Packing Iron: Gunleather of the Frontier West

[M-Tecs]

I noticed that no first-quality maker used horsehide. Rather they used varying grades and thicknesses of cowhide. Today many holster wearers tout horsehide as being significantly more durable than cowhide. If this is accurate, why was horsehide not used by any top-of-the-line maker?

Just a guess but horses were a working animal. Due to that my guess is slaughtering them was not common.

[MT Gianni]

There are more horses in use today in the US than at any time in history.

[Just Duke]

There are more horses in use today in the US than at any time in history.

Most of our horses i.e. AZ (not cool) have been let loose out in the desert by people walking away from their homes, killers from Canada who eat horse. Ick! Who I fought with for years at the Rawhide Tack Auction in AZ, Breeders have disappeared especially the Arab craze for rich peoples pet horses.
The large breeding facilities in Scottsdale and Mesa are now yuppy breeder track homes.
My wifes on line saddle shop on Ebay has sat dormant for 5 years even though we have the best prices on the planet. As it looks, the horse will basically be extinct in 25 years.
The very tool we used to swage civilization out of wilderness will be thrown under the bus.

[Just Duke]

Horse hide don't tool at all BTW.
Google Herman Oak Leather in ST Louis MO. That's the real stuff

[MT Gianni]

In MT it is difficult to find farriers, and there is a long waiting list for good trainers. That doesn't stop any recent HS grad with a buckle from hanging a shingle out.

[Just Duke]

In MT it is difficult to find farriers, and there is a long waiting list for good trainers. That doesn't stop any recent HS grad with a buckle from hanging a shingle out.

OR and WA too.

[M-Tecs]

https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2014/10/...#axzz4rMGwC1Ju

The 3,621,348 equines across US farms is still a considerable improvement on 1960 figures, when just over 3 million were recorded. In 1900, the US had 21.5 million horses, peaking last century in 1915 when the total reached nearly 26.5 million.

[Geezer in NH]

I doubt a cowboy's gun got cleaned very often. Most were left in the chuckwagon, and would stay there from the beginning of the drive, to the end.

Then that proves they were total idiots when the did carry.

Explain why they would carry screwed up arms and ammo when the then decided they needed to carry them???

Or were they like many new carry folks today who think my loads don't need to be cleaned after shooting.