Let's see your customized saddles

[Mike Leonard]

Tessa,

I am now a fan of red hair myself. My Irish Dad had red hair and I thought man I don't want to have hair as red as his. Well I got my wish, LOL! Now most of my hair is on my upper lip the rest wouldn't make a good Shoo Fly! LOL! Oh well they use to say don't grow wild on your head that which grows wild in Ahh Ahh I guess I forgot the rest of it. LOL!

[poser]

I'm too poor to own a good saddle but enjoy seeing other peoples. Here is a saddle owned by Eric Milligan. I don't know the specs Eric will have to get on here and let you know. It was built by Rick Erickson of Ennis Montana. If you are interested in checking out his work, here is his website steppinoutsaddlery.com Awesome post guys and gals, really enjoy seein the pics of the ponies and the saddles. Hopefully more get postin.












take care, jason

[tsprink]

I have rode all my life, I broke cutting horses and loped them in Weatherford, rode wheat pasture cattle, worked a feed yard, and rapped a ton. I have rode a few custom saddles mostly M. L. Leddy's. I am in the market for a custom built saddle for ME!!! Im excited too! anyway found 3 makers so far all of them about 3200 after I get the tooling and the few other things I want. Is that the market you guys see? Also 2 of them say 2 1/2 months to get a tree and one has a roping tree (modified association) he says you can build a mountain saddle from it. If I dont want that one then its 5 months.. Just for the tree! I hate waiting lol. Anyway is all the info I have correct? 2 of them were asking me all kinds of tree questions and I had no clue what to tell them I wanted. I told them, listen I have rode several saddles, I have never measured a piece of one. I rode them way to big and way to small but never cared to take a tape to one lol. There was one guy who walked me through it and told me what he would get and why. For his saddle with little tooling, leather covers on the stirrups, Brest collar, cinches, matching hobbles, scabbard, and saddle bags with a 6 month wait was 4100.00...What do yall think?

[Powder River Walker]

tsprink I have also been looking and what I have found is for a good non-custom saddle they are running around $1900. So I would say a custom saddle is going to be between $3000 and $4000. There are alot of saddle makers out there, I would say to look around for a while before you commit to someone on a tree that isn't exactly what you want. some one out there has the tree you want it is just a matter of time to find one.
PRW

[Mike Leonard]

Folks for a true custom rig and a great price from a guy that is a super talent and pretty well hidden out call Orlando (Orly) Valencia in Marvel Colorado 970-759-1122 tell him I said call he will charge you double. LOL!


Orly is the real deal a horseman deluxe and a rawhide man from way back. He gets it done pretty quick as well. He doesn't set around and talk a lot he is working on leather and working colts and that is a full time job.

[Big Horn Posse]

Mike, how long is his waiting list? I know with King's here it is a min 2 years.

[Average Joe]

Here are a couple rigs I ride. Gary Mittleider of Meridian Idaho. Built the saddle without the taps.It is a Center Fire rig with a 15 ½ inch seat and a 4” post horn.
The saddle with the taps was built by Bill Boswell of Goshen Utah. It has a Keith Gertsch tree double rigged 16 inch seat with 26” Taps.They are not only comfortable but are built dirty tough for the working Buckaroo/Cowboy

[Mike Leonard]

Tessa,

Last I heard Orly had a good contact for top trees close by and he usually can turn out a saddle pretty quick. He is one of those guys that doesn't sleep a lot and fusses over them till they are done. I think a person could get one pretty quick. He has been very careful with his advertizing and pretty much lets word of mouth do it. somebody sees one of his saddles at a roping or a cutting or on a round up and then they ask for the contact. He really likes to work with Wades and Weatherlys and Visalias. you would think him a buckaroo but really just a Colorado Cowboy who spent a lot of time working for a big outfit on Maui.

[Mike Leonard]

Hey guys I am going to pull this one out of the cript. Lets see what you are riding and how you are enjoying it. I will post some photos soon of my cowboying saddles and my hunting saddles. Each will work for all intended purposes but I am a pin head of sorts when it comes to tack, shotguns, rifles and dancing partners. LOL! so let's see what you you set in when you sort thru the back of the beyond.

[Spencer]

All right, here is a closeup of my saddle after some use with the new saddle pockets and machete sheath.


Here is my old saddle built by Sparky Wallace of Cow Camp Supply. It's for sale if anyone has any interest in purchasing it. It has new stirrups because I wanted to keep my stirrups for the new saddle.

[Mike Leonard]

Had a tack cleaning the other day and took a couple of photos.

Here is a pair of my old custom cowboy and ranch saddles. these are good for any purpose but they are extra heavy so I will show a couple of my favorite hunting saddles as well.




Hunting rigs

[Spencer]

Mike im suprised you like those eagle bill taps. They are pretty long and seem as if they would drag your feet back going through the brush and whatnot.

[Mike Leonard]

Actually I used bull dog or monkey nose taps more than I do the traditional taps but I don't experience as many problems as one would think in the brush. I really like a long tap for working cattle and you will be surprized how much action you can get out of a cow brute by shaking a tap at her. I also like they way they hang on this old Heiser they give it a real balance feel. I don't ride broncs if I can help it but if I have to get on one that is liable to do some funny stuff I stick to my oxebows. Blowing a stirrup is a sure way to find yerself hobbling home making up excuses. LOL!


I am a little eccentric when it comes to gear and eclectic as well. Hell riding the same old horse same old saddle and same old tack everyday gets a little boring, so I like to spice it up a bit. also not everything fits each horse the same way and I try to pay special attention to the horse I am riding.

TOP TWO SADDLES LEFT TO RIGHT

Custom Buck Proffit Mancos Colorado Olin Young Roper.
Custom Wilson Coggshall Miles City Ellensburg by Peter De Verbeck

Heiser slick fork with inlaid padded seat 5/8 single rigged

RT Fraser high back double rigged silver horn


Let me tell you these two old timers were built back when men lived in the saddle and they sure are easy on you for that day after day long riding in rough country.

[Spencer]

If only they could talk, I bet they would have some great stories to tell. The second one in my pics. has got to be the most comfortable saddle I have spent time in. I wish the new one was as comfortable. It is, but not like the other one is. I take the taps off in the warmer weather. only use them for winter riding. But then again, I dont work cattle.

[Mike Leonard]

Long taps are a pian if you have to ride in deep snow or if you have a short legged rock scrambler and he might even step on some of those super long ones. these are slightly modified and not as long this pattern was orginally designed by Will James famous Western artist and writer. He had them put an a new Garcia saddle he had built and then he had them cut back again a bit. He was mostly working the Rocking R at that time and it is not real thick brush country just more sage. Jim Bramlett who wrote the book about will James ( Ride For the High Points) loaned me Will James pattern and I had these built.

When it's really cold out I like a good big bull dog tap. I don't stuff it with sheep like some guys do but I wear them White Cowboy packs and they fit in there good and keep your feet about as warm as you can expect them to be setting in a rocking chair out in winter weather. LOL!


Here's my favorite stirrup for general all around use.

















http://www.russellyates.us/


These were made by my buddy Russell Yates of Rotan, Texas. russ by the way has won many awards and the best of show at Trappings of the West in Alpine. J. Martin Basinger famous Texas bobcat hunter was the man that Russ said really inspired him to go into the business full time.

The Spur strap buckles were also made by Russ and the straps came from Big Bend Saddlery in Alpine. Well known custom bootmaker Wayne Decker built these boots and several other pairs for me. Wayne is now teaching orthodics at O.U.