HA! I thought the leather was really nice too. I actually keep it attached to my saddle so when I untack I just undo the neckstrap, flip it back over my saddle, and put the whole thing away. That way it’s always there. I hung on to it quite a bit this week, our first week using the outdoor since October!
I’ve had the Flexible Fit neck strap for a couple of months now… 10/10 would recommend. I took my green OTTB XC schooling for the first time on Saturday and was very glad to have it. 
There was some bouncing and spooking and general green bean shenanigans, so it was nice to have my “oh sh*t strap” just in case. I also kept one hand on it over the fences to help make sure I didn’t accidentally pop him in the mouth if he really cracked his back over something.
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I have used this but it was just decoration as where it sat, I wouldn’t grab.
Another option for anyone shopping for a grab strap. A few friends from my barn picked these up from the Correct Connect booth at Land Rover and love them. It’s a little thicker in width but lower in profile than the FF one.
We joke that it can double as either an “oh sh*t” strap or an “oh F**K” strap depending on where you need to grab on.
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I got the correct connect one at Land Rover too and it’s great for the babies.
I was never a neck strap believer until I started galloping racehorses and starting 2yos. You learn really fast the Yoke Is Your Friend. Always keep a finger on the yoke, you never know when a duck, prop, wheel, spin, buck, or leap is going to leave you behind.
The “yoke” is just a neck strap with a center piece attached to the girth between the front legs, which “rings” (running martingale bib) snaps to. A nylon yoke is about $12-15 at any racing tack shop. I now use a yoke on all my young horses, adjusted with 4-5" of slack at the base of the neck. I can easily hold the yoke with my middle & index fingers, while holding the reins with steady low hands, riding basic flatwork. The yoke isn’t halfway up the neck like a jumping neck strap, it sits at the withers like a martingale, with just a bit if extra slack. I typically keep it just in my left hand, as right hand usually has a whip. It is now instinct to hold it whenever I feel a horse get tense or distracted. It’s always right there below my hand, I don’t need to lean or reach forward. Horses also learn pressure from the neck strap means slow down, and it becomes a useful, gentle half halt.
In competition on baby horses I just use a loose running martingale to serve the same purpose. I have never been comfortable with a neck strap halfway up the neck for jumping…if it hits the fan over a fence, I’m snatching mane anywhere I can reach!
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Some of the best tack advice I ever got was to get a yoke for my youthful goofball. It wasn’t just for OS moments: he half halted off it, even when getting fizzy jumping, and rebalanced without touching his mouth. Extra bonus: it’s legal for dressage. (And you just never know with the youthful goofballs.)
ETA actually, hmmmm, it’s been a while - may want to check to see if it’s currently legal. Used to be.
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