Usually when one thinks of the word "hitching" in conjunction with horses, the hitching posts of the Old West come to mind: Waist-high stakes set outside saloons and general stores, to which the weary traveler can briefly tie his horse without paying a livery stable's fee. But horsehair hitching is an entirely different pursuit, though one with roots in the Westward Expansion.

The modern hobby of hitching primarily involves a product called hitching hair, or horsetail hair specifically designated for making things like belts, hatbands, jewelry, and headstalls (halters onto which a bridle can be attached). Hitching hair is sold by specialty suppliers (like Wagman Primus) which finds sources of horsetail hair around the globe (primarily in Mongolia and other parts of northern Asia).

Hitching hair is no different from other types of horsetail hair; indeed, horsetail hair has a broad variety of uses. Instrument makers string violin bows with it; ceramists use it to accent pottery; and equestrian enthusiasts use it to decoratively extend their own horses' manes and tails.

Horsetail hair is obtained by specialists -- often, but not always, hobbyists themselves. To get hitching hair, the collector first obtains permission from the owner of the horse in question, or uses his own horse. He then washes and combs the hair, grasps the longest hairs (anything under 18 inches isn't useful), cuts them at the base of the tail, and combs the bundle out to remove the smaller pieces.

To create white hair, the hitching-hair artisan bleaches the hair with peroxide for a few days. Then, the resulting product can be dyed with any desired colors.

The process of hitching the hair itself is complex; it involves creating "pulls" -- segments of about ten strands of horsehair twisted together. The horsehair is then wound around a wooden dowel to create the belt, necklace, bracelet or headstall, then flattened after the process is finished. The entire process can take anywhere from hours to days to weeks, depending on what's being made.

Of course, the process is too complicated to convey in a simple how-to over the web; molding hitching hair into a piece of real art can only be learned directly from another artisan, and only months of practice will yield results. But even Vincent Van Gogh was a beginner once, right?

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Wagman Primus offers a wide variety of horsehair products for hitching, luthier supply and more. Check out our inventory or contact us.