Western Saddle Makers Guide:
Every Brand in the Performance Market

The western performance saddle market supports a range of makers from large production operations to one-person custom shops. Each occupies a different position in the market — different price points, different disciplines, different philosophies about what a performance saddle should prioritize. This guide covers every maker represented in David Solum's certified used inventory, with context about their history, their distinguishing characteristics, and what to expect from their saddles in the secondary market.

Superior Saddlery — Andy Mashke

Superior Saddlery is the only active production saddle maker in this guide — all others have retired or significantly reduced production. This distinction matters because it means Superior saddles are available new, built to the current state of the art, while all other makers in this list are represented only in the used market.

Andy Mashke built Superior Saddlery's reputation on a single technological decision: to manufacture his own saddle trees — the SYMMETREES™ system — rather than purchasing from outside suppliers. This vertical integration allowed him to control every variable of tree fit and to offer a 25-year warranty against breakage — a guarantee no conventionally sourced tree could support.

Superior's endorser roster includes Shawn Flarida, Craig Schmersal, Casey Deary, Jason Vanlandingham, Cade McCutcheon, Tom McCutcheon, and many others — the most decorated competition reiners in NRHA history. Their involvement in model development means each Superior saddle design has been tested at the world-championship level before release.

Used market pricing: $2,500–$6,500 depending on model and silver. The most sought-after used Superior saddles are the show-level models with full sterling silver packages.

Available now: Casey Deary Reiner 16" — $5,995 · MR Reiner 15½" — $6,495

Bob's Custom Saddle — Bob Buster

Bob Buster built one of the most recognized and respected brands in reining and cow horse competition through decades of collaboration with top NRHA professionals, most notably Bob Avila. The Bob Avila signature series — multiple models at different silver specifications built around the precise geometry of Avila's competitive requirements — remains the most sought-after product in the Bob's Custom secondary market.

Bob's Custom saddles are characterized by exceptional tree quality (consistently among the most structurally sound vintage saddles in the used market), premium leather sourcing, and silver packages that use genuine sterling from skilled silversmiths. Model numbers follow a B[year]-[sequence] format stamped on a plate attached to the saddle.

Buster's retirement has closed the new-saddle market, making the secondary market the only source of Bob's Custom saddles. This finitude has made collectors of his work — particularly the full-silver Bob Avila models — among the most competitive buyers in the western performance saddle market.

Used market pricing: $1,795–$5,995 depending on model, silver, and condition. Full-silver Bob Avila signature series models command the highest premiums.

Available now: Bob Avila 16" — $5,995 · 15" B14-867M — $1,795

Donn Leson Saddles

Donn Leson built his reputation through technical precision and a distinctive saddle philosophy: the reining saddle should lock the rider into a specific position from which deviation is difficult, because that position is the correct position. The Reinmaker model — Leson's signature reining saddle — features a deep, enveloping seat with substantial lateral support that holds the rider in place through the violent movements of the stop and spin.

Leson saddles divide opinion among riders: some find the seat too confining, preferring the more adjustable feel of shallower seats. Others — particularly riders who have struggled with maintaining position through stops — report that the Reinmaker's geometry solved problems they had been fighting for years. The saddle does not accommodate incorrect position; it enforces correct position. For some riders, this is exactly what they need.

Leson saddles hold their value exceptionally well in the secondary market — better than almost any other vintage western performance saddle. The combination of distinctive design, proven competition use, and relatively limited production means demand consistently outpaces supply in the used market.

Used market pricing: $4,500–$8,000 for Reinmaker models in good condition. Silver-heavy models command the upper end of the range.

Available now: Donn Leson Reinmaker 16" — $7,995 · TVB #386 16" — $6,495

Kyle Tack

Kyle Tack occupies a specific and valuable position in the western performance saddle market: genuinely good quality at a price point that makes serious reining equipment accessible to amateur competitors and serious amateurs who cannot justify the $6,000–$10,000 price of new premium production. Kyle Tack reiners are among the most common saddles in the certified used market for this reason — they perform reliably, hold up to regular use, and trade at prices that represent realistic value rather than collector premiums.

Kyle Tack saddles are characterized by consistent tree quality, adequate leather selection, and silver packages that range from minimal to partial. Full-silver Kyle Tack models with sterling conchos and corner plates exist but are less common than the partial-silver configurations that dominate the brand's mid-market position.

The practical advantage of Kyle Tack in the used market: the saddles are common enough that finding a specific size is feasible, and the pricing is predictable enough that comparison shopping is meaningful. A Kyle Tack reiner in good condition is a safe, competent saddle for a competitor at the amateur or nonpro level who does not need the tree precision of a SYMMETREES™ build or the prestige of a Bob Avila signature.

Used market pricing: $2,200–$4,500 depending on silver and condition. Like-new examples command the upper end; normal-condition working saddles trade at $2,500–$3,500.

Available now: Five Kyle Tack reiners at $3,995 each — view all at ReiningSaddles.com

Martin Saddlery

Martin Saddlery built its initial reputation in team roping and cutting before expanding into reining. The company's collaboration with top NRHA reiners — including Trevor Dare, whose signature model carries Martin's name — represents their competition-level production work.

The Trevor Dare Reiner by Martin Saddlery is the primary Martin product in David Solum's inventory: a 15½" full-silver model with sterling corner plates, conchos, and cantle binding, on a well-engineered tree built for competition reining. Martin's leather quality is consistent with their premium price positioning, and their silver work — while not quite reaching the hand-engraved standard of the best Bob's Custom pieces — is solid production-quality sterling.

