Western Saddle Makers Guide

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. It also profiles the master custom saddlemakers whose hand-built work sets the standard for the craft.

Superior Saddlery — Andreas Maschke

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.

Andreas Maschke 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

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

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

Master Custom Saddlemakers

Beyond the production and semi-custom brands above, a parallel tradition of individual craftsmen builds saddles largely by hand. Many are members of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association, founded to preserve saddlemaking, silversmithing, bit and spur making, and rawhide braiding. Their work rarely reaches the general secondary market — saddles are typically commissioned directly and often stay in families or collections — but these are the makers whose standards define the upper end of the craft.

Dale Harwood — Shelley, Idaho

Dale Harwood is one of the most influential western saddlemakers of the modern era. Raised on an Idaho ranch, Harwood learned leatherwork while repairing tack and later worked as a buckaroo and rodeo contestant. He opened his first saddle shop in Idaho Falls in 1961 and became known for controlling virtually every stage of construction, including building his own saddle trees. Harwood was a founding member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association and received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2008. He is now retired from saddlemaking.

Cary Schwarz — Salmon, Idaho

Cary Schwarz is a master saddlemaker and leather artist. He began working with leather in 1972 and later studied saddlemaking under Jesse Smith in Spokane, Washington. His development was strongly influenced by the work of Dale Harwood, Chuck Stormes, and the Ray Holes Saddle Company. Schwarz is particularly respected for combining traditional western saddle construction with sophisticated leather carving and artistic design. A founding member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association, he has also devoted considerable time to teaching and preserving the saddlemaking tradition.

Chuck Stormes — Millarville, Alberta

Chuck Stormes ranks among the most respected western saddlemakers of his generation. Stormes built custom saddles for working ranchers, horsemen, and collectors during a career spanning more than six decades. He developed a particularly deep knowledge of historic western saddle construction and saddle trees and became an important authority on the evolution of the Wade saddle. Stormes was also a founding member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association. After more than 60 years in the trade, he closed Stormes Saddle Company and retired in 2024.

Jeremiah Watt — Coalinga, California

Jeremiah Watt is a prominent western saddlemaker, silversmith, engraver, and bit-and-spur maker whose career began in 1976. A Canadian native, Watt attended saddlemaking school in Amarillo, Texas, before traveling through the West studying established saddle shops. He later worked for Chuck Stormes before moving to the United States and settling with his family in Coalinga. His work combines functional saddle construction with elaborate leather carving and metalwork, making him one of the better-known contemporary craftsmen working across several traditional cowboy arts.

Troy West — Azle, Texas

Troy West began building saddles after going to Amarillo in 1977 to learn the trade. Raised around cattle, calf roping, and team roping, West approached saddlemaking from the perspective of someone who understood how western saddles were actually used. He has spent much of his career studying not only leatherwork but saddle-tree design and the relationship between the horse, tree, and rider. West is a member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association and has won Best of Show at the Boot and Saddlemaker Roundup multiple times.

Chas Weldon — Billings, Montana

Chas Weldon is a longtime Montana saddlemaker known especially for working-cowboy and Wade-style saddles. Before becoming a full-time craftsman, Weldon worked on large ranches in Montana and Wyoming, giving him practical knowledge of what a saddle must accomplish during long days of ranch work. He apprenticed at the historic Connolly Saddlery in Billings and also worked with Sheridan leatherworker Don King. During a career extending more than four decades, Weldon developed a reputation for highly refined leather carving combined with traditional, functional saddle construction.

Steve Mecum — Crowheart, Wyoming

Steve Mecum is a saddlemaker whose craftsmanship grew directly from a lifetime spent horseback. Raised around ranching in northern California, he moved to Wyoming in 1972 and worked as a cowboy, hunting guide, horse trainer, and ranch hand. In 1986, Sheridan craftsman Bob Douglas taught Mecum to build his first saddle. He subsequently developed a career building custom saddles for working cowboys, horsemen, and collectors. His practical experience — including starting hundreds of young horses — has heavily influenced his emphasis on balance, durability, comfort, and function.

John Willemsma — Westcliffe, Colorado

John Willemsma is a veteran western saddlemaker and the craftsman behind LJ's Saddlery. His work emphasizes traditional construction, functional cowboy gear, and careful attention to saddle fit and durability. Willemsma has spent decades studying saddle trees, construction methods, and the requirements of working horsemen. A member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association, he has successfully moved between the worlds of hard-use cowboy equipment and highly finished collectible western art. He has also worked to pass his saddlemaking knowledge to another generation, including his son Logan.

