Hans is 85 years old and has been making and repairing saddles for more than 60 years. He learned the basics of leather work as a young man being held in concentration camps in Germany during World War II. He was forced to work on all manner of leather items for the German army. He survived in the concentration camps for nine years before being liberated by the US army. Being the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust, he traveled to the US after the war. He landed in New York, stepped off the boat and found his way to a saddle shop in Manhattan. A saddle shop in Manhattan? It seems out of place now, but in the 1940s there were several high-end saddle shops in downtown Manhattan.
The only skill Hans knew when he stepped off that boat in New York was leather work. He did not speak English. Fortunately, there was a man at the shop who had immigrated from Germany before the war, and was able to help translate to Hans. The factory was huge; he would spend weeks at a time working on one component that goes into making saddles, then move onto the next. He spent 10 years working at that factory before moving out of the state to pursue other opportunities.
Eventually Hans found his way to Portland, Oregon, in the 1960s. He worked for a well-known saddle shop in downtown Portland. Hans finally parted ways with the shop and started working on his own, creating his own brand of custom-made, high quality saddles under his own name.
Hans is ready to retire. When I first contacted him to ask if he'd teach me saddle repair, he was reluctant. He has taught many other people his trade, and very few actually pursue a career as a saddler. Why would I be any different? Add on top of that the fact I had never cut a piece of leather or sewed a strap! Hans certainly had me jump through some hoops before he would begin to teach me. The main, most difficult task, was in locating a good-quality stitching horse.
A stitching horse is used to hold the leather piece as you sew it. Since we use 2 needles and an awl to sew, it is impossible to try to hold the leather, as well!I finally found this stitching horse in Florida. It cost me a fortune to ship it (almost as much as I paid for the horse itself!), but it is a nice, good quality horse that has been well taken care of over the years.
So, after the stitching horse came buying all of the tools, many of which simply are not being manufactured anymore (Hans response to my griping about this is, as always, "You could always buy the shop - I have everything you need here!"). I scrounged up what I could. I still don't have everything I need, but my tool kit is growing over time. Hans won't allow me to buy cheaply made tools (they don't last), making the process all that much more difficult.
Then came the drives over the pass to Bend, once every couple of weeks, to begin to work with Hans. It was a slow process to start, but slowly I began to build my skill set. My first reflock job was horrid. Hans comes from the school of thought that "I show you once and I never need to show you again, yes?". Yikes - not exactly the easiest way to learn! But, with each saddle my confidence improved.
In August I traveled over to Bend to spend a week with Hans learning to make my first saddle. I don't have any major plans to start making saddles, but learning how to build one has given me the knowledge to handle more complex repairs. We are 1/2-way through making the saddle. Now I just have to free up my schedule enough to make the trip back over! I plan to go over to work with Hans every couple of weeks to finish up the saddle and continue to hone my skills.
I love working on saddles, but I really have a strong interest in strapwork. I suspect that before long you will start seeing my own line of top-quality halters and bridles at the shop!
I plan to post photos and information of some of the work I encounter. I have found that the general horse-riding public (including myself!) are very undereducated as to what goes into making a saddle, and most folks don't know what makes a good quality saddle vs. a bad quality saddle. In years past saddles were made to last 50 years or more; the trend now-a-days is for saddles to (maybe) last 10 years. However, there are some saddle manufacturers who still use the old techniques and good quality materials - it is just sometimes hard finding them! We live in a throw-away society, and it is frustrating to realize that the $3,000 or $4,000 saddle you just purchased is not going to outlive your horse!
