Grace Harris, of Norwood and just 18 years old, is a senior in high school who’s already begun an artisan tack business, specifically making cinches from mohair. Many in the West End know what a cinch is. For this that don’t, it’s the girth that you tighten and fasten underneath a western saddle. A lot of cinches these days are made of synthetic material, like neoprene, and they’re sold by big companies, like Classic Equine. Yet, a lot of people tend to like the natural fiber cinches, made out of mohair. Made from Angora goat hair, mohair is quite comfortable for the horse and washes well.
Harris, the daughter of Lacey and Randy Harris, had seen some people making their own cinches and had shared with her family she’d like try it. Her mother told her that if she wrote up a business plan, set some goals and knew clearly what she would do with the cinches, she would indeed support her with some supplies to start, like the weaving frame and the mohair.
Harris followed through, and with her family’s backing, this year she began the work of stringing the fiber and braiding it with the D-rings and buckles. She told the Forum it’s been really fun and she enjoys it, though she did experience a learning curve in the beginning. Each cinch takes four to six hours to make. She agreed it’s teaching her patience and attention to detail.
She’s making different color patterns: browns, with tans and orange, but she can do different varieties, based on the mohair she finds. She can take custom orders, and in fact, she recently made two cinches for a local who ropes. The customer showed Harris his old, broken cinches, explained what he needed, and he sent her the custom buckles for it.
At the same time, she’s also experimented with making breast collars too, along with purse straps, halters and nosebands for horses.
She’s not really created a business page online; she’s only promoted her work on her personal page. She agreed that for the time being, her business is mostly going to be word-of-mouth and through local people who know about what she’s doing. Though, in the future, she’d like to have a business page online, and to be a vendor at rodeos in western Colorado.
She said yes, her family is proud of what she’s done so far. They go back six generations ranching in the local area, specifically Redvale. Harris has grown up with horses and cattle her whole life. She loves being a part of the livestock industry, and she has had the opportunity to work with young horses and do some training. That’s something she’d like to do more of as she continues her cinch-making business. She’s also aiming to build her own herd.
Her grandparents, Dave and Terri Andrews, have been an inspiration to her.
She’s currently riding Boots, a seven-year-old gelding she bought as a yearling. Surprisingly, she’s not riding in her own brand of cinch just yet, but she said she’s working on a green-colored one that she just may keep for herself.
Harris will graduate next month from Norwood High School. Afterward, she will finish an associates degree in business administration and then pursue an insurance license for livestock.
“And keep ranching,” she said.
