A Life Shaped in Leather: Lander rancher builds custom saddles rooted in tradition and function

As a rancher and saddlemaker, Grant Shippen of Lander spends his days balancing livestock work with time in his shop where he builds and repairs saddles as time allows. 

“I started making saddles in 2004 in Riverton where my brothers and I have a ranch about 10 miles west of town. Then, I got married and moved to Lander. As my brothers and I got older, we sold most of our cows at the ranch in Riverton and just have a handful of cows there now. We still put up hay and share crop with some of our neighbors to get the work done. My brothers are still on the place, but I am at my wife’s place now – our ranches are about 30 miles apart,” Grant shares.

He continues, “I have a little shop here at my wife’s ranch, about six miles from Lander. I make a few custom saddles every year, repair saddles and other tack and do some additional leatherwork. We still have ranch work to do, so I work in my shop whenever I have a little spare time.”

Although it keeps him busy, Grant has found a rhythm between ranch life and leatherwork that suits him.

Learning the trade

Grant notes his first time working with leather was at young age when he and his siblings fell ill with scarlet fever and were stuck in the house recuperating and bored.

“My dad was hauling lumber from Dubois to Riverton nearly every day, and one day he stopped at a food shop and bought one of those Tandy leather kits for kids,” Grant shares. “It had a set of tools and a few projects to do – like making a purse and a belt – so he brought it home to keep us busy.”

Leathercraft resurfaced again a few years later when Grant was in sixth grade and one of his teachers taught her students the basics of leathercraft, giving each their own project to complete.

From there, Grant’s curiosity around the craft grew, and he continued to build his skills over time. 

He notes he built his first saddle by following instructions in a book.

“I was at a book shop in Riverton one day and saw a three-volume set of saddlemaking books written by renowned Saddlemaker Al Stohlman. I’d always wanted to build a saddle, so I bought them,” he says. 

Originally published in three volumes, this 708-page book was called “The Encyclopedia of Saddle Making,” and shares the knowledge and insight of saddlemaking which Stohlman spent his life perfecting.  

In detail, it explains the basics of saddlemaking, including the tools needed, saddle parts and rigging, saddle trees and patterns for several types of saddles.

“That winter I didn’t have enough money to buy leather and a tree, so I just looked at the books,” Grant says. “The next winter, I ordered a tree, got some leather and followed the instructions – and this was how I built my first saddle.”

From there, Grant continued creating, making about seven or eight saddles before applying for – and winning – a $500 scholarship to spend a week learning from Saddlemaker Cary Schwarz of Salmon, Idaho.

Grant spent the week taking photos and detailed notes he could use when he got home.

“I learned a lot from him, and the experience really improved my saddlemaking,” says Grant.

He also credits several others who helped him along the way, including Steve Mecum, Gary Holt, Ralph Shimon and Jim Mckinney.

Built for function

Today, most of Grant’s work comes through custom orders and repairs. 

He notes ranch saddles are built to be used, and they often show it.

“People bring in all kinds of things – old saddles, broken bridles and worn-out tack,” he says. “It’s surprising what you find when you start taking things apart. Some are well made, and some are not.” 

For Grant, one of the most important elements is the ground seat – the foundation which determines how a saddle feels to a rider.

“Factory saddles don’t spend much time on the ground seat, and they feel like riding a barrel,” Grant says. “With a custom saddle, if you fit the seat properly, it fits the person much better. They are much more comfortable, and it’s easier on their back and their whole body.”

A comfortable fit matters just as much for the horse as well.

Over the years, Grant has seen changes in the type of horses used on ranches, which heavily influences saddle design. Where Thoroughbred-type horses with higher withers were once common, ranch horses of today are often of Quarter Horse bloodlines with broader backs and lower withers.

“The saddle needs to fit the horse or it won’t stay in place, and it may also make the horse’s back sore,” he states.

To address this, Grant works with saddle trees designed to fit both the rider and the horse. He aims to keep the seat narrow enough for rider comfort while simultaneously accommodating for modern-day horse conformation.

“If a person spends very many hours in the saddle, they definitely want it to be comfortable,” Grant says.

Craft and customization

Each custom saddle Grant builds reflects both the needs and preferences of its owner. While he enjoys tooling leather and continues to practice improving his skill set, he notes most customers opt for simpler designs these days to keep costs down.

“I like to tool leather and I like practicing to get better at it, but for custom saddles, I just make whatever they want,” Grant states.

Still, he makes a point to build an extra saddle or two each year, often incorporating more detailed tooling and intricate designs. 

 “I never have more than one on hand at a time because they sell quickly,” he admits. “I’ve had good luck putting them on Facebook. A lot of people see them that way. It’s good advertisement.”

Although the cost of leather and other materials is one of the biggest challenges Grant has run into while making saddles today, he believes quality is key – both in how saddles perform and how they hold up over time.

Grant primarily sources his leather from Hermann Oak in St. Louis, Mo., purchasing through suppliers in Ohio and Montana, but prices have skyrocketed in recent years.

“Today, it costs about $380 to $400 a side, and it takes 2.5 sides of leather to build a saddle,” Grant explains. “By the time you purchase a tree, the leather and hardware, a person can have about $1,500 in a saddle just for materials before they even start working on it.”

Part of the issue, Grant believes, is the decline in domestic hide processing. With fewer tanneries operating in the U.S., hides often go unused.

“I’ve tried getting some imported leather, but it doesn’t feel as nice as the leather from Hermann Oak,” he admits. “Most imported leather is tanned differently and feels like cardboard. There’s a lot of difference in leather depending on how it was tanned. Although imported leather is a lot cheaper, I don’t like at as well.”

A lifelong craft

At age 78, Grant plans on making saddles for as long as his schedule – and his hands – will allow.

“I have a little arthritis, but my hands are still pretty good. They are stiff in the morning, but they limber up during the day,” he says. 

Grant has no shortage of work, with customers coming in largely through word of mouth. From full saddle builds to small repairs, he is willing to take on just about anything made of leather.

Heather Smith Thomas is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.