Hullo everyone.. I have a quick question. I have been rebuilding and repairing bridles, halters and saddles for myself and 2 farms that my wife and daughter work at. I am in the process now of repainting some breakaway halters and converting non breakaways to breakaways. I intend on using 2 methods to do this. Using leather crown straps, and using a leather "fuse" to attach the buckle for a nylon crown strap.

1) What weight of leather should I use for the fuse and the crown strap to make sure that it breaks away properly (yes I understand the weight would vary based upon horse size). I am planning on using 7-10 ounce vegetable tanned bends. Will this do the job?

2) Is there a suggested break away force? Since leathers vary greatly from hide to hide I would like to do a few tensile tests to make sure they break in the correct force range.

Thanx in advance for any suggestions.