Two students · Two weeks · Two saddles each
Two weeks at the bench with Paul, building saddles start to finish. For people who already have a working knowledge of leatherwork, and for the raw beginner.
Courses run the first two weeks of every month, November through April.
Just under eight minutes on what the two weeks actually look like, and who the course is for.
Paul is also interviewed on Borderline’s The Saddler’s Post.
The course
The purpose is to teach the techniques and the procedures of building a basic saddle — and the reasoning underneath them. Students can expect specific instruction on:
It is a chance to learn from a maker who came up through a traditional apprenticeship — all but gone now, in a day of instant information and degrees.
Six courses a year, November through April. With only two students in the shop at a time, places are limited and go by arrangement with Paul.
The rest of the year Paul is in the shop building saddles, alongside the small family ranch and training a few of his own horses for pleasure and use on the ranch.
The course cost covers materials. Each student is responsible for their own food and lodging while they’re in Sheridan.
Students are encouraged to bring their own tools. If you don’t own them yet, Paul provides a basic list along with supplier information — learning to use and maintain your own tools is a critical part of being a saddler.
The area is steeped in an old and rich tradition of makers, and still ranks as a mecca for the trade. It is one of the few places in the country where you can learn saddlery, buy the complete set of tools needed to start a shop, and have a source for every supply you need.
Every student leaves with saddles they built with their own hands.
“The time spent with Paul has jumped my learning curve ahead by years. I was concerned that my investment in time and resources would yield a return in a course like this. What I left with is a renewed passion for the trade, and the value gained well exceeds the price paid.”
“I attended without any prior knowledge or experience in the trade. The learning curve was steep, but Paul’s curriculum let me complete the course and go home with enough understanding to keep building on my own. He is both a master of his craft and an excellent teacher — his patient way of handling students keeps them in a learning frame of mind without being stressed or made to feel stupid.”
“He taught me many details, like building the parts of the saddle that you can’t see just as well as the parts that you can. He also helped me find and buy the right tools — I didn’t end up with a hundred tools I don’t use. We only bought about ten, just enough to do the job well. If I could come again, I would.”
Inquiries
Tell Paul what leatherwork you have done so far and which months would suit you, and he will let you know what is open.