How to replace keepers?

[quarab]

Feeling pretty dumb so forgive me.

I have an Artemis bridle that I like except the keepers are rubberized on the inside and it’s a proper pain in the butt to try to get the straps in the rubberized keepers. Except on the cheek pieces the loose keeper is behind the buckle and a stitched in keeper. It doesn’t seem like I can shimmy the new keepers on. So how do people do this? Do I unstitch the new keeper and then try to restitch it?

[OverandOnward]

Thanks for reminding me to put keepers on the list when I visit a tack store, soon.

I need leather ones that will slide easily and not be too large and clunky looking. Brown.

In this hot humid climate, some leather keepers have a habit of sort of swelling over time, so that nothing can be put into the older ones.

[Xanthoria]

It’s a real fiddle to sew keepers. If it were me I’d unpick the buckle, slide on the keeper, then resew the buckle using the same holes in the leather, because it’s easier. (If you have an awl, 2 leather needles, proper thread and know how to saddle stitch.)

JHLeather on YouTube has some great tutorials.