First blog post and headcollar tutorial!

Hello! This is my first blog post, intended to help those trying to make model horse tack, model horse things, basically anything to do with model horses. My tack is probably not going to look as good as many of those model horse tack makers out there, but I aim to make more tutorials, reference photos, pictures of my stables and tack etc. I have mainly Schleich horses, but I've got one Breyer, Totilas, who I'm making tack for. The first thing I made for him was a headcollar, so I think I'll start my blog with a simple headcollar tutorial (in 22 steps):

Things you'll need:
A model horse, any scale
A glue gun or some reliable glue
Ribbon or leather lace or leather strips
Jump rings
A buckle or a handmade buckle
Scissors

Let's get started:

1. Take a jump ring and a length of ribbon (length depending on model scale) and thread the ribbon through the jump ring, then glue. Trim excess glue away from the sides of the jump ring.


2. Measure around the nose, and stop a bit after where you intend to have the jump ring, so you can glue it without making the top of the noseband too short. Glue a jump ring on to the end as you did in step 1.

3. The top of the noseband should look like this off the horse. Check the fit before moving on, after you've made the noseband you don't get a second chance!

4. Thread ribbon through one of the jump rings. Be careful that the way you fold the ribbon is the same that you have done on the previous ones! Glue, then repeat for the other side so you make a complete loop for the noseband.

5. Check the fit around the nose, it should look something like this on the off or right side of the horse:












6. It should look like this on the near or left side of the horse:

7. Thread a piece of ribbon through the jump ring, and glue it.

8. This is what it should look like. Make sure the piece of ribbon is long enough, as you can see mine stretches beyond his neck and the photo itself.

9. Trim the ribbon to size and glue a jump ring on. As you can see my cheek piece is way too long, but you can easily adjust it, but make sure you do it right away, not as a last resort as the glue will have dried by then! Repeat the same thing on the other side of the headcollar, and make sure that the two cheek pieces are roughly the same length or your headcollar will look a bit odd.

10. Next make the throatlash. Glue ribbon on to the jump ring at the end of the cheek piece and make sure  the tab faces inwards and that it also faces downwards. If you can't understand what I'm saying, look at step 11.










11. This is what the left or near side of the headcollar should look like. Measure around the throat so that the end of the ribbon is a bit past where you want your jump ring to be.

















12. Glue the end of the ribbon to the other side of the cheek piece so the right side of the horse looks something like this:

13. Glue the long strap on to the cheek piece jump ring on the off side of the horse. Make it longer than you think it will need to be, as you can always make it shorter but you can't always make it longer! (and making it look nice, of course).

14. Cut the end to a taper (as seen in the picture), but only if you think you're happy with the length. Best to do it at the end in my opinion.

15. Glue the buckle on as seen in the picture. You can just glue it to the end but this way it's stronger.










16. Glue the buckle strap to the jump ring on the near or left side of the horse. Press hard on the tab to make sure it is glued well, as this is the area which takes the most pressure.

17. This is what the end of the headcollar should look like off the horse. Check that the buckle is fastened correctly before I tell you how to put it on!











18. How to put it on: Slip the noseband on, making sure the throatlash is under his throat!













19. Gradually ease the noseband on, and gently pull the rest of the headcollar so it is in the desired position.

















20. Bring the long strap over his poll and hold the buckle upright.

21. Thread the long strap through the top half of the buckle, gently pulling it through whilst pushing the buckle.

















22. Thread the long strap through the other bit of the buckle. Then trim the end and cut it to a taper and there you have your finished headcollar!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! I'll be making plenty more, probably once every week. By the way, this headcollar wasn't my best, the ribbon wasn't great quality and I only made it for the tutorial. And the photos aren't great quality either. Look for improvements in the next tutorial. See you next time I blog!