The bench.
Everything that leaves here is tied, cut and stitched at the same bench. If a piece has to suit one particular horse or one particular hand, Bret works that out with you first.
- Where
- Dayton, Wyoming
- Build time
- Two to three weeks
- Lengths
- Five, 28" to 36"
- The colours
- Any two you like
The mohair
Every cinch is 100% mohair, no synthetic blend. The body is natural; the two colours are the ones you pick. All of it comes from UBraidIt in New Mexico, and Bret can tie any colour they carry.
The tying
Seventeen strands, tied one at a time, finished on a stainless double bar buckle with stainless hardware throughout. Lengths run 28 to 36 inches in two-inch steps. Every one goes out with its tag filled in by hand.
The leather
Checkbook covers, money clip wallets, business card wallets, notepad covers. Bret cuts, tools and stitches every one himself, in small runs, and no two are quite alike.
What the 7 is for
People ask about the B. They ask more about the 7.
B7 was Wilford Brimley's brand, registered to him in Wyoming and run on his place outside Greybull. He came up with it himself. The Livestock Board has no record of anyone holding it before him.
Bret knew him a little. Both of them came out of Utah. Brimley liked cops and Bret was one, a police chief by the time he retired, and they crossed paths at the auctions Bret used to call.
The brand went unclaimed after Brimley died, and Bret bought it. There was no plan behind it past knowing the man and liking the mark.
Watch a cinch get made
One cinch, tied start to finish. Bret set his phone on the bench and let it run.