How to Make a Piggin String

How to Make a Piggin String
Published: Sep 20, 2011
Updated: Feb 23, 2021
1 minute read

Cowboys typically carry their gear on their person on attached to their horse’s saddles. One particularly important apparatus is the pigging (or piggin') string, commonly called a tie-down rope or hogging rope. As you use the string to secure the back legs and one front leg on an animal, make a pigging string with sturdy material, like rawhide or tanned leather, in just the right length.

Things You'll Need:

Things You Will Need

  • Ruler
  • Utility Knife
  • Cardboard, 72 Inches Long, 12 Inches Wide, 1/2-Inch To 2 Inches Thick.
  • 60-Inch Long, 1 1/2-Inch-Wide Men’S Tanned Leather Belt
  • Place the leather belt flat on the cardboard.

    Cut off the end of the belt with the buckle.

    Mark four 3/8-inch sections along the length of the belt. Draw lines down the length to make it easier to cut.

    Hold one end of the belt down and cut the strips with the utility knife. Use enough pressure to cut through the leather without going through the thickness of the cardboard.

    Warnings:

    • Use caution when you use the utility knife.

    Tips

    Substitute the tanned leather belt with tanned or rawhide leather you can find at some craft stores or from leather shops. Cut pieces of thin rope if you don’t have a leather belt at your disposal.

    Warnings

    Use caution when you use the utility knife.

    Stephanie Rempe

    After attending the University of Missouri St. Louis, Stephanie Rempe worked as a documentation manager in the finance industry 10 years before turning to her first love, writing, which she's been doing professionally since 2008. She…

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