2025 Rawhide Romal Rein Entries
All photos by Nicole Poyo Photography except the final set
Jesse Bolton
Santa Ynez reins with natural rawhide throughout, black and red dyed accents on the knots and a tooled leather popper.
Albert Zwahlen
They are 12 strand San Ynez, with a 16 strand Romel. With the Oklahoma button pattern. This was a chance for me to try a few new buttons and a very specific pattern. I have always admired the swelled long buttons on other reins, so I took this opportunity to work them out on these reins. I wanted to use a tiny bit of color in these as well, but a great braider told me less is more, so we tried to keep it simple to show off the rawhide more than the color added in. I saved this hide for a couple years waiting for the right project to use it on. This on felt like a good one. The only dyed hide in these is the burgundy interweaves; the rest of the hide is just the cool color from the hide. I used a “Dusty Pulver” palm concho on these. I tried want to collaborate with someone who’s work I admired. And I have loved his style from the first time I saw his work.
Kaylissa Wells-Smith
A 12 strand Santa ynez reins with orange and brown buttons and a 16 strand romal.
Kelly Wahlen
Natural colored rawhide Santa Ynez reins with tooled leather popper.
Richard Foreman
12 strand strand Santa Ynez reins with 16 strand romel with brown interweaves. All rawhide made from jersey cow that died on the ranch. Leather popper made by Mark Cori.
Dan Ames
Traditional Santa Yenez reins 3 strands of 4 plait transitioning into 12
plait 42” reins with 16 plait romel. Log buttons and turnbacks are 3 pass with with pineapple small buttons. The topper is stamped with an arrowhead basket stamp pattern.
Justine Nelson-Graham
Natural colored rawhide body with dyed rawhide knots and a tooled leather popper.
Levi Miller
This pair of 12 plait Santa Ynez reins feature a 16 plait romal in the Oklahoma button pattern. The popper showcases floral tooling that wraps around lady’s legs as a nod to this year’s cheek style and was handmade by Hannah Morman of Strawberry Roan Mercantile. The reins and romal are joined together with Trenzapatria flat braids and an intricate cast palm concho by Jeremiah Watt of Horseshoe Brand Tools. All the rawhide used in these reins I have made and dyed the color accents. As an added feature at the top of the romal, there are sliding buttons to be used as an aid when counting cattle. Overall a nice pair of reins ready to be put to use.
Mike Skinner
Over 500 feet of rawhide strings were cut, sized, split and beveled, then used to braid the bodies and buttons to create this gear. The button string was dyed with cocoa brown to achieve the two-tone look. The reins and romal include a combination of Western and Argentine braiding styles with the 3 strand Santa Ynes reins with an Oklahoma button pattern and a Trenza Patria rein/romal connector. Rawhide comes from hides that I processed.
Thayne Oian
This is my very first Santa Ynez style reins I’ve ever made. With that in mind I had to think a little more in the process of making them as I wasn’t sure in the splitting in my strand. They turned out good, and I’m grateful that someone will end up with a quality set of reins. My reins are of natural colored rawhide for the body and scraped black hide for the buttons. I went with a rough out popper for a unique contrast.
Dakota May
12 plait Santa Ynez Rein with over 3 under 3 knots, 4 plt rawhide cores. 16 plait romal with Over 3 Under 3 knots, twisted rawhide core. These were quite the project, between the amount of dyed string, fine button string and all the small details that make these special. Be sure not to overlook these.
Joseph Stanek
A pair of 42”, 12 plait, Santa Ynes Reins with a Oklahoma style button pattern. The romal is a 16 plait with matching button pattern and a beaver tail popper. The hide used for this project is unique in the fact that it was a blood shot hide. We had an old cow die from a stroke and that resulted in a large amount of blood flow that gets trapped in the hide. This creates a natural swirl of dark and light colors in the hide. This result gives the reins its chromatic look.
Jared Martin
Natural rawhide body on this pair of Santa Ynez reins with reddish-brown dyed accents on the knots and a leather popper.
Jon Mendiola
My reins are 16 plait San Inez with a 16 plait romal. They are made out of rawhide that I made by the scalding process. The interweave string was dyed with liquid Rit Dye. The long knots are standard 6 bight long knot with an interweave to make them over 3 under 3. The round buttons are the Bomba Zurda button with a brown interweave with one button in solid brown. The popper was made by Bill Zumstein.
Joe Engelhart
The Santa Ynez Reins I braided for the competition are braided from a Black Angus cow hide. The hair was removed by scalding. The core for the 12 plait braid is a 4 strand braid. The cores for the 3 sections of 4 strand are a square string of about 1/16th“ square with all 4 corners beveled to achieve roundness. The 3 square cores I braided into the 4 strand core then wrapped with light thread. The romal is a twisted core with a light freezer tape wrap. The string for the reins and romal are cut to 7/64” split down to 3/64”
The long button and turn back button string is from a Hereford cow hair slipped with lime.The short pineapple knots are from the same hide as the reins. This being done for a colour change with natural colours. All the dyed interweave is from the Hereford cow.
I really enjoyed braiding these reins being my first set of Santa Ynez style reins. It made me have to think outside the box a bunch. I also had some other braiders help me with some ideas which is always appreciated. Last but not least I feel so thankful to be part of this year’s braiders and helping support the Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum and also keeping rawhide braiding and tradition alive.