How It's Made: Strap

How It's Made

Our Strap

How Martin Strap Goods Are Made

Every Hermann Oak leather headstall, breastcollar, and set of reins that leaves our Granbury, Texas shop is handmade, one piece at a time. Here's what goes into the tack you use on your horse, and why it feels different than anything else the first time you pick it up.

Shop Martin Strap

Sewn, Not Riveted

Most saddle makers rivet their hardware. We don't. Every buckle and keeper on Martin strap goods is sewn in. Stitching holds the hardware flat and secure without a metal post working against the leather, so there's nothing to snag, loosen or wear a hole over time. 

Finished Edges You Can Feel

Every piece of strap is double-stitched for strength, then the edges are rubbed by hand until they're smooth and rounded. No sharp corners, no rough-cut edges. The result is strap that's soft all the way around and feels good in your hand from the first ride, not after months of breaking in.

Brother-Sister Cuts

Our split reins are cut brother-sister, meaning both reins come from the same hide, side by side. Same leather, same weight, same feel in each hand. The pair stays together through every step. They're cut together, tied together and finished together, so one rein never ends up stiffer or softer than the other.

Headstalls

Short blurb about the crafting of reins & headstalls.

Breastcollars

Short blurb about the crafting of breastcollars.

Reins

Short blurb about the crafting of saddle accessories.

Nosebands & Tie Down Straps

Short blurb about the crafting of tie downs.

Our Process

The Martin Feel

From cutting to stitching to the final rub, our strap is finished by hand. That's where the signature Martin feel comes from: soft, balanced and ready to use. Pick up a set of Martin reins or a headstall and you'll know the difference.

Sewn, Not Riveted
Hand-Rubbed, Double-Stitched Edges
Hand Tooled, Never Stamped
Brother-Sister Split Reins

It Starts With Hermann Oak

American leather, tanned the slow way

Every piece of Martin strap starts with Hermann Oak leather. 

Hermann Oak is vegetable-tanned, a slower process that gives the leather body, strength, and a firm, even feel. It tools clean, holds an edge, and breaks in instead of breaking down. 

The Finish

Artisan Tooling

Carved by hand, not pressed by a machine

A stamped design is pressed into leather in one pass. Ours is carved. A leatherworker cuts every tooled headstall and breast collar by hand, knowing what that piece of leather will take.