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| Donated by: Dr. Hugh McCampbell | ||
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Description: One round roping rein, and a pair of flat split reins. Both are nylon and are hand -plaited by Dr. Hugh McCampbell of Sweetwater, Tenn.
The story of how Hugh started rope plaiting: My Daddy made 4-H type cattle halters form sisal rope when I was a little boy, and showed me how to splice, and make that kind of item. In the Boy Scouts, I really took to tying knots, splicing of all types, and even making rope. At church camp I remember made whistle lanyards out of plastic gimp of all colors. In veterinary college at Auburn, I got into repairing and making some things like the foot ropes on the large animal surgery tables, stallion lead shanks, bull halters, etc. One of my classmates, Dr. Robert Gordon, a rodeo bull rider, needed a new bull rope and wondered if I could make him one. I asked to see his old one, so maybe I could figure it out. I did and made him one which he still has! He told me that he found it the last time they moved. I made bull ropes for several cowboys while I was at Auburn, when I was on my preceptorship in Oklahoma, while I was serving in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps at Ft. Bliss, Texas, out at El Paso, and when I practiced in Sapulpa, Okla. I remember trading a bull rope to a cowboy who worked at the Cowtown Boot Company Outlet Store in El Paso, for a pair of really nice dress boots. I always felt like I got the better end of that deal.
Over the years I switched from manila, which I bought in 600' coils, to nylon "unmanila". I plaited 5-, 7-, and 9-plait ropes with and without rawhide in the handle, different modifications like weed eater cord in the handle, and so forth. What I use now plaiting reins is the same 9-plait braid as bull ropes are made of, but it is not pulled near as tight, and of course, I use soft white nylon instead of the manila-type rope. I've made a lot of kinds of reins, adding an eight-plait round portion to split reins, roping, and barrel racing reins, adding Spanish Rosebuds at appropriate places. I buy the 1/4" white nylon in 600' rolls, and when I measure and cut to make reins, I unravel it, sort my strands, plait about 6", put a plastic clothes pin on it, and hang it up over the door going to the kitchen. When the phone rings, I tie the rein to the refrigerator door handle, and plait while I'm talking on the phone. If they have a lot of questions I can plait a whole rein!
Each year I send about 40 reins to the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys for their summer Rodeo Bible Camps in the west where a lot of folks help to put these on. These folks won't take money, but they'll sure take a rein as a token of appreciation. I enjoy supporting their efforts. I donate lot of them to 4-H clubs to use in silent auctions, as door prizes, and the like, and I have donated reins to the AAEP, AABP and the NCBA silent auctions. People who use them have sent some real nice notes back. Probably my most famous claim to fame as far as someone famous using my reins, was Rope Myers using them at the WNFR the year he won the world steer wrestling title. I jokingly told him that it was humbling to know that I might have been a little cog in the wheel to help him to win the world! Right now I'm working on about 20 reins for an old boy down here in Georgia who has Rodeo Bible Camps like the Christian Cowboys have out west.
I tell folks that idle hands are the devil's workshop, and I sure don't want to risk that! So I plait all the time.
Item Value: $125 |
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Comments/Suggestions/Problems should be directed to Steve Johnson
