Some products include cinches, tie straps, headstalls, halters, collars, straps, reins, nosebands, curbs, spurs, fenders, pads and more. I think she will find this article very helpful. Tom enjoys the study of Western Heritage while Charon is a frequent instructor at universities and equine seminars throughout the south. Saddle Makers by State Please Contact Us! Ryon saddle photos below courtesy ofVal Samuelson. Once drawn and tooled, the patterns are destroyed. In all, I think your post scored the mark by showing and describing what goes into producing a quality saddle. In the 1930s, Harold moved to Tucson and set-up a brick and mortar store, strictly saddlery, on Congress Street. Western Saddle brands to avoid? | The Horse Forum 2018-2021 Jeff Smith's Custom Saddles The best quality trees are still made of wood with a rawhide covering (with metal for the horn in many cases). Robert Thompson Frazier, the founder was born in 1850 and died on July 27, 1931. His widow sold half the business to her son-in-law Rector Story who had been employed there since 1938. Take a look why this is. A high quality Circle Y saddle? Cactus Custom Saddlery | Home Page John Clark started his saddlery in Portland, Oregon in 1878. Vintage and Antique Saddles. This new and one-of-a-kind Flex-Lite Tree allows Circle Y western saddles to fit more horses than any other saddle from any other brand. We have found that many generally accepted products, currently used by riders and trainers, do more harm than good. We frequently hear from customers, particularly those with a lot of different saddle ownership experiences, that our saddles are fitted together better than all the others theyve owned. Bobs Custom Saddles are designed for a balanced and close-contact ride for the utmost performance and function for todays riders, and use the highest quality materials for long-standing success in the arena. *ANY of our styles/designs can be made into any of our saddle types. Whatever your project is for your favorite saddle, belt, or piece of Western tack, Smith & Edwards has all the bells & whistles. This includes their recent western specialty saddles. Being comfortable while knowing your horse is comfortable makes your trail riding experience so much more enjoyable. Customers find the lines of the seat, jockeys, rigging, skirts, fenders, and other components all in proportion in size and flow and therefore very pleasing to the eye. The history of the Billy Cook saddle company stretches back to 1953 with the one and only, Billy Cook. 1 1/4" 10 Point Rowels $7.30. They are American-made, premium handcrafted, and beautiful! and became Heiser Keyston Lichtenberger to late 1960s. We also offer in person fittings at our facility or your stable. ", Frank Bregenzer made saddles in Rifle Colorado from 1908 to 1925. 5 Best Western Saddle Makers - Best Horse Rider Harold picked up the reins of the family business in 1925 when his father passed. This is affected by the horses withers, shape of their back, slope of the shoulder, etc.) In 1950 they bought out HH Heiser (Denver) from the Denver Dry Goods Companywith the Keyston Brothers marketing under the Heiser - Keyston combined names and 1959, Lichtenberger (Los Angeles.) From the gleaming silver work to the beautiful leather, this saddle is fit for a rodeo queen and king! Allegany Mountain Saddlery has one of the most in-depth saddle fitting procedures available for remote fitting. In any case, it is NOT relative to the type of rigging. Introducing the new Bobs Custom Saddles online store. As well as custom saddles and custom headstalls and breast collars, we carry over one hundred pairs of spurs and over three hundred bits. Dakota is a premier maker of western saddles. Performer Western Saddle Pad 32"W x 32"L $235.95. These items can be ordered separately or built along with your saddle to match perfectly the color, tooling and hardware. Their saddle trees provide AMS with numerous fitting options and the flexibility to create an unlimited range of styles and fits that conform to the size and shape of your horse as well as your riding discipline. We thought our website browsers might have some interest in how we approach what we do. You can create that one of a kind look you are after. By the early 1900s, they had set up. All seats are built custom! Thank for dropping by, and happy trails,Kent Frecker, Frecker's Saddlery joined him a year later and together they also purchased the small firm of Cheyenne Harness & Saddlery of Ogden. The Dakota saddle brand makes stellar western saddles. Thanks for sharing. Thank you for your comment. We believe the heart and soul we put into this business is apparent in the product itself, and the way we treat our customers! Only by having a known set of characteristics to work for and being unwavering in our selection can we offer the highest quality finished product. Back then, squaw skirt outfits were what every well-dressed Tucson lady clamored to wear and Harold gave them what they wanted. Therefore, any rigging type may be set in any rigging position, although certain choices make more sense and are more commonly found than some others. The tree dimensions we use that allow us to fit our modern horses so well came about as a result of a three year trial and development process. ex.) In 1986, Tom and Charon struck out on their own, establishing the Caldwell Saddle Company in Toccoa, Georgia. In this saddle making brand, you will find a wide array of many western saddles. They have owned reining and cutting horses for 25 years. Estes Saddlery, a division of Estes & Estes, LLC. I do custom unique leather tattoo carvings, saddle cleaqning and leather sealing and polishing. In 1883 he bought the firm and renamed it J.G. VanCo was a maker out of Sacramento, California. They are meticulously hand-built by Amish craftsman, right here in Western NY. To see Our Return Policy Click Here. Every saddle comes with a Front Latigo and rear Girth. Bobs Custom Saddles are unique in their show-stopping look and their durability, as they are constructed from the finest hand-picked Hermann Oak leather, hand-engraved sterling silver or silver overlay, and real sheepskin lining. All of their products contain their brand stamp, ensuring that you only receive a one of a kind Billy Cook product. Welcome to Frecker's Saddlery website, I hope you find it informational. Read learned saddlemaking beginning at the age of 17 working for Cornish & Walton in Ogden Utah during the 1870s. You might have experienced this. Proper communication between the saddle maker and tree maker is a must, and Ted has established a trusted relationship with these tree makers over the years. Shop Western Tack, Double Diamond Halters, 5 Star Saddle Pads, and Horsemanship Flags available at Bitterroot Saddle Company! Our specialized Cutting, Ranch Cutters, Cow Horse, Cowboy, and