Maker Billy Joe Rogers

[Kate]

I have a wonderful saddle made by Billy Joe Rogers, out of Wylie Texas. Got it on ebay, one of those things where a russian (really!) bought a lot from a storage unit and the saddle was in it. This is one of the drop dead gorgeous full-carved silver laced show saddles from back in the late 60s, when I was a dreamy eyed kid wishbooking through the Ryon's Ranch catalog at THOSE saddles. Turns out, I got this one for a song. I then went looking for the maker, Mr. Billy Joe Rogers.

Turns out that he was one of the saddlers making those Ryon saddles in those days, and his own on the side. He was kind enough to exchange a couple of letters with me about the approximate age etc. Saddle is unmarked as to age or a serial number - it was also missing the flank cinch. I finally made another one for it this past week, and carved the tunnel loops to match the scrollwork on the flank billets. Was going to send a photo to Mr. Rogers, went to look him up again - and it seems that he passed over the great divide last year. I have a pic I took to show a girlfriend who lives on the other side of the country - not a great pic, but you can see the detail a little bit.

[Hennessy]

I have a wonderful saddle made by Billy Joe Rogers, out of Wylie Texas. Got it on ebay, one of those things where a russian (really!) bought a lot from a storage unit and the saddle was in it. This is one of the drop dead gorgeous full-carved silver laced show saddles from back in the late 60s, when I was a dreamy eyed kid wishbooking through the Ryon's Ranch catalog at THOSE saddles. Turns out, I got this one for a song. I then went looking for the maker, Mr. Billy Joe Rogers.

Turns out that he was one of the saddlers making those Ryon saddles in those days, and his own on the side. He was kind enough to exchange a couple of letters with me about the approximate age etc. Saddle is unmarked as to age or a serial number - it was also missing the flank cinch. I finally made another one for it this past week, and carved the tunnel loops to match the scrollwork on the flank billets. Was going to send a photo to Mr. Rogers, went to look him up again - and it seems that he passed over the great divide last year. I have a pic I took to show a girlfriend who lives on the other side of the country - not a great pic, but you can see the detail a little bit.

kate nice saddle if you look you'll notice similaritys betwixt bj's saddles and billy cooks saddles.those two blokes plus many other good texas makers got their start with a rockwall tx maker named vaught,those two fellas went on greatly billy cook went further n bigger but their quality back then 60's 70;s was a1billy cook went in n out of business more times than bj did,they both set examples in th trade n taught many billy cook taught hundreds and can be liken'd to a military quartermaster as to acquistions,training,product ,n distribution even to this day!billy's worst weakness was his failure to employ american workers before Mexicans and ins hounded him more than any other sweatshop tx mx saddle shop in greenville tx so much so that he moved lock stock to sulphur ok.two years ago ins busted him thar with 50 illegals lets see at 10000 per /thats er oh well

Edited July 6, 2010 by Johanna
removed slang term

[Kate]

Interesting. Well I guess that explains the decline in overall quality I had observed in the BC saddles of recent years when compared to the earlier ones.

I will cherish my Rogers saddle as long as I am around to do so - he was a genuinely NICE man when I finally got hold of him. His wife is selling the last of his stock stuff on ebay now - mostly small goods, notebooks, guitar straps etc.

Thanks for that info, I appreciate it.