The Cowboy Crafts Leather Braiding designer's name is Forest Ford.  He grew up in the Bridger Mountains, long before the area became so desired and expensive.  His formative years were spent working with horses, cows, pigs, and chickens.  He rode horses all over that country.  His father was a saddle maker in Bozeman.  Forest spent time after school in his father's shop and picked up a fair amount of savvy on how leather works.  As Forest grew older, he started taking jobs as a cowhand and dude wrangler, depending on the season.  From other cowhands, Forest learned the basics of braiding and a few knots.  He braids with tapered kangaroo hide lace.  Kangaroo is more pliable and lays better in a braid than other types of leather.  It gives a smoother end product.  After braiding, Forest gets the project wet and stretches it for a day.  Then he puts all the knots in place.  He uses rawhide for the slide on the stampede strings, as it is more durable than the finer Kangaroo lace.