Barrel Saddles are made with the finest Hermann Oak Leather and American made materials and workmanship by saddle makers with 36 years of custom western tack manufacturing. Over the years, we have added more information that will help you understand more about what we do. An interesting feature of Dakota saddles is that they have a ton of options regarding their western saddles. Please allow 10 - 12 weeks to build your Custom Saddle. Custom Breast Collars wait time: 5 weeks, YES, wait times and all in-stock saddles are CURRENT today and updated to-the-minute. Build times vary with the seasons and how busy we are. No matter what the level of decoration on the finished product, from plain to fully carved with silver ornamentation, a saddle has to work for both rider and horse. Only 1 left in stock. It has been in our family almost 100 years. Want lightweight? This can be either by making saddles for years or by going through a rigorous saddle making education. While this entailed a lot of time and work, we believe the results were worthwhile. In 1947, he opened his own shop, Pete's Saddle Shop, and made saddles there until he died in 1976. LIST OF SADDLE MAKERS BY STATE. Your article made me discover a little bit of story and details about each of themand how they are used .That is great. But at Seidels, we believe anything worth doing at all is worth doing to the best of our ability, whether it is a saddle or another product. Our hand crafted leather tack and saddles are made from the finest leather, and built specifically for durability, comfort and quality. Avoid: Buffalo, Double T, any saddle made in Asia or Mexico. Call us to explore your options. When saddle makers attempt to make any of these types stronger, it is done by adding folds of leather around the rings at contact and wear points. Other positions; , , and center fire are placed progressively further toward the rear. Some of their best include saddles for barrel racing, Cordura, reining, roping, show, trail and training. His affection for the art and sport of horsemanship brought his first career change; he became a sales representative for several large saddle companies. While the Dee ring rigging style, too, has its advocates, it is a paradox of saddle making that in many shops, roping saddles which will predictably undergo considerable stress in their useful life are commonly made using the weakest of the rigging types. In 1963, they moved to a larger store in the 800 block of N. Stone Ave. Ring-Shank Nails. However, if you want to show your Billy Cook pride, you can get all decked out and sport their line of clothing! These men are among the most respected tree makers out there, and rightfully so. So which one will you choose? NP Medium Ring from $1.87. For special offers and news about Bob's Custom Saddles, sign up for our email newsletter! An interesting feature of Dakota saddles is that they have a ton of options regarding their western saddles. Helloour primary concern is in creating or finding the best construction and design for each item that gives the best ride for both horse and rider. In 1920 they took on a partner and became Van Voorhees-Phinney Co. Bonaparte Allen established his saddlery and tanning company in Buford, Georgia in 1873. Whether in the arena or out on the ranch, the Cowhorse All Around saddle features a versatile design ideal for the cow horse, cutting, roping and ranch versatility events. Build times can fluctuate greatly throughout the year, so be sure to ask at the time of your build. An expert saddle craftsman is one that knows how to make a saddle properly. We will occasionally have a customer who will request that we build their saddle using skirting leather in a thinner or heavier than normal thickness. We can build on a tree by any maker you wish if you would like to provide your own. From the lengthening or shortening of the fenders, customizing the twist or rise of the seat to custom color combinations, we go the extra mile to build a saddle customized just for you and your riding pleasure! Contact me for more information. On a single rigged saddle, with only one cinch, in order to more nearly equalize the downward pull of the cinch, front to rear, a or center fire rigging position might be used. When saddle makers attempt to make any of these types stronger, it is done by adding folds of leather around the rings at contact and wear points. I have some good used saddles for sale. He died in 1924. It has come to our attention that Circle Y is selling a saddle they are calling the "Circle Y Caldwell Trail Saddle". You may recognize the name "Caldwell," but if you don't, let me tell you about us Charon and I have been members of the NCHA for close to 20 years and the NRHA for nearly as long. If you don't see what you want,call or e-mail us chances are we've got it or we can get it. What I think makes the Circle Y saddle brand awesome is that they use high-quality material. Some volume manufacturers of low end saddles are incorporating trees made of synthetic materials, but plastics have not been developed to the point of acceptance in high grade saddles. The scruffy upstart is the stock saddle, the most famous variation of which is the Western saddle, which has a horn in . Our fully equipped mobile unit is available for servicing groups. Clark Saddlery 1914Garfield Roundup Saddle below. . Everything begins with the saddle tree. In 1888, they moved to Washington State. In his search, he started using a single piece of saddle skirting on the exterior to provide a smooth, unbroken field for the tooling pattern. While our saddles must meet our strict criteria for fit of horse and rider, and adhere to extremely minute details in construction, once those requirements are met, the opportunity exists to take a saddle to a whole new level with stamping, tooling and silver adornment. I love the Billy Cook saddle company for numerous reasons but I think their specialty has to be their high-level convenience. We believe that only in this way can we achieve the success we seekthe complete satisfaction of each and every customer. We use and ride our products every day making Texas Saddlery tried, tested, and true. Also, delays can be caused by customers ahead of your order requiring lengthy and involved design or tooling. Want a little more stick in the saddle? We want each and every customer of Seidels Saddlery to genuinely feel a product we make for them is the absolute best of its kind; and if they do not, we will do what is necessary to bring that about. Circle Y Saddles. The Dakota saddle brand was started in Flat Rock, Alabama in 1987. External links are listed as a convenience. Unlike most saddle shops, we extend the rigging plates beyond the tree bars front and rear far enough to stitch the flat plate and skirt firmly to one another in addition to the plate being attached to the tree.