Rick Bean — Idaho

Rick Bean founded R.C. Bean Saddlery in 1978 when he was only 17 years old. Over the following decades, he developed a distinctive reputation for deeply carved and highly artistic western saddles. Bean's elaborate “Legacy” and exhibition saddles often incorporate western history, landscapes, cowboys, and storytelling into the leather itself, yet he has consistently maintained that even highly decorated saddles must remain structurally sound and functional. A longtime member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association, Bean's work has been exhibited through the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

Pedro Pedrini — Spring Creek, Nevada

Pedro “Jean Pierre” Pedrini was born in France in 1952 and grew up in the Swiss Alps, where his interest in horses led him toward western riding and leatherwork. Determined to learn traditional American saddlemaking, he came to the United States in 1978 and eventually found work at the historic J.M. Capriola Company in Elko, Nevada. Pedrini subsequently traveled and worked throughout the West while developing his craft before establishing Pedrini Saddle Company. He became a member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association in 2007 and represents an unusual European-to-American pathway into traditional western saddlemaking.

Gabe Williams — Standish, California

Gabe Williams is the craftsman behind Gabe Williams Saddle Company. His work reflects the traditional working-cowboy approach to saddlemaking, with an emphasis on usable ranch saddles supported by high-quality leatherwork and hand craftsmanship. Williams works from Standish in northeastern California and has continued developing his skills in saddle construction, leather carving, and hand stitching. In 2026, Williams was welcomed as a saddlemaker member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association, placing him among a select group of contemporary craftsmen working to preserve traditional cowboy arts.

Carol Gessell — Ennis, Montana

Carol Gessell is a saddlemaker and leatherworker whose interest in the craft began with a childhood leatherworking kit. Years later, she returned to leatherwork to make equipment for her own horses and eventually established a custom leather business around 1998. By 1999 she was working leather full-time and soon expanded into building western saddles. Today she operates Black Horse Leatherworks & Saddlery in Ennis. Gessell is a member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association and produces custom saddles and western horse gear combining practical construction with accomplished decorative leatherwork.

Nancy Martiny — May, Idaho

Nancy Martiny is a rancher, horsewoman, and master saddlemaker known particularly for her flowing floral leather carving. She built her first saddle in 1987 after receiving two saddle trees made by Dale Harwood, who subsequently helped guide her through her first build. Martiny continued studying with leading makers including Harwood and Cary Schwarz while developing her own distinctive style. Working from her family's ranch near May, she primarily builds saddles intended for working cowboys and ranchers. In 2021, Martiny received the Idaho Governor's Award in the Arts for Excellence in Folk and Traditional Arts.

Conrad Koppenhafer — Dorris, California

Conrad Koppenhafer combines the experience of a working cowboy with decades of traditional western saddlemaking. Raised around cowboys in Colorado, he began formally learning saddlemaking in 1975 at Texas State Technical Institute in Amarillo. He subsequently gained experience at Ryon's in Fort Worth and the historic J.M. Capriola Company in Elko, Nevada. Koppenhafer later established Butte Valley Saddle Company in Dorris, producing and repairing the equipment used by working horsemen. His career has also included teaching leathercraft, and one of his notable commissions was a saddle built for President Ronald Reagan.

Scott Brown — Texas and Utah

Scott Brown began his professional saddlemaking career after attending saddle school in Amarillo, Texas, graduating in 1977. He moved to Elko, Nevada, where he worked for the historic J.M. Capriola Company under saddlemaker Eddie Brooks. Brown later returned to cowboying on northern Nevada ranches before moving back to Texas and building saddles for Big Bend Saddlery in Alpine. His work reflects both professional saddle-shop training and years spent using saddles as a working cowboy. Brown later moved to Utah, where he also pursued the demanding craft of traditional violin making.

Bob Marrs — Amarillo, Texas · 1927–2022

Bob Marrs was one of the great Texas saddlemakers of the postwar era. A former working cowboy and World War II Army veteran, Marrs built his first saddle in 1949 and took over Stockman's Saddle Shop in Amarillo in 1954, operating it as Bob Marrs Stockman's Saddle Shop for 38 years. He became especially influential in developing saddles for cutting-horse riders while also earning recognition for his distinctive leather carving, including his signature poinsettia pattern. Marrs signed more than 3,200 saddles during his career and continued working with leather into his nineties. He died in 2022.

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.