This collection is comprised of 12 interviews conducted by Linda Morton-Keithley for the Idaho State Historical Society to document saddlemaking in Idaho. The saddlemakers interviewed came from widely varied backgrounds. Some interviewees learned the trade from family members, others apprenticed, and some fell into saddlemaking by accident and developed the skills on their own. They have pre-saddlemaking work backgrounds as ranchers, working cowboys, professional rodeo cowboys, or leatherworkers.

Interviewees consistently discussed the decline of the need for saddles. Many different factors applied. Ray Holes, a saddlemaker in Grangeville, Idaho, saw an initial demise to the saddle with the advent of the automobile. "Cars were coming in 1922 and I guess people just weren't buying saddles, you know. They'd quit buying, there were saddles for sale, people weren't riding." (Holes interview, OH 910)

An apprenticeship program for veterans was set up by the U.S. Government following World War II. The program was overseen by state officials and had a specific agenda of skills to be learned. Holes trained three veterans to be saddlemakers, and some of them were successful. Ben Tarrell was injured during WWII and was unable to return to ranch work. He was an apprentice for Holes from 1945 to 1949.

All interviewees discussed the qualities of a good saddlemaker. Holes felt that it takes about ten years of practice to make a good saddlemaker. One must have a natural ability and an artistic touch and must care for fine craftsmanship in the goods produced. His son, Gerald Holes, agreed. Also a saddlemaker, Gerald listed dedication, taking pleasure in one's work, manual dexterity, and a sense of aesthetics and balance as necessary qualities of a good saddlemaker. Both agreed that a saddlemaker must understand horses.

Fancier saddles are far more popular now. However, many of the saddlemakers preferred to work with cowboys versus rodeo competitors. Rodeo changed the saddle. Competition seems to be taking over as a modern concern. With more leisure time for events such as roping competitions, changes have been made to the design of the saddle, improving time in clocked events.

The saddlemakers believed that the quality and availability of leather has decreased. The availability of leather has decreased because many companies have gone out of business, some due to environmental concerns. In regards to quality, many tanners prefer a faster, chemical process rather than bark tanning. Though faster, the chemicals weaken the leather. Cattle are butchered at a younger age now, producing smaller hides with much less area for saddle pieces. The demand for high quality is not as prevalent. Today there is much less ranch work. People buy saddles for recreational and pleasure riding. Consumers look for saddles to use only a few times a year; therefore, more affordable saddles produced in factories outsell custom work. The pleasure riding industry is huge. There are companies that make fifty saddles each day, but those saddles simply won't do for ranch work. According to Don Brown, who called the factory saddle market the "junk market," (Brown interview, OH 924) it takes 20 hours to make a single plain custom saddle.

These interviews contain much discussion of fads in the saddlemaking industry including what was popular and in what region. Some basic knowledge and appreciation of the parts and construction of various types of saddles is useful to the audience. Several interviewees discussed developments, innovations, and techniques in saddle making. Topics include rigging, forks, horns, saddle trees, cantles, and changes in horses through the years.

Many saddlemakers believe that the future of Western saddles will remain on the ranches and for pleasure riding. Four-wheeled vehicles can not completely displace the horse, but they have certainly reduced the demand for work saddles. However, Tarrell believes that the age of the apprenticeship is over. Young people are not inclined to work four years of hard labor for low wages in order to learn a trade. Tarrell said that the people who make saddles in the future will have picked it up as a child and continue with it into adulthood. According to those interviewed, while the art form of saddle making has a rich history in Idaho, the future of "good saddles" is poor.