How to make simple leg wraps (also could be sports/medicine boots)

Hi! I haven't done a tutorial for AGES! Today I decided it would be time to do some more tutorials, and be a more active blogger. Today the tutorial is on leg wraps. They are designed to wrap around the horse's leg - before modern boots they were used, and occasionally people use them nowadays. Mine are very simple - they take around 5-10 min so it is likely you can make 4 in around half an hour. They fasten with Velcro for an easy touch and if done correctly are very durable.

You will need:

Material (anything apart from felt is good, it just needs to be thin. I am using a white blackout blind that I found!)
Felt
Scissors
A glue gun (or some reliable glue)
Velcro


Let's get started:

1. Firstly, take your material and cut a narrow strip of it. I will describe the length in the next step. The width will depend on the scale of the model, I am using Breyer Traditional and mine are reasonably narrow. If you have weak or easily frayed material, cut it wider and seal the edges with clear nail polish.

2. The length of your material should be roughly a bit longer than your model. However this isn't precise - if you want it precise you can always do a few prototypes using paper and scrap materials.

3. Next, cut a small rectangle of your felt. I am using white for a more professional look, but if you want yours to be more funky, that's fine! It should fit comfortable on the horse's leg between the fetlock and the knee joint.

4. Next glue your strip of material to the piece of felt. I am gluing it to the top of the material, however you can glue it anywhere as it will still achieve the same results.

This picture has been rotated! Tilt your head sideways to see it properly!

5. Wrap it around the leg to check the fit. Glue the fuzzy side of the Velcro to the bit where the other bit of the Velcro will go (if this doesn't make any sense see the next step!)

6. Glue the prickly side of the Velcro to the end of the strap, so that when it folds over it will Velcro nicely into position. If you are going to make this for a number of different horses, then I advise making the Velcro a little longer. If it is for only one horse, then cut it shorter.

7. Wrap carefully around your model's leg, using an even tension and ensuring that it is quite tight so it doesn't constantly slide around, but that it is not so tight that it could potentially scratch the model.

And you are done! Please comment if you like this tutorial, I will definitely be inspired to do more! Thanks so much for all the pageviews, it is much appreciated!

By the way, if you were wondering why I was doing the tutorial on the floor, this is why:

Yep, that's my work desk. I'm currently in the process of making a saddle (see the brown thing by the green box and the rider's foot!) so it is very messy. I will tidy it soon though.

See you soon for reference pictures, tutorials and general gossip!

Hunting breastplate (a running martingale which also acts as a breastplate) tutorial

Hi! As promised, here is the hunting breastplate tutorial. It is part of my tack set tutorials group, and I am doing it on Totilas (him being the model for my recent tutorials). You can use ribbon and leather lace as an alternative for what I'm using. Anyway...

You will need:
Leather strips (cut long, thin ones which are as equal as you can make them)
Jump rings (6mm is the best for all scales)
Sticky backed felt (white looks best) or normal felt
Lobster clasps
A model horse of any scale (I'm using Traditional scale)
A glue gun or some reliable glue

Let's get started!

1. Have your leather strips ready and waiting so you can do everything easily. Thread a jump ring through one of your leather strips and glue it. Trim away excess glue and leather from the sides of the jump ring if needed.

2. Measure around the neck of the horse, slightly above the withers, and give a little slack (a bit more than the width of the jump ring) for gluing.

3. Glue the leather strip around the same jump ring so you have a complete neck strap.

This is what the finished neck strap should look like

4. Glue a leather strip to the jump ring, but make sure it faces downwards. This is the strap that goes between the front legs and loops around the girth.

5. Make a simple loop at the end of the strap in step 4 and glue it. This should be wide enough for your girth.

6. Make the martingale straps - the reins will go through the jump rings. Glue a jump ring to a strip of leather and glue it on to the ring. Repeat on the other side. If you don't have enough room, cut the strap thin where you are gluing it but make sure it is the full thickness at the part that you can see.

7. Glue a very short piece of leather on your neck strap, ideally around the height where your saddle's D rings are (where the lobster clasps attach to). Repeat on the other side and make sure they are equal.

              

  8. Glue jump rings to the short leather pieces.

9. Open the jump ring and slip on your lobster clasp. If you like you can do it before you glue it on. I find doing it after better as then the lobster clasp doesn't swing about and get in your way. It's your preference!

10. Glue your felt or sticky backed felt to the jump ring. This prevents the jump ring scratching your model, and it also looks cool as that is what real breastplates and hunting breastplates have!

11. This is an optional step but it looks quite cool, especially with horses that look spooky or out of control. Glue a little extra neck strap, but just the top half. Have a look at real breastplates and you'll notice they have them too!

12. And you are done! Make sure your saddle has D rings first so you can clip the lobster clasps on to those.

Thanks for looking at my tutorial! Have a look tomorrow around this time (4ish) and see what I've put up!

Bye!

Breastgirth tutorial

Hi! I decided that making a breastgirth would be quite cool. They aren't difficult at all, and are very hard wearing. You could adapt this tutorial for a harness and other things like that. Anyway...

You will need:

Leather

Sticky backed felt or normal felt (white looks best)

Elastic

A model horse of any scale

A glue gun or some reliable glue

Let's get started!

1. Measure across your model horse's chest, from around where the saddle sits to the other side of the horse. Make sure they are even, and cut a thick leather strip of that length.

2. Leave off a little bit of leather space of both sides at the ends, and wrap your felt around so the leather is completely covered apart from where you left the space at the ends. 

3. Flip your breastgirth over and glue a length of elastic which will be the neck strap. It should fit over the neck like this:

4. Glue a loop of elastic at the end of the strap (see pic below) length depending on your model's scale, which will slot around the girth. Repeat on the other side. 

5. And you are done! Put a saddle on (I will eventually do a tutorial!) put the elastic loops round the girth straps and your model horse's saddle won't slip back any more! They also look very smart.

Thank you for looking at my blog and this tutorial. Have a lookout at tomorrow's blog for more tutorials! 

Show jumping or open fronted boots tutorial

Hi! After the reference pictures yesterday, I thought making a boots tutorial would be nice. I am doing it on Totilas, so it will be a bigger scale. If you are doing it below traditional scale, then you can adapt the tutorial for just one Velcro strap or something like that. I'll take you through one boot, so you can use the tutorial for one more, or all four if you like! Anyway...

You will need:

Leather

Velcro

Craft foam (or other colour or kind of leather)

A model horse of any scale

Glue gun or reliable glue

Let's get started:

1. Take your leather and cut out the pattern in the picture below.

2. Check the fit of the boot on the horse, for example Totilas' is a little bit too wide. Trim it down if needed. 

3. Take your craft foam and cut a wide strip which fits in the groove of the boot like this:

4. Wrap the craft foam strip in thin leather, and make sure it is tight. Then glue the back of it on to the middle of the boot, so the bit with the slight dip is covered. Look to the picture below.

5. Cut two strips of elastic and glue them on to the left of the protection piece like this:

6. Glue the spiky side of the Velcro on to the end of the straps, making sure that the Velcro faces the other direction, like this:

7. Glue the fuzzy side of the Velcro on the other side of the boot. Line the straps and the fuzzy Velcro up. 

8. And you're finished! Make another boot and you'll have two!

Thank you for looking at this tutorial. Sorry about the picture quality! Please comment, so I know how I'm doing! See you tomorrow for another tutorial!