"We are in our seventh year, this is actually our third building," said Cactus Saddlery Marketing Director Corrie MacKay. "We started in a one-room warehouse and grew out of that, it was in Caddo Mills. They, then worked from two shops and had one where they built the stuff, and one where they shipped from. So, they were working back and forth and decided that wasn't going to work anymore, so they moved into this building about three years ago."
Approximately two years ago, they outgrew the space in their new building and added an additional 10,000 square.
"So now, here in this building, we make all of our saddles here in-house," she said. "We have pad production... and all of our strap is made here as well, so everything is made right here on the property. We also have a trophy line, Scott Thomas Trophies, and we are the official saddle of the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association). We also do saddles for NBHA (National Barrel Horse Association), WTRC (Wrangle Team Roping Championships) -- just tons of people, and that is all done here as well."
Since its beginning, Cactus Saddlery has ventured from the saddle business into a full-blown tack manufacturer.
"We started just saddles, we didn't do anything but saddles," MacKay said. "Then, we went into the tack business, and here in the last couple of years we started making pads, and now we have one of the best pads in the industry. Last year, we added a line of boots, leather legware and we also added a line of bits. Each year we try to add a little bit more, and ultimately want to become the one-stop shop for everybody to come to. We really want people to be able to come here and get everything they need to outfit their horse and just be the best quality they can find.
"High quality is kind of our mark," MacKay added. "We use the highest quality products we can get. We are very selective about our trees, just because that is part of making the saddle and the fit correct."
To ensure the correct fit, Cactus offers everything from a six-and-half gullet width, all the way to a seven to fit those wider-withered horses, as well as the average-sized horse.
"Really what we try to do, in all of them, is fit the majority of horses, so you can take your saddle from one horse to another and not just fit one of them," MacKay said. "We know that lots of these guys ride five or six different horses a day.
The Cactus team also knows how expensive saddles can be.
"If you are going to get the quality that you need, and you want them to last, then you don't want to have to pay for ten of them," she said. "So we really do try to make them to fit a lot of different horses. Cause we know they are expensive and you don't want something that you are going to have to replace every year.
"You can get a $500 saddle, but you are going to buy a $500 saddle every year," MacKay said. "Our saddles can range anywhere from in between $2,500 to $3,500 retail. All of our saddles are completely customizable. You can get your choice of tooling seats color of leather, stirrups, conchos, everything is completely up to the customer. We can even hand select a tree for them if that's what they want to do. We can basically do anything. If its what the customer wants, we can make it happen."
When looking into the fit of a saddle, physically measuring the horse's back is probably not the way to go.
"As far as just measuring a horse, we really don't go by that," Wilson said. "We put a bare tree on a horse and we can pretty much tell, because what you want when you are fitting a horse is for the bars on that tree to fit flush from front to back. You don't want any big gaps, you don't want any pressure points you don't want anything that can cause a pressure point."
If the saddle puts pressure on a horse's back in one place it can cause sores, rub raw spots on their back or cause the hair to turn white at the pressure point.
One way to find potential pressure points is after the horse has been sweating under saddle, look for substantial dry spots that could be pressure points.
"Sometimes you will have some dry spots," Wilson said. "I mean if the dry spots aren't huge, it's not really anything to be concerned about. You can have dry spots and still be fine. I think that is a misconception on some people's parts. If it's hurting that horse, you'll be able to see it on their back whenever you pull your saddle off, or that horse isn't acting exactly right."
When purchasing a saddle, the buyer should look at several things to insure a quality purchase.
"The guarantee on the tree, the material on the tree," Wilson said. "The tree is kinda like building a house, it is the foundation of the whole thing so if you start off with something cheap that is usually what you are going to get."
There are several types of trees such as, wood, raw-hide wrap and fiber glass.
"It is a matter of preference really," Wilson explained. "Like all the old timers pretty much they want the wood raw-hide covered because that's what (they have used in the past), and I mean it has been around forever, so it is proven.
"Fiberglass is kind of a new thing," he added. "I mean, it is not real new, but they say it is stronger. Where the fiberglass will not give at all, the wood raw-hide will give a little bit, and that is not a bad thing. It is just a preference on what the person is looking for."
A rider can improve the fit of their saddle and comfort of their horse through the pad they use as well.
"A lot of it has to do with the saddle you are throwing on each horse," Wilson said. "You can make a difference with a pad, so if you have to pad up or pad down, you can do that with pretty much any pad that we make here, depending on the contour of the horse and the saddle you are putting on him. You can kind of accommodate if the saddle doesn't fit quite as good -- you can accommodate it with a pad."
No matter what the customer's discipline, or the horse's need, Cactus Saddlery is looking to fit their needs with the highest quality product possible. To find out more about Cactus Saddlery and their products, visit www.cactussaddlery.com.
