At the outset of the twentieth century, the Nivkhi of Sakhalin Island were a small population of fishermen under Russian dominion and an Asian cultural sway. The turbulence of the decades that followed would transform them dramatically. While Russian missionaries hounded them for their pagan ways, Lenin praised them; while Stalin routed them in purges, Khrushchev gave them respite; and while Brezhnev organized complex resettlement campaigns, Gorbachev pronounced that they were free to resume a traditional life. But what is tradition after seven decades of building a Soviet world?

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Written by a man who made a lifelong study of leather craft and rawhide work, How to Make Cowboy Horse Gear is the answer to many requests for how-to-do-it information from cowboys, horsemen in a oeshowa business, dude ranchers, and many other people interested in riding horses and their gear. Bridles, hackamores, reins, reatas, quirts, and riding crops are among the articles of gear that can be made using this well-illustrated book as a guide. Most of the pieces described here are made of rawhide; however, leather thongs and plastic string can be worked in the same manner. Clear and detailed...