An easy way to fasten a stirrup leather is to use a (brown) hair elastic. (Or, a black one, I guess, if your stirrup leather is black.) It’s relatively adjustable that way.
I use one of the thick fabric-wrapped ones and it’s held up for more than 1.5 years.
Whaaa? How is the neck strap of my old martingale any more secure than a plain neck strap? It’s literally just a circle of leather… I removed the strap that threads through from noseband to girth. Just meant I didn’t need to buy anything and repurposed an item I’d never use anyhow.
[QUOTE=sheltona01;8136229]
You can buy them at most tack stores. However an even easier way is to use a belt. Then you can buy as thin or thick as you want and also get some bling!
Or if you trust me ;), I need to work on my leather skills. I could make you one once I get some time.[/QUOTE]
I would love one if you ever decide to try your hand at making some! In the mean time, I am kicking myself for not thinking of a belt. Perri’s had some fabulous padded ones at Rolex CHEAP that would have been perfect!!
The thing about using a belt, would the stitching and hardware be as strong as a stirrup leather or purpose-made jump strap? I envision grabbing onto a cheap belt and having it come apart as I put 100+ lbs. pounds of pressure on it 
[QUOTE=normandy_shores;8137817]
Whaaa? How is the neck strap of my old martingale any more secure than a plain neck strap? It’s literally just a circle of leather… I removed the strap that threads through from noseband to girth. Just meant I didn’t need to buy anything and repurposed an item I’d never use anyhow.[/QUOTE]
I think JER was thinking of using a martingale an just taking the part off that goes from the strap to the bridle. That leaves the part that goes from the strap to the girth. That is the type of racing yoke that I use and is more secure to the horse because it is still attached to the girth. It can still fall to the horse’s ears, however.
To keep a neckstrap from sliding forward when the horse lowers his head (dangerous), you can just tie it to a saddle dee with a string. Or a dark shoelace, for a less backwoods look!
Belts are usually too short to fit around unless you want the strap to be up near your horse’s ears. An old stirrup leather (I use a 60" one) works fine, and I made keepers out of doubled-over electrical tape so I can adjust the length without having to untape it.
Haven’t had any problems with the strap sliding down as I have it adjusted so it’s up near his withers – although my horse has a really thick mane that tends to hold pretty much anything in place, so that might be why it stays there!
I use a stirrup leather and a big rubber band (from celery) as a keeper. I tried a belt, but it wasn’t tough enough.
C4 belts are usuable as neck straps…they are pretty cool 
Several online merchants sell neck straps which are also called cordeos, jockey straps or balance reins. Mine is adjustable so can fit several size horses. The one I have is available from the Linda Tellington-Jones TTouch TTeam website. It is made of sturdy yacht quality 1/2 inch braided line and leather strap with buckle closure. It comes with a shoelace like attachment that you use to secure the neck strap to your saddle to prevent it from sliding over the horse’s head if he lowers his head. Linda Tellington-Jones calls this the “Balance Rein”. For flat work, I position the strap about 3 to 4 inches in front of the pommel and about 3 inches above the withers. Main reason I use it is to avoid jerking on the horse’s mouth and as reminder for proper hand position and keeping my hands quiet. This one only comes in black color. Tellington-Jones sells another, also adjustable model without leather and without buckle, in a medium dark blue which is less expensive. It’s easy to make one yourself from 1\2 inch braided yacht or climbing rope. There’s a Youtube video entitled,“3 DIY neck ropes for tackless\bareback riding”.
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