When you invest in a custom saddle, you are not just buying a piece of equipment. You are acquiring a lifetime companion built by hands that have shaped leather, trees, and traditions for decades. At Texas Saddlery, every saddle that leaves the shop carries more than 35 years of real-world experience, craftsmanship, and knowledge that cannot be rushed or replicated.
The Man Behind Texas Saddlery’s Legacy
Dale Martin did not stumble into saddle making. He was raised in it.
Growing up in Kansas, Dale’s family owned Martin’s General Store, where he first began working with leather by building dog collars behind the counter. At the same time, he was cowboying and ranching, living the lifestyle that would later define his approach to building gear. That combination of hands-on leatherwork and time spent horseback quickly led him into making tack and eventually saddles, driven by the belief that equipment should work as hard as the people who use it.
Over more than 35 years, Dale has built more saddles than anyone in the industry ever. This is not a slogan or a marketing claim. It is a reality widely recognized throughout the western and roping communities. What separates Dale is not just the number of saddles he has built, but the depth of understanding that comes from decades of repetition, refinement, and daily use.
Learning from the Legends
Dale’s reputation as “the Master” is rooted in who he learned from and how seriously he approached the craft. He spent time learning under the legendary Howard Council, absorbing principles of balance, fit, and function that only come from one of the greats. Those lessons became part of the foundation of Dale’s own work.
Equally significant is the origin of Dale’s original tree pattern, which was built by the same tree maker who created Billy Hogg’s pattern. In the roping and saddle-making world, this detail carries real weight. These patterns were not theoretical designs. They were proven through competition, daily work, and the demands of top-level horsemen. That lineage still influences every saddle built at Texas Saddlery today.
A Saddle Maker Who Uses His Saddles
One of the most defining aspects of Dale’s work is that he ropes every single day. That level of daily involvement is rare among saddle makers. While many talented builders no longer ride regularly, Dale remains deeply connected to the sport and lifestyle his saddles are built for.
This daily use changes everything. Design decisions are made based on experience rather than assumptions. Small details are noticed because they matter when you are roping, riding, and working cattle consistently. At Texas Saddlery, saddles are not designed to sit on racks or live their lives in showrooms. They are built to be used, because they are used.
Industry Influence and Leadership
Years ago, Dale founded Martin Saddlery, which he later sold and which eventually became part of Equibrand. Martin Saddlery remains a respected name in the industry today, though Dale is no longer affiliated with Martin Saddlery or Equibrand in any capacity.
Following that chapter, Dale worked extensively with Reinsman, consulting on saddle and tack development. Over the years, he has advised or influenced nearly every major business in the industry that works with saddles and tack. Very few people have shaped modern Western equipment as broadly or as quietly as Dale Martin.
Today, his focus is simple. He ropes, and he builds exceptional gear.
Why Experience Truly Matters
Experience in custom saddle making is not a bonus. It is the foundation. After decades of building saddles for horses of every shape and riders of every discipline, Dale has developed an instinct for fit challenges long before they appear. His understanding of leather comes from watching how different hides stretch, break in, and perform over years, not months. The techniques used in every Texas Saddlery saddle are the result of constant refinement, tested through thousands of builds and real-world riding.
Because Dale approaches saddle making as both a craftsman and a working cowboy, each saddle reflects a deep understanding of how horses move and how riders perform. That balance between biomechanics and practicality is what allows a custom saddle to truly disappear underneath the rider.
Innovation Built on Tradition
At Texas Saddlery, innovation does not mean abandoning tradition. It means building on it. Each saddle blends time-honored hand tooling and leatherwork with modern understanding of fit and performance. Trees are specified to match the horse’s conformation, rigging and design elements are selected based on riding discipline, and every detail reflects decades of refinement rather than trends.
The Texas Saddlery Difference
Ordering a custom saddle from Texas Saddlery means investing in more than quality materials. It means benefiting from unmatched experience, deep industry knowledge, and practical insight earned from daily use. When we say our saddles are built to last a lifetime, we mean they are built with a lifetime of knowledge behind them.
A Saddle That Tells Your Story
Every rider has different needs, and every horse presents unique challenges. That is where true experience shows itself. Working with Texas Saddlery means working with someone who knows which questions to ask, understands the answers, and can translate that information into a saddle that fits both horse and rider exactly as it should.
Invest in Mastery
In an era of mass production, there is something meaningful about owning a saddle built by a true master of the craft. A Texas Saddlery saddle represents decades of innovation, learning, and collaboration poured into every stitch.
When you choose Texas Saddlery, you are choosing a saddle built by the man who has made more saddles than anyone in the industry and who still uses them every day.
Ready to experience the difference that true mastery makes? Contact Texas Saddlery to begin your custom saddle journey, and let’s build something exceptional together.