Bill Knight worked for Ray Holes in the 1940’s when he returned home from the war. His name never appeared anywhere on any work, yet his imprint is felt even today. Ray Holes designed this carved panel and Bill carved it. This panel appeared in the Ray Holes catalog for many years. Dale Harwood credits […]

Dale Harwood once quipped that the purpose of the back billets on a saddle was to keep the back cinch from falling on the ground. I’m thinking he may be on to something. Many times over the last thirty years I’ve heard folks say that they need a back cinch in order to help keep […]

A number of years back, my friend Pete Gorrell (a veteran saddlemaker now living in Colorado) showed me how he shims his stirrup treads. I add one thick layer of skirting leather to the inside tread of the stirrup, which is the side nearest the horse. As the stirrup leathers drape around the barrel of […]

In the morning I’ll head for Oklahoma City for a weekend celebration of the West. It will be my fifteenth trip to the National Cowboy Museum. We began this wild ride we call the TCAA in 1998…little did we know just where it all would lead. There has been many great opportunities that have come […]

We’re days away from our annual event at the National Cowboy Museum called ‘Cowboy Crossings’. It is a joint exhibit and sale featuring the work of the Cowboy Artists of America and the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association. It’s a great weekend of learning, growing as artists/craftsmen, and oh yes…a little socializing. It has become a […]

I’ve long marveled at the instructions on saddle soap containers. It doesn’t seem to matter what brand or type of saddle soap, they all seem to say pretty much the same thing. If you follow these instructions, there is no way that your dirty saddle will get clean. There usually is some sort of product […]

It was September 23, 2010. I was settled into my seat in the front row of the historic Egyptian theater in downtown Boise. The theater was classic architecture with an exotic twist. Painted Egyptian figures and statuary gave the interior an other-worldly flavor. I thought about how wild the week had been…and it wasn’t over […]

In the spring of 2009 I visited France with my friend and colleague Pedro Pedrini. We spent most of our time in Saumur where the Ecole d’Application is located. This is a horse facility that traces its beginnings to Napoleon Bonaparte. To this day, it is an integral part of officer’s training in the French […]

I just received word that my saddle arrived safe and sound at the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City. This was one of the most challenging projects I’ve ever completed. What a great opportunity as an artist and a craftsman! Make plans now to attend our opening weekend (Cowboy Crossings) in the middle of October. […]

He had occasionally given me a bit of trouble before on these back feet, but this spring he became more resistant. I’d been trying more of the kinder, gentler approach to handling his feet and it wasn’t working. In my efforts to make him softer, he was getting tougher.  I finally decided to build more […]