What can be done with sleigh bell straps?

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The most common things people can do with a sleigh bell strap, in no particular order, include:

• Enjoy the bell strap as is until it is too damaged, then replace it
• Clean, repair and reuse the original bell strap
• Recreate a new strap as close to the original design as possible
• Construct a slightly (or completely) different style of strap
• Make short "door straps" to give as gifts or keepsakes

Use the original strap as is or repair it

If a strap is in good enough shape to enjoy as is, there is no reason to replace it unless you want to.

A difficult question to answer about older sleigh bell straps with some damage is, "Can you repair my bell strap?" My honest answer is, "Perhaps." I usually need to see closeup photos or inspect the strap in person to say for sure.

Frankly, most bell straps we see are in tough shape. Even if a strap is still looks reasonably good, the leather fibers are usually weakened from age and use. Leather in that condition really cannot be repaired successfully. Gluing or stitching a reinforcement or patch along one part of a strap puts more stress on adjacent leather and hastens its deterioration.

If you are lucky enough to have one of the few straps that is intact and in fairly good condition, congratulations! You may want to consider having us remove the bells; clean and condition the leather; make minor repairs to the strap; and replace the bells.

Typical sleigh bells and strap before restoration. This hardened, cracked strap is NOT a candidate for cleaning and repairing. Its design could be used as a pattern for a new strap.

New strap that is similar to the original

Many of our clients ask us to make a new strap that is similar to the original strap, if it still exists. We ask that any parts of the old strap be sent with the bells so we can match our work to the original.

Sometimes the strap was discarded long ago, and only the bells remain. If that is the case, that is not a problem. We have the background and experience to re-create a new strap that is period-correct for the bells.

That brings us to another question I am often asked, "Will putting my bells on a new strap reduce the value of the bells?" The answer is, "No, if the new strap is made to the same standards as the original bell strap."

This rules out flaming purple leather, feathers, and rhinestone buckles, but it still leaves a lot of room for creativity. There were many different bell straps made 100 to 150 years ago, so there is a wide variety of historically accurate designs to choose from. To learn more about bell strap designs, please see these sections in our website:

Bell Straps and Brackets: How were sleigh bells used on horses?

Custom Projects: Examples of our work

Vintage photo of a horse wearing a neck strap and a body strap. Read more about these two main strap designs in the "Bell Straps and Brackets" section of our website.

New strap that is different from the original

Lots of people like sleigh bells, but they are concerned that a long, skinny sleigh bell strap will look awkward hanging on a wall. How can they display sleigh bells easily and attractively in a home or office?

Another issue that many folks face is the issue of inheritance of family sleigh bells. Some of our clients have asked us for ways to divide the bells among family members and avoid ugly fights or misunderstandings. How can heirloom sleigh bells be shared within a family?

And some folks have only a few bells they would like to enjoy. What are some ideas for displaying a small collection of bells?

The answer to all of these questions is to adapt historically accurate designs to better fit our modern use of sleigh bells as decoration. Some options:

Re-create a shorter version of the original strap design by spacing the bells more closely together. This approach basically creates a "neck strap" about 3 to 5 feet long. See the Neck Straps section and these examples: Mick's strap, Finn's strap, and Annie's strap.

Make one or more very short "door straps" that are the equivalent of a center section of an old sleigh bell strap, with no buckle or billet. A door strap is a great way to display just a few antique bells. See our ready-made door straps and our custom door straps with petal bells, Swedish bells, and unusual bells.

Create entirely new designs constructed with traditional harness-making techniques. See examples: Ready-made harness drop, 5-bell dag, and a custom harness drop.