How did you get started

[mulefool]

If you could find someone like Bill Bacon that would be willing to teach you'd sure be lucky. I've heard good things about him, but never met him. I learned from Jesse Smith in Spokane back in 1980-82. He was teaching a 2 year course through the community college. Worked on saddles all day for two years and then worked some more when I wasn't sleeping. Even after spending two years on learning, I still came out feeling there was an awful lot more to learn and it seems like there's more to learn every day. As Casey mentioned Jesse is down in CO now, and I would sure recommend him.

I probably get three or four people a year ask me if I would teach them to build saddles. Maybe some day when I'm semi retired that might be kind of fun. But it just seems like the idea of trying to teach while being behind on orders wouldn't work out now. I would guess alot of saddlemakers feel that way. Chris

[AndyKnight]

The best way is to hire a saddlemaker to teach you through at least one saddle. Some of us do that. It will give you a good foundation and save you lots of wrecks in the long run,.