Has your Good Cowboy hat been"Gone with the Wind" one to many times?

Is it covered with Hoof prints, arena dirt, and mud?

How would you like a simple way to help save your Cowboy hat?

Your Cowboy hat expresses who you are, here is a way to keep it around for years to come. 

Here is an easy"How to"

in selecting your new Stampede strings and how to install the stampede string on your hat.

Whether you're chasing cans, running poles, going out down the trail or shooting at your local cowboy match, chasing your Best Stetson hat under your horse's feet is never any fun.

However, properly installing the stampede string on you Cowboy Hat will guarantee to keep that costly Western Cowboy Hat of yours out of harms way

No more re-runs of  "Gone With the Wind".

The Traditional Cowboy Hat Stampede String

   Learn the basics.

What I am referring to by a Cowboy Hat stampede string or cord is the braided horsehair that is attachment to a Cowboy hat, or other styles of hats as well.

Knot-A-Tail's stampede strings are long enough to  hang down nearly to the belt buckle and some are trimmed with horsehair tassels dangling on the end of the stampede strings.

These cords earned their name from their ability to hold a Cowboy Hat in place ever in the middle of a cattle Stampede.

Cowboys learned a long time ago, that stampede strings work as hard as they do.

Recall the person  at a horse show or Trail ride where the rider has tied the Cowboy Hat on with Baling twine  so they did not lose points or have to chase their hat down the trail on a windy day.

 Just know  at Knot-A-Tail, you do not have to settle for  a twine stampede string or one made out of plain leather strings.

The two Main types of Cowboy Hat Stampede Strings

The looped and the Cotter pin stampede string.

Knot-A-Tail has 15 different styles of Cowboy Hat stampede strings and each style has at least 2 to 3 color combination's. The stampede strings ranging from horse hair stampede strings or leather stampede strings.

There are mainly just two types of stampede strings: the looped stamped string and the cotter pin style stampede string. You will want to know which type will work best for you and how it is installed before you make your finale decision on which stampede string to purchase.

The first type is the looped stamped string.


I guarantee that the looped style Cowboy Hat stampede string will never, and I mean absolutely NEVER pull out of your Cowboy Hat.

It will be with you until both you and your Cowboy Hat retire.

Actually installing the looped style is easy, it does requires two holes be place in the brim of the hat. The holes should be as close to the lining of the hat as possible just behind the ears, or wherever you find the stampede string the most comfortable.

I always start with placing the hat on the customers head to see just where the stampede string should rest.

If you are going to wear the stampede string in front, then place the holes in just in front of your ears.

Some Cowboys like to have the strings hang in the back, then place the holes so the string hang behind your ears.

 

Making the holes in the hat

1)  Using a small Awl, gently push the awl from the button up.	2) Wiggle the Awl to make the             hole bigger	3)  Make the hole longer than wider to ease the string through

Steps to install the string

• Two small holes are needed to install a looped stampede string. 
• Check to make sure the hat is on correctly before you punch the holes.  
• The size tag goes is the back of the Cowboy hat.
• Once you find exactly where you want the stampede string, you will have to place two small holes in the hat. I like using an very narrow awl, which is a tool that has a small sharp point and the shaft gradually gets thicker. 
• The awl easily spreads the hat material apart and if you are carefully, the awl will not cut through the material but just separate the material. Again, make sure you know the exact spot for the holes before you start. 
• Next, start slowing pushing the awl upward. You want to make the hole from the bottom of the brim towards the top. After countless times of installing a looped stampede string, I have found that the awl goes easier through the material from the bottom to the top and the hat holds it's shape better.
  

Do not force the awl though, just gently and with a gentle  pushing, and wiggle motion  let it work its' way through the material.

• Now test the size of the hole, by sliding one of the end loops of the stampede string though the hole. (the end loops are the loops that are on the opposite ends of the tassels) There is one loop for each side.  I use a string to help me wiggle the stamped string through the holes. 
  
• You want the fit to be tight. It is best if you actually make the hole too small and redo it a few times, rather than making one big hole the first time.  
• Pull the loops through.
  
• Take both sides and loop them around the crown of the hat to form the hat band. 
   

4) Use a piece of thread to   help pull the string through	5) Now Just open the string, and      loop the string over the hat	6) Loop both strings over the crown            to form the hat band

  The cotter pin stampede string.

Cotter pin stampede strings  come in a huge variety of styles and some are loaded with color to match any of your outfits

Extremely easy to install a cotter pin Stampede string.

The cotter pin type is the easiest to install. 

Again, just start by placing the hat on your head and hold the stampede string to the spot that fells the most comfortable.

If you wear you cowboy hat slightly tilted back on your head, then you might want to put it behind the ear for better balance. Just mark the spot with your finger. Place the hat on upside down on the crown. You will see that the lining has threads where the lining is sewn into the hat.

Pick a gap between two of the threads that comes as close as possible to where you want the Cowboy Hat stampede string to be placed. Now just slip the cotter pin carefully between the treads.

On the better made hats the threads are close together, but just wiggle the cotter pin through carefully.

You do not want to cut the thread on the lining, because it could cause more threads to unravel.

Push the cotter pins all the way trough just to the end of the cotter pin, but not any of the stamped string.

Next flip the lining, inside out.

Now, you can easily see the cotter pins. Just spread them apart until they rest flat against the lining. Turn you lining back to the inside of the hat and you are all done: simple and easy.

Wouldn't it be perfect if after a long day's ride, if you never once had to get off your horse to chase you Cowboy Hat? 

I bet you can't  wait!

Still more importantly,

• you will not have to watch your good Cowboy Hat hit the dirt ever again.
  
• No more hoof prints,
• no more dirt,
• no more slapping against your jeans to get the dust off of it

 
Once you have installed that brand new Cowboy Hat stampede string or perhaps you prefer that Braided leather ones with horse hair tassels, you will want to learn how to take care of your new treasures.

Knot-A-Tail offers a complete Free eBook on the Care of your Horse Hair Products. Why not STAMPEDE over take a look at some of our Hand made, Cowboy Hat stampede strings.

Looking for the best?

Knot-A-Tails, Cowboy hat stampede strings are

Not only are stampede strings one of the most particle items you can add to your western outfit, but I have to admit, I think that they are rather 

" Kind of Wildly Sexy" 

Knot-A-Tail, always offering you the world's best in selection, quality, and design.

Happy trails and may your Cowboy Hat never be "Gone with the wind "again.

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