"Custom-made saddles are going to last," says J.D. Moor, a veteran saddle
maker. "I suppose, though, your customer will never come back. It's kind of
shooting yourself in the foot. But they do come back."
A good saddle maker soon establishes a good name. "It's your reputation
and loyalty to your customers that makes you successful. You can lose your
customers so fast. A customer has to trust the saddle maker.
"Like one of my suppliers says, 'I work on cash, check or promise -- I
promise to send you a check.' This kind of thing works well for me and my
customers. And doing little things like staying open late or having families
come out to my ranch on Sundays to talk about their saddles helps, too."
Moor began making saddles when he was working as a cowboy. "It was too
expensive for me to get a saddle made, so I started doing it myself. I know
what works and doesn't work for a saddle. I look after my customers' needs.
I might intervene with a customer because I've been in this business long
enough to know better. That's the hardest part -- telling people: 'Sorry,
I know what you want isn't going to work.'
"My only equipment is a sewing machine. Everything else I do by hand. Although
the tooling consumes most of my time -- beautifying the saddle by adding flowers
or basket weave. It's the integrity of the saddle that's most important. Some
saddles can take between 100 and 120 hours, while others can take upwards
of 400 hours.
"A new trend is to have roughed-out saddles, which have the leather turned
backwards facing out. It's typical with working guys because it's lower maintenance,
but now it's becoming popular all around."
Are there occupational hazards in saddle making? Moor thinks so! "After
years of working, I ran my hand through the sewing machine. I learned you
really have to pay attention. I was trying to quickly finish up because it
was a beautiful Saturday in August. It's a common injury. Your mind isn't
thinking because it becomes second nature to you. Now I no longer thread the
machine when it's on!"
Moor's favorite part of the job is finishing a saddle. "There was a man
from British Columbia who said: 'This is flawless; this is beautiful.' It
really made my whole week. I remember building his saddle and the problems
I was having. I guess I like to make people happy. I have a lot of pride in
my achievement."
Ronald Friedson has made saddles for many years. "We make
saddles to fit people and horses that other saddles can't. We use an adjustable
tree, which was one of the first patents in the 1870s. Technology is just
now catching up with that!"
Friedson creates saddles for all kinds of riders, including the disabled.
"I had a client who had no sensation from the hips down. He wanted a saddle
to help secure [him], but with little grip needed."
Barbara Kauffman knows all about saddle sores too. "It was very hard on
my hands. And I had long bouts of carpal tunnel syndrome. Some have surgery,
but I found now when I go running it actually improves my circulation. I have
to keep going even though the clients are very demanding. I'm outgoing, so
I'm good at that."
Kauffman didn't start out as a saddle maker. She was working for Microsoft,
but her true love was horses. "My grandfather had a ranch. I was about to
buy a saddle when my husband bought me an $80 coffee-table book about them.
At first I was really mad about so much money for a book. But the book just
fascinated me. I took an entire legal pad's worth of notes. I decided if I
ever got the chance to make saddles, that's what I'd do."
Kauffman compares saddle making to art. She averages 12 saddles a year,
but says some makers can craft two a month. Kauffman specializes in western
saddles. "I try my best to get the fit before we make the saddle because there's
not much you can do afterwards."
Most of Kauffman's clients live near her home in western Colorado, but
she gets some customers through horse shows and the Colorado State Fair. "People
come to meet me and see what I have to offer. I've sent saddles to Canada
and one of my clients lives in Germany."
Kauffman loves the creativity and freedom of working alone. "I love seeing
the finished product. When the girl from Germany got her saddle, she had tears
in her eyes. That was amazing."