Western Saddle Makers Guide

Bob’s Custom Saddles out of Weatherford, Texas is the single most represented maker in performance saddle inventories across the country, and for good reason. The shop has built saddles for nearly every major NRHA and NCHA competitor at the open level — Bob Avila, Casey Deary, Craig Schmersal, Jason Vanlandingham, Mandy McCutcheon, and dozens more have ridden Bob’s Custom builds in competition.

What separates Bob’s Custom is the depth of their model range. The standard reining builds — identified by model numbers like B16-1455M, B14-867M, and B99-472 — are honest production saddles built to a consistent spec. The signature builds bearing a competitor’s name are a step above in tooling, silver, and finish quality, and carry meaningful resale premiums because collectors and competitive riders both want them.

The Bob Avila signature line is the most valuable and most imitated. Genuine Bob Avila by Bob’s Custom saddles carry a clearly stamped fender with both the “Bob Avila” and “Bob’s Custom” marks. The serial number on the tree cap ties back to production records. If a seller cannot produce the fender stamp or claims “Bob Avila style” without the marks, it is not a genuine signature build.

The KR Lady Reiner model is Bob’s Custom’s purpose-designed women’s competition saddle — narrower twist, slightly shorter seat, and a build geometry specifically suited to the female competitive rider. These are underpriced in the market relative to their construction quality and command strong demand when correctly identified.

Andy Mashke’s Superior Saddlery is the most versatile builder in the western performance saddle market — building purpose-designed saddles for reining, cow horse, ranch riding, and cutting, all on the same SYMMETREES™ glass-encased wood tree technology. Mashke has spent decades building for NRHA and NCHA competitors at every level, and his saddles appear in both open and non-pro competition circles without the social hierarchy that some maker names carry.

The signature builds in Superior’s line — Casey Deary, Craig Schmersal, Jason Vanlandingham, Mandy McCutcheon, MR Reiner — represent collaborations with active competitors who have ridden these saddles in NRHA Futurity competition. The result is a saddle that reflects actual competitive input rather than a marketing relationship. Each signature model carries the competitor’s name stamped on the fender and often includes build specifications requested by that rider.

The SYMMETREES™ system — hardwood trees encapsulated in fiberglass — gives Superior saddles a meaningful advantage in humid or variable climates. Traditional rawhide-covered wood trees are susceptible to moisture warping that permanently alters the tree’s fit profile. A SYMMETREES™ tree maintains its geometry season after season, which means a well-maintained used Superior saddle fits the same horse it fit when new.

The Ranch Rider and Ranch Rider Deluxe builds occupy a distinct position in Superior’s lineup — competition-quality construction applied to an AQHA Ranch Riding platform. These are not retrofitted reining saddles with a back cinch added. They are purpose-designed ranch riding saddles with the horn profile, rigging position, and skirt geometry that AQHA Ranch Riding competition demands.

Kyle Tack occupies an interesting position in the used reining saddle market — a builder with a serious competition following whose saddles are often undervalued relative to their construction quality because the name does not carry the same celebrity recognition as Bob’s Custom or Donn Leson. For buyers who ride saddles rather than collect them, that is an advantage.

Kyle Tack reining saddles are built with the same attention to tree fit and leather selection that defines the best competition builders. The flat seat geometry is correct for NRHA competition. The in-skirt rigging is properly positioned. The fenders are narrow enough for genuine close-contact leg feel without being so narrow they are uncomfortable for training miles. These are saddles built by someone who understands what a reining horse needs from its rider’s position.

Used Kyle Tack saddles in good condition consistently represent strong value because the market prices them below Bob’s Custom and Donn Leson equivalents despite comparable build quality. The $3,995 price point for the examples in David’s inventory reflects fair current market value — not a discount for inferior quality.

Donn Leson built saddles in Grants Pass, Oregon with a following among NRHA open competitors that few makers ever achieve. His Reinmaker model is widely considered among the finest purpose-built reining saddles ever produced — a claim that holds up when you sit in one and understand what it is doing for your position. The seat geometry, the fender hang, the horn profile — every element reflects decades of iteration informed by open-level competitive feedback.

The Reinmaker name is stamped clearly on the fender. The TVB designation on the TVB #386 model refers to a specific build variant with different tooling and silver specifications. Both represent the upper tier of Leson’s production and command prices in the $6,000–$8,000 range for clean examples — prices that hold because demand from serious reining competitors consistently exceeds available supply of quality used examples.

Leson saddles are not casual purchases. A buyer considering one should understand they are buying a competition tool built for open-level NRHA work, not a generalist performance saddle. The flat seat and specific fender geometry that make these saddles exceptional for reining patterns make them less suited to disciplines that require more rider movement. That specificity is the point.

Teddy Johnson built cutting saddles in Gainesville, Texas with a loyal following among NCHA competitors for decades. His saddles are characterized by a pronounced deep seat, full floral tooling executed with consistent quality, and construction durability that holds up through serious competition use. The Teddy Johnson name carries real resale value in the NCHA community — buyers who know cutting saddles know the name, and certified used examples with documented competition history are sought after.