Used market pricing: $2,500–$5,500 for competition-grade Martin reining saddles. Full-silver Trevor Dare models anchor the upper range.

Available now: Trevor Dare Reiner 15½" Full Silver — $4,995

Andrea Maschke

Andrea Maschke — building under her own name as well as in collaboration with Superior Saddlery — represents a specific chapter in western performance saddle history. Her original custom builds, including the 2004-era reiner in David Solum's inventory, are collector pieces that represent the pre-Superior era of Maschke family saddle-making.

The Andrea Maschke name on a saddle indicates a level of custom fit and individual craftsmanship that preceded the standardization of the SYMMETREES™ system. These saddles were built to specific horses, to specific riders, with the full attention of a craftsman who was also the designer. Their collector value reflects this — they cannot be replicated because the process that produced them no longer exists in the same form.

Available now: Andrea Maschke Reiner 15½" (2004) — $2,495

Pinnacle Saddlery

Pinnacle Saddlery produces competition-grade reining saddles at the premium tier of the market. The AF Reiner model by Pinnacle — also associated with Andreas Maschke, reflecting the complex web of family and professional relationships in the small world of custom saddle-making — features an elephant seat (the distinctive textured seat leather that provides grip without requiring the rider to actively grip), full sterling silver, and the deep seat geometry of a competition reining saddle.

Pinnacle saddles are less common in the secondary market than Bob's Custom, Kyle Tack, or Superior, which can make pricing comparison difficult. Their quality and competition credentials support pricing at the premium tier alongside those brands.

Available now: AF Reiner by Pinnacle — 16" Elephant Seat, Full Silver — $5,995

Equine Oasis — Tim Bauer

Equine Oasis, operating under the name of craftsman Tim Bauer, represents the custom end of reining saddle production — small-batch, highly individual builds produced by a single craftsman with the detailed horse-specific attention that production saddle makers cannot offer. Bauer's work is characterized by distinctive design choices that distinguish his saddles from the more conservative aesthetic of mainstream reining production.

The 17" Equine Oasis model in David Solum's inventory is unusual in the reining saddle market — 17" seats are uncommon in a discipline where the standard range runs 15"–16.5" — making it a specific solution for a rider who needs more room and has struggled to find competition-grade reining saddles at that size.

Available now: Equine Oasis by Tim Bauer 17" — $2,995

Roohide

Roohide occupies the mid-market tier of reining saddle production — above the budget import brands, below the custom-tier makers like Bob's Custom and Donn Leson. Their saddles are factory-produced to consistent specifications, with quality leather and sound trees at price points accessible to serious amateurs who need genuine reining geometry without the collector premiums of the premium tier.

The 17" Roohide Reiner in Solum's inventory addresses the same large-rider market as the Equine Oasis model — a full-seat, deep reining saddle for riders who have been sitting off the back of smaller saddles and compromising their position as a result.

Available now: Roohide Reiner 17" — $2,995

Calvin Allen Saddlery

Calvin Allen Saddlery built its reputation in the cutting horse disciplines — the flat seat, centered balance, and minimal interference philosophy of cutting saddle design. The Ranch Cutter model bridges the gap between working-ranch utility and cutting-horse performance: functional horn, adequate working rigging, flat seat suited to the free-rein work of cutting competition, at a price point accessible to working ranches rather than only show operations.

Available now: Ranch Cutter by Calvin Allen 15½" — $1,995

Teddy Johnson Cutting Horses

Teddy Johnson's cutting horse saddles carry the significant credential of NCHA competition provenance — the 16" full-floral Teddy Johnson Cutter in Solum's inventory includes a history of NCHA $30,000 competition use, which means it has been tested at the most demanding level of the discipline it was designed for. Johnson's saddles are built for the specific demands of NCHA cutting competition, with the flat seat, minimal cantle, and centered balance that the free-rein rule demands.

Available now: Teddy Johnson Cutter 16" — NCHA Competition History — $1,195

SRS Ranch Saddle

The SRS Ranch Saddle represents the working-ranch end of the discipline spectrum — hand-tooled, functional, built for the kind of use that professional ranch operations require. Not a competition-specialized instrument, but a genuine working tool at a price point that makes it accessible to operations that need multiple saddles rather than one exceptional one.

Available now: SRS Ranch Saddle 16" Hand Tooled — $1,495

Rios Bros.

Rios Bros. represents a long tradition of Texas saddle-making rooted in working-ranch and roping applications. The 15½" Roper in Solum's inventory is priced to reflect its condition — the seat needs stitching — which makes it the most accessible saddle in the inventory by price, at $495, for a buyer willing to invest in a minor repair to a structurally sound saddle from an established maker.

Available now: Rios Bros. Roper 15½" — Seat Needs Stitching — $495

How to Choose Between Makers

The maker decision comes after three prior decisions: what discipline you primarily ride, what horse you are fitting the saddle to, and what seat size you need. Once those are established, the maker decision becomes a question of budget, availability, and value hierarchy.

If budget is unconstrained and you are competing at a high level of reining: Superior Saddlery new, or a prime Bob's Custom or Donn Leson from the used market.

If budget is moderate and you need genuine reining geometry: Kyle Tack used is the safest choice — common enough to find your size, consistent enough in quality to evaluate reliably, and priced at genuine market value.

If you are a nonpro competitor who wants the best saddle you can afford: the used market for Bob's Custom, Superior, or Martin at $2,500–$4,500 consistently outperforms new production at the same budget.

Use the Saddle Matchmaker to filter all 103 saddles in the network inventory by discipline, seat size, budget, silver preference, and maker simultaneously. The matchmaker ranks your results by percentage match against your criteria — the most efficient starting point in any saddle search.