In Kohala on the Big Island, saddle makers of the next generation are busy keeping it alive. Ikaika Akima spends two hours, tapping away on rawhide to make his mark. "I'm trying to make the leaf look ...

REE HEIGHTS, S.D. - Lonnie Smith's duplicator saw screamed as it trimmed an 8- by 4-foot cut of wood. This process created three wooden bars to be used to create a saddle tree, or a frame around which ...

One project finished, time to move on to the next. In the world of saddlery and leathercraft, the work never really stops. Each piece is shaped, stitched, and refined by hand, showing the dedication ...

Sharp tools, steady hands, and years of skill come together in this satisfying leatherworking moment. Watch the precise cutting and shaping used in traditional saddle making, where the right tools and ...

The city expansion halts at the edge of Black Forest, and here at the end of a dirt road, a barn sits between the tall pines. Through the front doors, an old tune faintly plays from an old radio — the ...

A horse of good breed is not dishonored by his saddle. — Arabian Proverb William R. Thompson was a master saddle maker. From his shop in Rifle, Thompson built saddles in the truest standards of his ...

HOUSTON — When Julio Peña quit the third grade in Monterrey, Mexico, he knew exactly what his next move was. Peña, then a 13-year-old, was fixated on an old shop near his home. When he walked in, the ...

BELGRADE, Mont. — Passing on life lessons is a time-honored way of keeping essential professions healthy and vibrant. They are especially relevant when one generation gifts its knowledge and passion ...