O.W. Saddles was started back in the early 1980’s when John Owens found it hard to find someone to repair his horse gear. He simply started doing it himself, and then he did it for friends, and eventually he was repairing and creating custom tack, saddles, and gun leathers for customers who heard about his work. To expand his skills he studied saddle making under Don Brown in Garden Valley, Idaho.
These days John works in a mobile saddle and tack shop, spending summers near Durango, Colorado, and winters in Apache Junction, Arizona. He offers full service tack and saddle repair as well as custom saddlery.
Now in 2020 for John There is now a permanent shop in each of his two locations. The original shop trailer will new reside in the Arizona location. The Durango location now has a metal shipping container for his Durango shop location.
OW Saddles’ New Durango shop building is a container.
The traveling shop will stay in the Arizona location year-round
John Owens at his workshop that now stays in the AZ location.
Throughout his life John has personally used the types of saddles and tack he builds and repairs. Growing up he helped his granddad farm with a team, and as a young man he has always had a ranch job requiring work with horses. He has worked cattle, guided horse pack trips for hunters and guest ranches, and ridden for pleasure. His knowledge of how high quality tack should work and how it enhances the horse-rider experience when it’s made well and fits right guides his work. He believes that the customer’s horse is just as important as the rider.
O.W. Saddles is a one-man operation, so every customer is treated as a friend, and their needs and desires receive individual attention. Nothing is mass-produced. O.W. Saddles is known for fast turn-around time, for fair prices, and for using top quality materials in construction and repair.
John has a passion for the work he does and pride in the craftsmanship of the tack he creates or repairs. He enjoys sharing his knowledge with customers, knowing that what he does for them or teaches them can provide a safer, more comfortable experience.