You're referring to the three rows of horse harnesses that grace the wall behind the Benny Binion statue (the latter salvaged from downtown Las Vegas). According to South Point spokeswoman Lynn Ravenscroft, casino owner Michael Gaughan has displayed them for years, first at the Gold Coast, then at South Point when he bought it from Boyd Gaming in 2006 and went independent.
South Point PR representative Lea Komitzky confirms what Ravenscroft told us: That these are saddle bronc halters (and not leather jockstraps, nor medieval chastity belts, as an LVA staffer posited, even though she knew better), sent to Gaughan by rodeo stock contractors from across the country. For those not conversant with rodeo lingo, Komitzky explains, "Saddle bronc riding is one of the seven primary events in the sport of rodeo and, in bronc riding, the rider places one of those bronc halters on the horse’s head and then attaches his bronc rein to the halter. When he nods his head to come out of the bucking chute, the only thing he can hold onto with his hand is that rein to assist in riding the bucking horse for eight seconds. The other hand must remain free."
Komitzky further adds that Michael Gaughan’s collection began with the purchase of 12 halters at a charity auction to benefit an injured cowboy, two decades ago. "Since then, rodeo stock contractors have provided South Point with their company halter and have asked that South Point add them to the famous wall," Komitzky says. "South Point now has over 90 halters from all over the United States."
For more on South Point and the Gaughan's connections to the equestrian world, see Question of the Day 12/26/2015).
