Superior Saddlery — Andy Mashke
Certified Used Saddles — David SolumIn This Article
No western performance saddle maker has a more loyal secondary market following than Bob's Custom Saddle. Reiners who have owned Bob's Custom saddles often spend years tracking down specific models. The Bob Avila signature series, in particular — characterized by full sterling silver packages, exceptional tree quality, and the precise geometry developed through years of collaboration between Bob Buster and one of the most decorated reiners in NRHA history — commands prices in the secondary market that reflect genuine demand rather than nostalgia.
Understanding why requires understanding what made Bob's Custom different from its contemporaries, and what the various model designations actually tell you about a saddle's provenance and quality.
Bob Buster and the Origins of Bob's Custom
Bob Buster established Bob's Custom Saddle in Saginaw, Texas, building his reputation one saddle at a time through the western performance horse community. Buster was a craftsman in the traditional sense — hands-on, meticulous, building each saddle personally with the attention to detail that is only possible in a small-scale operation where the maker's name is literally on the product.
The leather quality and tree quality of Bob's Custom saddles set them apart from the production saddles that dominated the lower-price tiers of the market. Buster sourced premium leather, built on quality trees, and finished his saddles to a standard that held up under the hard use of competition horses ridden multiple times daily by professionals who could not afford equipment failures.
His location in north Texas placed him at the geographic center of the western performance horse industry — within driving distance of the major NRHA Futurity venues, surrounded by training operations, and embedded in the professional reining community that would become his primary customer base. This proximity created the feedback loop that refined Bob's Custom saddles over decades: real-world feedback from working professionals, incorporated into the next saddle built.
The Bob Avila Collaboration
The Bob Avila signature series represents the pinnacle of Bob's Custom saddle production, and understanding it requires understanding Bob Avila's position in the reining world.
Bob Avila is one of the most decorated reiners in NRHA history — a multiple NRHA Futurity Champion, World Champion, and one of the first riders to surpass the million-dollar earnings milestone in NRHA competition. He competed at the highest level for decades, training horses and students while continuing to show at world-championship caliber. His equipment choices were scrutinized by the entire reining community.
When Avila developed his signature saddle series with Bob Buster, it was not a licensing arrangement where his name appeared on a stock model with minor modifications. The Bob Avila signature saddles were developed through direct, iterative collaboration between a master craftsman and a rider who understood at a technical level exactly what he needed his saddle to do. The geometry, the tree dimensions, the leather selection, the silver specification — all of it reflects Avila's competitive requirements as refined through Buster's execution.
The result is a saddle that carries both men's reputations — and both reputations are warranted.
Signature Models and What the Model Numbers Mean
Bob's Custom saddles are typically identified by a model number in the format B[year]-[sequence] — for example, B17-120M or B16-1455M. These designations indicate the year of the model design and a production sequence number. The model numbers appear on a plate attached to the saddle, typically on the back of the cantle or under the skirt.
B17-120M — One of the most frequently encountered Bob Avila signature models in the used market. The "17" indicates the model was developed or revised in 2017; "120M" is the production sequence. This model features the full silver package characteristic of Avila's competition saddles, with sterling conchos, corner plates, and cantle binding.
B99-472 — An older model, the "99" indicating late-1990s vintage. B99 models are among the most sought-after in the Bob's Custom secondary market because they represent the period of peak Buster-Avila collaboration and carry the hand-craftsmanship of an earlier era. A B99 in excellent condition is a museum-quality piece that is also a functional competition saddle.
B16-1455M — A more recent model with minimal silver — the "M" suffix in some model designations indicates a modified or minimal-silver specification. This model provides Bob's Custom tree quality and build quality without the silver package, at a lower price point.
KR Lady Reiner — The Lady Reiner models are built on a narrower, lighter tree designed for smaller horses and riders. The "KR" designation indicates a specific tree configuration within the Bob's Custom lineup. The Bison Seat variant features suede-finish seat leather that provides additional grip — a preference of some competition riders for its security during sliding stops.
The Silver Packages
Bob's Custom silver packages — particularly on the Bob Avila signature series — are among the most elaborate in the western performance saddle market. A full-silver Bob Avila model typically includes:
- Sterling silver corner plates at all four skirt corners, often with engraved floral or geometric patterns
- Sterling silver conchos throughout — typically at the strings, fender attachment points, and decorative positions across the skirts
- Sterling silver cantle binding — the decorative strip along the top edge of the cantle
- Sterling silver horn cap
- Sterling silver rear dees
- Occasionally, sterling silver skirt overlays — the most elaborate and visually dramatic form of saddle silver, covering significant portions of the leather skirt surface with engraved sterling plates
The sterling silver on Bob's Custom saddles is hand-engraved by skilled silversmiths whose work is recognizable to specialists in the secondary market. The engraving patterns — typically floral or S-scroll designs — are consistent with the Buster-era aesthetic and distinguishable from later, lesser silver work.
Bob's Custom on the Secondary Market
Bob Buster's retirement from active saddle-making has closed the new-saddle market for Bob's Custom production. This finitude has made the secondary market for Bob's Custom saddles — particularly the Bob Avila signature series — more competitive than for most western performance saddle brands.
Pricing in the secondary market reflects the combination of tree quality, leather quality, silver content, and model prestige:
- Full-silver Bob Avila signature series models in excellent condition: $4,500–$6,500
- Full-silver models with normal competition wear but sound structure: $3,000–$4,500
- Minimal-silver or working Bob's Custom models in good condition: $1,500–$2,800
- Lady Reiner models with Bison seat and silver: $3,500–$5,500
These prices reflect genuine demand, not speculative inflation. Reiners and cow horse riders who have used Bob's Custom saddles consistently report that the combination of tree fit, leather quality, and balanced geometry produces better performance than alternatives at equivalent price points.
Evaluating a Bob's Custom in the Used Market
The standard used saddle evaluation protocol — tree integrity, leather condition, stitching, silver assessment — applies to Bob's Custom saddles as to any other. Several specific considerations for Bob's Custom evaluation:
Verify the model plate. Authentic Bob's Custom saddles carry a metal identification plate with the maker's name and model number. This plate is typically riveted in place, not screwed, and the rivet work is clean and consistent with the surrounding construction quality. Saddles represented as Bob's Custom without a model plate should be questioned.
Evaluate the silver closely. Bob's Custom silver packages used genuine sterling from skilled silversmiths, and the engraving quality is distinctive. Replacement silver or lesser-quality silver added by subsequent owners will not match the original work in material quality, engraving depth, or pattern consistency.
Assess the tree for the saddle's age. Bob's Custom trees were built on quality wooden forms — not the SYMMETREES™ precision of Superior Saddlery, but consistently well-built wooden trees that have proven structurally sound over decades of competition use. A Bob's Custom tree in normal condition should pass the twist test without any flex. Given the age of many Bob's Custom saddles in circulation, tree evaluation is particularly important — older trees can develop hairline cracks that are not visible without manipulation.
Available Bob's Custom Inventory
David Solum currently carries multiple Bob's Custom saddles in his certified used inventory, including several Bob Avila signature series models at various silver specifications. Each has been personally evaluated for tree integrity, leather condition, and silver quality.