Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/218358
FEATURE The author smiles proudly with the fruits of a day's labor: a new set of stirrup leathers. 78 W INTER 2013 U N TAC K E D students start by making a rein stop and a needle pouch before progressing to a belt and a foal slip by the end of the five days. But before they leave on Friday afternoon, Karen asks them to make a second rein stop. "It's so the students can gauge their progression through the various stages of cutting, edging, staining, creasing and stitching," she says while leading me toward the corner of the room where the hides are stored. "The first rein stop takes about four hours to make on the Monday. But on the Friday, they can make it in half an hour." Karen shows me the different col- ored hides. There is black, dark Havana and Australian nut. Both Philip and Karen are traditionalists when it comes to leather and prefer that tack not detract from the brilliance of the horse and rider. She goes on to explain the different parts of the hide, which are stronger and which are weaker, and which side they work on when making bridles or straps. She lets me feel the difference between the spine edge and the belly edge. I run my fingers down from the spine to the belly and notice that the spine edge is harder, and the belly edge is much more flexible. "We use the spine edge where