How Do Western Saddle Makers Build A Saddle?

We all know that some Western saddle makers’ saddles are total works of art. Sure, there are a lot of production-line saddles which a churned out every day, but there are still pure craftsmen working in the industry and making each whole saddle them from scratch. How do they do it?

Most often, if an engraved or hand carved saddle is required, then this may be done by a tooling expert who specializes in making those intricate designs. The traditional designs have always been the lovely flowers and intertwining leaves seen on the older saddles. But these days, many different designs can be put onto the saddles. They are a bit like tattoos. If you are getting an individualized saddle after all, then you can have the design of your choice on your saddle.

A design is first worked into the wet saddle leather. This can be cut with a knife and then later tooled in with the write implements. This practiced art form takes years of practice to perfect and there are only a limited number of skilled craftsmen and women left in the States. “It is getting harder to find the tools too”, one of the craftsmen tell us. Some of them are getting on for fifty years old now and have been worked by many different hands through the years. Indeed, some saddle toolers end up making the tools themselves because they are becoming so rare.

This was a small glimpse into the world of the Western saddle makers. Some of whom carry on a traditional craft as it has been practiced through the centuries. A rare breed indeed!

You can find more information about saddles at http://www.westernsaddlemakers.com, where you can read about Western saddle makers .