Whether out on the range or in the arena, a saddle has to hold up under hard use. Many are factory-made, but custom Western saddles are crafted by skilled leatherworkers.
As part of a special Expressive Idaho series, we are revisiting a gathering of Idaho artisans called the “Cowgirl Congress.”
This story was made to be heard. Click or tap the ‘Listen’ button above for the full audio.
Transcript:
ATTEBERY: I grew up on a ranch with my dad, and we had dairy cattle and beef cattle, and I always wanted to build a saddle. That's where it started. I'm Deana Attebery. I'm from Emmett, Idaho, and I do leather tooling, carving, and some rawhide work. I am developing my own style, and it's basically the Idaho wildflowers and that comes from my husband. He would always bring me these stinky wouldn't bring me nice pretty flowers or they were pretty, but they didn't smell good. But he loved the trees and the outdoor life. He was a range conservationist and he would bring me wild bouquets of flowers. When he died. Then my son and I went for a drive up in the mountains on the anniversary of his death. And I took a lot of pictures of wildflowers. And from that, I started incorporating the wildflowers into my work.
MARTINY: My name is Nancy Martiny. I'm a saddle maker and leather worker. I live on a ranch in central Idaho here. A few months ago, I realized that I was coming up to my 500th saddle. I built mostly what I call cowboy saddles, and I guess my main goal has always been to get better with my work. And I wasn't really set on a date or a time or or anything. And the fact that I've been doing this for 35 years and I'm still doing it, It's been a career. It's been a passion. It's been my business income. You know, it's enabled me to do what I want to do and then everything else in my life.
ATTEBERY: I built like three saddles. But I decided I really didn't like doing that as well. After I did make a saddle, I decided I'd like to draw and do the tooling better than I did making saddles. I do little miniature saddles now, and they're fun. What you need to do is learn the different styles and the different techniques and try to conquer them, but then you need to make it your own. And that's what I'm finally in the last year and a half, it's finally coming together after 30 years.
MARTINY: We're really trying to bring in more young craftsmen and it's a woman deal. So which it's starting to become popular, but it hasn't been a focus in the past.
ATTEBERY: It doesn't matter how many years you've done something, you can always learn something new. I think the camaraderie, the collaboration with other artists that are here is going to be a big thing for me because I don't get out a whole lot.
MARTINY: I see these young leather workers, these gals that want to be saddle makers, and they have young families, and most of us are on ranches. We have a lot of obligations. And it's a little bit difficult now because the internet is so helpful. There's so many resources, and yet at the same time, it gives the illusion that everyone is super successful from the first thing they create. So it intimidates them in a way. And some of them just don't know how to get started because of that. So I hope this encourages them to start where you are, and the only way you get better is by doing. Studying other people's work, asking for advice, and just keep doing it.
This Expressive Idaho episode was produced by Lauren Paterson, with interviews recorded by Arlie Sommer and edited by Sáša Woodruff. Music by Lobo Loco and Lowtone Music.
The web article was written and edited by Katie Kloppenburg and Lacey Daley.
Expressive Idaho is made in partnership with the Idaho Commission on the Arts’ Folk and Traditional Arts Program. This program is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
