      Put a roller buckle over the leather end--the outside of the buckle on the outside of the leather--and push the buckle tongue through the 1/4-inch cut-out slot.

    • 8

      Bend the leather back to the inside, push the rivets through the four holes from the outside, slip a burr over each rivet on the inside, and drive the two rivet pieces together using a rivet setter.

    • 9

      Cut the opposite end of the leather strip to a rounded point.

    • 10

      Starting 1 inch back from the pointed end, punch a hole slightly bigger than the buckle tongue, and punch six more holes along the center of the leather 1/2 inch apart.

    • 11

      Slip a leather keeper over the end of the leather strip, bringing it all the way back to the buckle, and then slip a D ring onto the leather strip, with the flat side of the D inside, rounded side outside.

    • 12

      Make the second hobble the same way.

    • 13

      Attach a steel quick link to the D ring on one hobble, and to the end of the chain, screw the link closed and tighten it hard.

    • 14

      Attach the second quick link to the opposite end of the chain and the D ring on the second hobble

    • 15

      Oil the leather strips liberally to protect the leather and to soften it.