Sage's sidepull

I've been riding Sage in a sidepull.

This particular sidepull is a hand-me-down from Karen. It was too small for her crew, but happily, just right for Sage.

 Well, almost. In its original state, that left side cheekpiece was really long.

You can see how that's affecting the overall fit here. The buckle is pushing the browband into her ears and causing the entire headstall to sit crookedly on her head.

Fortunately, I know a little bit about fixing tack. 

The cheekpiece was attached to the ring with latigo saddle strings.

Using an awl and needlenose pliers, I undid the latigo.

I've never fastened a strap this way, so I took pictures of every step.

I was also very careful not to break the latigo. I might have a piece or two in my stash, but then again, those pieces are probably be tiny!

Once the cheekpiece was undone, I shortened the strap and added a new hole. Then I started the reattachment process. Here's my first attempt. Can you see what I'm doing wrong?

Yeah, the tie was backwards! I picked it out and redid it, this time correctly. Here's the front of the cheekpiece...

and the back. You can definitely see how much shorter it is.

And here it is again on Sage. That buckle is in a much better place!

It's been a long time since I've worked on anything tack related. This was an easy - and very satisfying - project. I really enjoyed it!