So today I messaged a ranchy guy I know to ask wtf the extra bits are on my second hand working saddles - it was an educational day. Apparently though they look super different, a lot of it is for the same purpose, just one saddle just did it all FANCY.
The bits in the top two photos are both to hold a rope, but one wraps around the horn with a fancy silver buckle and would be SUPER annoying to actually use, the other is a hardware ring screwed on so you can loop a rubber band on it and pull it over the horn to secure the rope for quick easy access.
The second set of bits are both to hold fencing pliers or other tools, but one is a pretty tooled leather ring built right in and the other is a hardware store ring laced onto the back cinch billet.
So basically he said one clearly belonged to a real working cowboy, and the other to someone who wanted to look cowboy chique but probably never used any of it. 😂
