Thank you sir for the kind words. Paul and I often talked about how there are no secrets. Just trying to save folks from making the same mistakes I've already made.
Bingo! Nail smacked right on the head! Our lil cowtown here in CA use to have three custom saddle makers! One moved, one retired and the other is still working away. I learned a lot from hanging out with all three at one time or another. One had a large commercial shop and he leased out space to a then unknown knife maker. No not me, Kevin McClung, Mad Dog Knives. First custom knife I ever had as a day working cowboy was by Kevin. Paid $125 for it and it didn't come with a sheath. First sheath I ever made was for that knife. It was a lousy sheath and the knife wasn't any better. Wouldn't cut diddly. Anyhoo. I learned a lot hanging out and they were also a great source for hardware in those pre internet days. If I needed a certain buckle one of em was gonna have it.
I luv Don's videos. He is a great saddle maker. I really like that vid he's got of making a saddle from start to finish kinda a speeded up time lapse deal. It's pretty cool.
So the first and only knife show I've ever been to we started at the front door and hit every table. It was in Vegas. Literally Hall of Famers there and quite a few. First time I met Hoss (Devin Thomas) too. He had a stainless dammy roundknife he was trying to sell me. I've kicked myself ever since for not buying it but didn't have the spare cash. But that's kinda BS too. Cause I could have made it happen, I just didn't. It was $300! Yeah I could have made that happen. My second worst oops in the knife making deal. First was not taking Bob Loveless up on his invite to go to his shop for grinding lessons. That was just STOOOOPID!!!!!!! Anyhoo we hit every table and there are even several specialist leather guys. We get to the end of the hall and Nichole says there isn't anyone in this room doing what you are doing with sheaths, nobody has the same quality. And that was true. Several guys I think were using 16 penny nails for awls. It was terrible. You sir have broken that mold and handle either the knife or the leather with equal aplomb! Arno Bernards son's were there with a table. Their sheaths were very good. There were lots of guys that realized it and didn't event try to make the sheaths. I respect these guys They were just selling the knife. A man's got to know his limitations.
The saddles we currently ride are from Montana. Freckers's Saddlery in Dillion. Best saddles I've ever sat in. My son just got a new one from a guy up there in eastern OR where he's cowboyin' at these days. 2.5 year waiting list. Logan, my son said he was moving his Lazy Boy from the living room down to the barn and moving the saddle up to the living room cause it was the most comfortable thing he's ever sat in!
Frecker's:
Nichole's Frecker all cleaned up for a show:
Mine is very similar to Nichole's only carved with an oak leaf pattern instead of the flower.
A saddle by one of our local makers. This is our daughter's saddle:
My son's previous saddle. I made the martingale with the silver dollar conchos. Reins and headstall by us too come to think of it.
Our son Logan is bout to get shoulder deep in that heifer as she is having trouble calving. This is BIG BOY cowboy stuff!. Buddy his horse has done this before, see how he's keeping his weight back to keep the heifer's hind legs off the ground. Not Buddy's first rodeo.
Our ranching partner Steve had this one by Bob Ray:
Look at that lil itty bitty camo border stamp:
I rode that saddle for about a year while I was waiting for my Frecker. It was a lil short front to back for me but we got by. Steve had retired from riding.
One of Nichole's old saddles by our friend John Williamsma
John doesn't do the typical Sheridan flower, he uses a Hawaiian flower as his wife is from there:
These guys cost major $$$$$ as you can imagine but they do get used:
Here's a cool cowboy story for ya. This is Logan. He bought this horse from our ranching partner Steve for a dollar and a bottle of Pendleton whisky. Steve said she was way more horse than he was cowboy, (he'd come off her and broke his hip). But that, Logan was way more cowboy than she was horse. So they did the deal. He was right.
Anyhoo probably more than most folks want to know about saddles. Thanks again for the kind words!
That's the Bill Ray on the left and one of Nichole's other Willamsma saddles on the right. Logan is always getting after Nichole about the state of her rope on her saddle. He says its embarassing.