The NCHA competition history notation on a Teddy Johnson saddle — such as $30,000 AMT — tells a buyer exactly which competitive context the saddle has seen. A saddle ridden in the $30,000 Amateur division has been in genuine NCHA competition under a serious rider. That provenance is part of the value. It also means the tree has been through competition stress, which is why David’s tree integrity check on every Teddy Johnson in inventory is not optional.

Martin Saddlery out of Greenville, Texas is one of the most prolific western performance saddle manufacturers in the country, building saddles for NRHA competitors under both the Martin name and various signature arrangements. The Trevor Dare Reiner in David’s inventory represents Martin’s competition-tier production — full silver package, 15½” seat, correct reining geometry.

Martin saddles span a wide range of quality tiers from production-line entry builds to full custom work for open competitors. The Trevor Dare signature at $4,995 sits toward the top of their used market range and reflects the silver package value as much as the base saddle construction. Buyers should understand that Martin’s reputation encompasses many build tiers — the signature models are not representative of their entry-level production.

Andreas Maschke built saddles under the Pinnacle Saddlery name with a devoted following among serious NRHA competitors. His work is defined by exceptionally tight, consistent tooling execution — the daisy and sunflower floral patterns on his saddles are carved with a precision that distinguishes them immediately from production tooling. The AF Reiner model in David’s inventory represents Maschke’s full-build capability: dense full-coverage floral, major sterling silver package, elephant-print seat, and a custom nameplate.

Pinnacle saddles are not common in the used market. When a clean example surfaces it attracts attention from collectors and competitive riders equally. The provenance — the maker’s stamp, the silver quality, the tooling consistency — is verifiable by anyone who knows Maschke’s work. David can authenticate any Pinnacle saddle in his inventory on request.

Roohide occupies the working-competitor tier of the reining saddle market — saddles built for riders who train and compete seriously but are not shopping at the top of the Bob’s Custom signature range. Roohide builds are honest reining saddles: correct seat geometry, sound tree construction, and quality leather at a price point that makes sense for the non-pro or amateur who puts serious miles on their equipment.

The 17” Roohide Reiner in inventory is notable for its seat size. Most reining saddles in the used market run 15½” to 16”. A 17” seat is harder to find and serves a specific buyer — taller or broader-framed riders who have struggled to find a competition reining saddle with enough room. The basketweave tooling on this example is clean and well-defined, and the serial number stamp confirms legitimate production provenance.

Calvin Allen Saddlery operated out of Weatherford, Texas — the geographic center of cutting horse country and working ranch culture. Allen built saddles that served both communities without catering to either at the expense of the other. His ranch cutter design is exactly what the name implies: a saddle with enough cutting geometry to work cattle effectively and enough ranch practicality to handle a full working day.

Calvin Allen saddles are workingman’s saddles in the best sense. Full basketweave tooling throughout, braided rawhide horn wrap, woolskin lining, honest construction. No wasted silver, no unnecessary decoration, no compromises in the functional elements. The Weatherford provenance is meaningful — a Calvin Allen saddle built in cutting horse country was built for cutting horse work, and the design decisions reflect that.

Tim Bauer built saddles under the Equine Oasis name for NRHA competitors seeking custom work outside the mainstream maker circuit. His saddles are less frequently seen in the used market than Bob’s Custom or Kyle Tack — which makes a clean example notable when it surfaces. The 17” seat on the Equine Oasis in David’s inventory places it in the same scarce large-seat category as the Roohide Reiner: genuinely hard to find at this seat size from a credentialed builder.

Rios Bros. produced western saddles in volume for a broad market — not a boutique competition builder, but a manufacturer whose saddles appear frequently in working barns and entry-level competition contexts. The 15½” roper in David’s inventory needs seat stitching, which is why it is priced at $495 rather than the $1,200–$1,500 a comparable clean example would bring. The tree is sound. The leather structure is intact. The seat stitching repair is a known, addressable saddlery job.

This is a project saddle priced as a project saddle. The right buyer is someone who can arrange the seat repair or do it themselves, and who needs a solid-tree starter platform at a working-budget price.

SRS builds working ranch saddles for riders who need fully equipped, functional western tack at a price that makes sense for what the saddle actually does. The 16” SRS Ranch Saddle in David’s inventory is one of the most visually striking pieces in the current catalog — the two-tone black and tan hand-tooled floral pattern with white buck-stitch trim throughout is an unusual and well-executed design for a saddle at this price point. It comes complete with back cinch and billets, wood stirrups, and slotted conchos with saddle strings.

This is a ranch saddle in the working sense — not a show-pen AQHA Ranch Riding competition build, but a complete, functional, fully rigged saddle ready for cattle work. At $1,495 it represents strong value for a rider who needs everything included and appreciates the visual distinction of the two-tone tooling.