Larry’s Saddle Shop

Welcome to Larry's Saddle Shop, maker of quality, handmade saddles and cowboy equipment for over twenty-five years. Based in Vernon, Texas, we ship worldwide with both retail and wholesale pricing.

About Larry Lancaster

"Back to the Saddle"

Craftsman Keeps Tradition Alive

He's a young man, but his craft is as old as the west itself.

Larry Lancaster of Vernon makes saddles, and each one is original.

"I've been working with leather since high school," Lancaster says. He graduated in 1969 from We Boswell High School in Saginaw, Texas. His father was a pilot, and the family moved around quite a bit, so Lancaster was always "the new kid in town." He was pretty much of a loner, but he liked to work with his hands, and he enjoyed the feel of the smooth leather as he turned it into a good looking western belt. He found out other people liked what he made, and soon he was able to sell enough belts to pay his entry fees for another interest-rodeoing.

"I got into rodeoing right out of high school," the tall, lanky Lancaster recalls. "I fought bulls and clowned, but I liked bareback riding best."

His dream to operate his own saddle business came true when he was able to open up shop on Main Street. His customers came from all over the world, and the craftsman took pride in each custom-made saddle. Unfortunately, the economy took a downward turn, and Lancaster closed his shop. But his love for working with leather could not be stifled, so his garage became his workshop. The walls are covered with a multitude of paper patterns. The smell of leather fills the air.

Lancaster says it takes some 60 to 80 hours to make a saddle. He orders the tree from Moab, Utah. Made of pine, the form is made to the measurements of each individual customer as to seat size, horn size, and other specifications.

"Each saddle I build is an original," Lancaster notes. "There are no others just like it. No two saddles go together the same, and no two saddles are going to look exactly the same." Lancaster also says that a good saddle will last a lifetime if cared for properly. As to the future of his craft, Lancaster says he believes saddle makers will always be needed. Despite the modern technology that allows cowboys to herd cattle with helicopters, a cowboy will always need a horse, he maintains, and as long as there are horses, there will be saddles.

Many of them bearing the Lancaster logo, the craftsman hopes.

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